Vanessa Carlton

There's only one thing tougher than making your debut album, and that's recording your first demo. "Making mine was a total nightmare," laughs Vanessa Carlton. "I was 17 and living in Hell's Kitchen, working five days a week as a waitress in lower Manhattan. On the weekends, I'd grab my four-track and make the long drive to my parents' house in Pennsylvania because that's where my piano was. With my father's help, I'd record take after take until four in the morning, determined to capture 'the perfect performance.' Unfortunately, my dog had other plans. Each time I'd get to the end of a good take, he'd ruin it with a woof, and we'd have to start all over again."