Michelle Branch Marks 25-Year Milestone with Reimagined EP and New Collaboration

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of her debut album *The Spirit Room*, Michelle Branch announced “Everywhere and Back Again,” an EP of her biggest hits re-imagined by other artists. The project drops on Nov. 6 through BMG, her first release on the label. The lead single is a fresh take on the 2002 hit “The Game of Love,” featuring New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. In addition to the EP, Branch will embark on an 18-date U.S. tour this fall and stage a special performance at the Sun Rose in Los Angeles that recalls her original *TRL* appearance.

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Branch’s career launched with *The Spirit Room* in 2001, and she previously marked the 20th anniversary of that album with a full re-recording. Seeking a different celebration, she opted to enlist peers and friends to reinterpret her catalog, a concept she describes as “a way to get everybody hyped up.” The collaboration with Alexander revives “The Game of Love,” a song Alexander wrote after New Radicals disbanded. The track originally appeared on Santana’s *Shaman* album, reached the Billboard Hot 100 top 10, and earned a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

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• Michelle Branch – Singer-songwriter, EP creator, and tour headliner.

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• Gregg Alexander – Former New Radicals frontman, co-writer of “The Game of Love.”

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• Clive Davis – Late music executive who paired the song with Santana in 2002; his influence is cited as a catalyst for the new version.

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• Patrick Carney – Black Keys drummer and Branch’s husband, mentioned in personal remarks.

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• BMG – Record label releasing the EP.

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• 2002 – “The Game of Love” released on Santana’s *Shaman*, becomes a top-10 hit and Grammy winner.

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• 2024 (Fall) – Branch wipes Instagram, posts cryptic lyric-based images; fans react on social media.

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• Fall 2024 – 18-date U.S. tour and Sun Rose performance announced.

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• Nov. 6 – Release date for “Everywhere and Back Again” EP.

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• The original “The Game of Love” reached the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 and won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

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• The EP features multiple re-imagined tracks; specific numbers of songs or collaborators are not disclosed.

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Branch’s project blends nostalgia with contemporary reinterpretation, offering a “full-circle moment” for both her and Alexander. By replacing Santana’s signature guitar work with synth-driven production, the new version underscores how early-2000s pop can be refreshed for modern audiences. The effort also serves as a tribute to the late Clive Davis, whose original vision helped launch the song’s success.

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Branch describes the period as “a very creative time in my life,” emphasizing her desire to involve artists she admires and to give fans a fresh experience of her early work. She notes that the collaboration lets her “live in the joy” of a song she’s carried since her teenage years, without the pressure of a massive Santana record. Alexander highlights the song’s atypical nature, its initial rejection by several artists, and Clive Davis’s decisive role in pairing it with Santana. He also recounts the studio’s reaction, saying the control room was left “with our jaws dropped.”

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The sources do not report any criticism or opposition to the EP or its collaborative approach.

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• “I’ve been in a very creative time in my life,” — Michelle Branch, Singer-songwriter

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• “This whole anniversary project has really been a way to get everybody hyped up,” — Michelle Branch

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• “It was such an atypical pop song that it had been passed on by several artists,” — Gregg Alexander, New Radicals frontman

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• “Everybody in the control room had our jaws dropped,” — Gregg Alexander

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• “I’ve lived with this song for so long,” — Michelle Branch

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Branch indicates that after the EP she will release a “jaw-dropping” album of new material, her first full-length record since 2022’s *The Trouble with Fever*. The upcoming album is positioned as the next chapter following the anniversary celebration.

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