Cliona Hagan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 February 1989 Ballinderry, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Labels | Sharpe Music · Rosette Records |
| Website | https://clionahagan.com |
Cliona Hagan (born 27 February 1989) is an Irish [1] country music singer from Ballinderry, County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland.
Hagan appeared as a contestant on the 2009 first series of the RTÉ reality talent competition, The All Ireland Talent Show . Mentored by Eurovision winner Dana, Hagan made it the final of the competition, ultimately losing out to The Mulkerrins. [2]
Following her appearance on The All Ireland Talent Show, Hagan began studying in Queen's University Belfast where she earned a degree in music. She went on to study at the University of Edinburgh, where she became qualified in secondary school music teaching. [3] [4]
Between 2013 and 2015, Hagan worked as a schoolteacher. In 2016, she decided to give it up to pursue a career in singing. [5]
On 28 October 2016, Hagan's debut album Straight To You was released. [6]
In a country music special edition of the long-running Irish chat show, The Late Late Late Show , well-known Irish country singer Philomena Begley named Hagan as "one to watch" for the future of Irish country music. [7]
Hagan has supported acts such as Nathan Carter, [8] Derek Ryan [9] and Mike Denver [10] on tour across Ireland and Europe.
In March 2018, while Ireland was suffering the effects of Storm Emma, Hagan performed two songs on The Late Late Late Show . [11] One month later, Hagan returned to the show for their annual country music special performing a duet of 'Hurts So Good' alongside Nathan Carter. [12]
On 22 June 2018, the album Secret Love was released. [13]
In September 2018, Hagan was named Best Irish Country Female Artist at the Irish Post Country Music Awards. [14]
In 2019, Hagan was announced as one of the celebrities taking part in the third series of Dancing with the Stars. [15] Hagan was partnered with professional dancer Robert Rowiński on the show. [16] On 22 March 2019, they reached the final of the competition, finishing as joint runners-up with Johnny Ward and Emily Barker, with Mairéad Ronan and John Nolan becoming the eventual winners. [17]
On 29 November 2019, the album Little Darlin' was released. A DVD named Travelling Shoes, which was a video collection of Hagan's music videos and live performances, was also released on the same day. [18] [19]
On 21 October 2021, Hagan released a new album; The Dolly Songbook. The album was a tribute to Dolly Parton, in which Hagan recorded twelve of her songs. [20]
Hagan was born in Ballinderry, County Tyrone. On 25 May 2022, she married musician Simon Sheerin in County Westmeath. [21] The wedding was later featured on an episode of the documentary From This Moment On, which premiered on BBC One Northern Ireland on 2 November. [22]