Emerging from Texas, Sixpence None the Richer secured widespread attention in the closing years of the 1990s by fusing melodic alternative pop with Christian rock in an infectious style. The group took its name from a passage penned by C.S. Lewis and scored its first major breakthrough with the self-titled 1997 album, driven by the jangly pop single “Kiss Me.” Placements of the band’s renditions of the La’s “There She Goes” and Crowded House’s “Don't Dream It's Over” on prominent television and film projects accelerated their ascent, yet the members chose to disband temporarily in 2004. A later reunion produced an EP along with the 2012 full-length Lost in Transition before another period of inactivity set in. Marking the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough 1997 album, which had originally reached its chart peak in 1999, Sixpence None the Richer mounted a commemorative tour in 2024 and issued the EP Rosemary Hill.
The band originated in the early 1990s after guitarist Matt Slocum encountered vocalist Leigh Nash during a church retreat. At first a trio completed by bassist T.J. Behling, the musicians cut a demo and secured a deal with R.E.X. Records, a company formerly focused on Christian metal. Their first album, The Fatherless & the Widow, surfaced in 1993. After rhythm guitarist Tess Wiley, bassist J.J. Plasencio, and drummer Dale Baker came aboard, Sixpence None the Richer toured extensively and then returned to the studio for the 1995 follow-up This Beautiful Mess, which earned a Dove Award and preceded the EP Tickets for a Prayer Wheel. Once Wiley and Plasencio exited ahead of the subsequent project, bassist Justin Cary joined the lineup.
Although completed in 1997, the third album Sixpence None the Richer only gained traction two years later when the dreamy track “Kiss Me” appeared as a single. Featured during the third season of Dawson’s Creek, the song propelled the group into broad commercial visibility and secured radio exposure across more than ten countries. Further recognition arrived when the band’s version of the La’s’ “There She Goes” also climbed the charts, aided by its placement in the Nickelodeon film Snow Day, and the album itself attained platinum status. Early in the new decade the musicians navigated the exit of founding drummer Dale Baker, who was succeeded in 2001 by Rob Mitchell, and signed a fresh contract with Reprise. They resurfaced in fall 2002 with the lushly beautiful Divine Discontent. Their cover of the Crowded House classic “Don't Dream It's Over” returned them to the charts in early 2003, its inclusion on the soundtrack for the WB series Smallville resonating strongly with teenage listeners. Still, the collective dissolved in 2004, after which Matt Slocum formed a new project and Leigh Nash embarked on solo work. The separation proved short-lived, however, as Sixpence None the Richer reconvened in 2007 to release the My Dear Machine EP. Transatlantic dates ensued, followed by the Christmas-themed album The Dawn of Grace, which arrived in late 2008. The following year they affiliated with Credential Recordings and began shaping their next record. After multiple delays, the sixth album Lost in Transition finally emerged in 2012, blending introspective alt-pop with occasional country undertones. Sporadic live shows continued for several seasons, yet after Nash issued her 2015 solo album The State I’m In the group slipped into another hiatus.
Nash’s decision to co-credit Sixpence None the Richer on her 2023 single “The Tide” hinted at a revival that took shape the next year. Aligning with the 25th anniversary of the breakthrough self-titled album, the core late-’90s configuration of Nash, Slocum, Cary, and Baker reassembled for touring and unveiled the comeback single “We Are Love.” The EP Rosemary Hill arrived in October of that same year.
