Nine studio albums into her career, singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant is bringing her “Keep Your Courage” tour to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, April 27. Beginning her career in 1981 with the group 10,000 Maniacs as lead vocalist, she moved on from the band in 1993 with her massive debut solo record “Tigerlily” which launched her into stardom with the singles “Wonder,” “Carnival,” and “Jealousy.” With a primarily alt-rock sound, the singer’s “Keep Your Courage” show features local symphonic orchestras backing her, with her Broward Center stop featuring the South Florida Symphony Orchestra. 

Described as a song cycle of her first original music in nine years, “Keep Your Courage” is an eclectic score featuring delicate chamber pop (“The Feast of Saint Valentine”), horn-driven soul (“Tower of Babel”), Celtic balladry (“Eye of the Storm”), or instantly infectious pop (“Come on, Aphrodite.”)

“I think the pandemic was a great period of solitude and longing,” she says by way of one possible explanation for her fixation on matters of the heart. “I craved and savored human connection; it was the only thing that really mattered.”

Natalie Merchant on “Keep Your Courage”

Tickets for Natalie Merchant at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts are available here, with upgrades available for the Intermezzo Lounge and Spirit Club Level.