Marykate ONeil was born and raised in New England, where she spent many hours in front of the television developing her obsession with pop culture. She was the singer/songwriter for Piewackit, a Boston band that managed to score a deal with IRS Records before a move to California wrecked the band after the release of its debut. ONeil moved to New York City and started writing songs again, eventually pulling her debut record together with the help of producers Jill Sobule and Michael Deming in 2002.