Graduated from Brown University '81 (American Civilization)
Father, Chapin Carpenter, was a high-level Life magazine executive, so
she spent her youth in Princeton, Tokyo, and Washington,DC.
In the spring of 2007 the singer suffered from a pulmonary embolism, a serious condition that temporarily brought her career to a sudden halt. She has since recovered and is back touring and recording (2010).
Owns 6 dogs (Shamus, Boundary, Maude, Emma, Finn and Mona) and 4 cats. Whenever she returns home after being away for a while, she kisses each of her pets right on the mouth (Interview BBC's Episode dated 1 November 2010 (2010)).