Born in
Heidelberg,
West Germany, Duvekot moved to
Delaware, US, at the age of 13. Duvekot writes songs that are often profound and personal, and she frequently records and performs with little accompaniment besides her
acoustic guitar. She began recording music on her own at the age of cassette tapes for her friends. At 18 she won the first
open mic competition she entered, at the Sam Adams Brewpub in Philadelphia. Within a year, she had recorded a number of songs on a borrowed
4-track tape machine, and released a self-produced full-length cassette entitled
Waterstains, which she sold at gigs in and around
Newark, Delaware, where she had attended the
University of Delaware. In 2000, her song "Soma" won the grand prize in the rock category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Duvekot often tours with
Ellis Paul, who sings on her first studio album,
Big Dream Boulevard.
Big Dream Boulevard was produced by
Séamus Egan of the Irish-American band
Solas. Solas has previously recorded five of Duvekot's songs: "Black Annis," "The Poisonjester's Mask," "Erin," "Reasonland," and "Merry Go Round." Duvekot's first two albums,
Little Peppermints and
Boys, Flowers, Miles, are based on recordings of live performances, although some tracks include studio overdubs as well. Both albums include spoken anecdotes from Duvekot. In 2007, Duvekot's song "Merry-Go-Round" was used in a marketing campaign for
Bank of America, including a spot during
Super Bowl XLI. Duvekot's next release,
Toward the Thunder, was her fourth full-length studio album. ==Discography==