She is best known as one half of the indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces, alongside her older brother Matthew Friedberger.

[2] Friedberger was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and grew up singing with her grandmother Olga Sarantos and family in a Greek Orthodox church.

[9][10][11] While there, on the recommendation of a friend, she visited an '80s-themed goth nightclub called Rebound, which made an impression on her and ultimately became the namesake of her fourth studio album.

[12] For Rebound, Friedberger adopted a more pop-influenced sound, recording most of the music herself and using synthesizers and drum machines as opposed to the live bands which characterized her earlier solo work.

She has dated both Britt Daniel of Spoon and Alex Kapranos of the Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand.