Joanna Newsom (born 1982) is a harpist, pianist, harpsichordist, singer and songwriter based in her hometown of Nevada City. Her brother Peter is also a musician, and she is a cousin of San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom. Newsom studied music and creative writing at Mills College. Although her harp playing is not completely divorced from conventional harp techniques, she considers her style distinct from that of classically-focused harpists.