In 2005, she formed the country music duo the Wreckers with Jessica Harp, and produced the Grammy-nominated single "Leave the Pieces".

[5][6] Beginning to sing at the age of three, Branch enrolled in voice lessons at Northern Arizona University when she was eight,[4][7][8] and received her first guitar for her 14th birthday.

[8] To support Branch's interests, her parents helped her book local gigs in Sedona, and later financed her independent album Broken Bracelet.

[8] Her set list at these gigs included covers of songs by Sheryl Crow, Lisa Loeb, Jewel, and Fleetwood Mac.

[9] In December 1999, she posted two of her songs on the Rolling Stone website, which caught the attention of both pop rock band Hanson and former Rolling Stone writer and Los Angeles record producer Jeff Rabhan, eventually leading to two gigs opening for Hanson in 2000.

[4][5] Its title was inspired from a bracelet made by pop singer Jewel, given to Branch by musician Steve Poltz at a Lisa Loeb concert she attended.

Due to the mainstream success of those released singles, The Spirit Room was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA for selling over two million copies in the United States.

[14] Branch met Justincase before her debut on Maverick Records, becoming friends over the Internet before meeting in Las Vegas for a music convention in 2000.

[19] In 2002, Branch teamed up with Santana, alongside songwriters Gregg Alexander and Rick Nowels, to produce the song "The Game of Love",[3][5][20] which went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

", was a chart success, earning Branch a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance,[12] though the song lost to Pink's "Trouble".

[23] During this period, they contributed to Santana's album All That I Am, with the song "I'm Feeling You",[23] appearing on the American teen television drama One Tree Hill,[3] and joined country music stars Rascal Flatts on a U.S.

[24][25] They initially toured with Gavin DeGraw, Tyler Hilton and Bethany Joy Galeotti, which was also written into the show during the second season.

[27][28] Immediately thereafter, Branch wrote an unreleased song for Mandy Moore's 2007 album Wild Hope,[29] and also wrote "Together" for the soundtrack of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2; it was also featured as the final song ever played on the CBS TV soap opera, Guiding Light.

[2] In June 2008, she played several live shows in preparation for the album's release with her sister Nicole singing backing vocals.

[31] A video was made for the song "This Way" and uploaded to Branch's official YouTube account in October 2009,[32] but it was not released as a single and did not chart.

[36][37] In early 2011, Branch released three previously unreleased songs from Everything Comes and Goes including, "Texas In the Mirror", "Take a Chance on Me", and "Long Goodbye", the latter a duet with Dwight Yoakam.

Michelle practiced and recorded a few tracks with Tilted Head and FIVE lead singer Joshua Barton, however it is still a work in progress.

"[39] On May 26, 2011, Branch hosted a live webchat with fans in which she previewed her new single "Loud Music", which was released to the iTunes Store on June 14, 2011.

In the webcast, Branch also mentioned songs on the album called "Mastermind" and "The Story Of Us" and also added that "Through The Radio" would be a hidden track on the CD.

On July 12, 2011, Branch performed "God Bless America" at the MLB All-Star Game, in Phoenix, Arizona.

[40] On October 29, 2011, she gave a small concert to approximately 200 fans at the Egyptian Room in downtown Indianapolis, as part of the Gravedigger's Ball.

On December 12, 2011, Branch released a song titled "If You Happen to Call" for free download on the official website.

[43] On June 1, 2011, Branch announced that the album was called West Coast Time and slated for a September 2011 release date.

[54] During a January 5, 2021, Livestream performance for Snapple, Branch confirmed that she would be re-recording her album The Spirit Room in March 2021 to celebrate its anniversary.

[59] Branch has stated that her music has been influenced by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, Lisa Loeb, Joni Mitchell, Queen, Alanis Morissette, Dolores O'Riordan, Jewel, Fleetwood Mac and Cat Stevens.

[69][70] In 2015, Branch met Patrick Carney of the Black Keys at a Grammy party, and the two started dating during the production of Hopeless Romantic.

[79] In August 2021, Branch announced she was pregnant,[80] and in February 2022, she gave birth to a daughter, her third child and her second with Carney.