Fiona McDonald
Fiona Maude McDonald[1] (born 1965) is a New Zealand pop singer and television personality.
Fiona McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Fiona Maude McDonald |
| Born | 1965 (age 55–56) Huntly, New Zealand |
| Origin | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | Alternative rock, electronic |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician, model, TV presenter |
| Instruments | Keyboards |
| Years active | 1988–2000 |
| Labels | Flying Nun |
| Associated acts | Strawpeople, Headless Chickens |
Singer
McDonald's first involvement with music came through singing jingles for Auckland student radio station bFM. From that work she was asked to join Auckland band Diatribe which also included musician Greg Johnson. In the early '90s she teamed up with former bFM producers Mark Tierney and Paul Casserly who were looking for a singer for their new studio-only group, Strawpeople.
McDonald also briefly sang live with NRA, and provided guest vocals on the Headless Chickens on "Cruise Control". Reaching #6 in the charts, "Cruise Control" proved to be so popular that Fiona was asked to join the band full-time. Three successful years of recording and touring followed, including number one single "George", but McDonald eventually left the band in 1995.
In the mid-'90s, McDonald continued to work with the Strawpeople and at the same time worked on songs for her solo album. A Different Hunger was released in 1999 with the first single "Sin Again" making it to #7 in the New Zealand charts.[2]
Television
Fiona's first television work was in 1997 presenting @Xtra, a TV2 series about the internet. In 2005 McDonald was also one of the three judges in the first series of NZ Idol and presented the New Zealand version of 10 Years Younger.[3] She also presented the second series of arts show The Big Art Trip.[4] In October 2012, Fiona began work as a presenter on the new Shopping Channel.[5]
Discography
Strawpeople
- Hemisphere (1991) Pagan Records
- Worldservice (1992) Pagan Records
- Broadcast (1994) Epic Records
- Vicarious (1996) Columbia Records
Album
A Different Hunger (album)
- Released: 1999
- Format: CD
- Label: Flying Nun Records
- Writer: Fiona McDonald
- Producer: Fiona McDonald, Robin Hancock
- Chart position: 8
- Tracks: 12
- Singles: "Sin Again", "Damage Control", "Breathe", "Wish I Was A Man", "Let Me Dream", "Bury Me", "I Dont Care"
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 1999 | "Sin Again" | 7 | A Different Hunger |
| "Damage Control" | 18 | ||
| "Breathe" | - | ||
| "Wish I Was A Man" | - | ||
| "Bless Them All" | 20 | Non-album single | |
| "Let Me Dream" | - | A Different Hunger | |
| 2000 | "Bury Me" | - | |
| "I Dont Care" | - | ||
References
- "ASCAP - ACE search engine results". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- "Fiona McDonald". Muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- "10 Years Younger". TVNZ. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- "The Big Art Trip". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- "Presenters". The Shopping Channel. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
