Holly Throsby | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Holly Sarah Throsby |
Origin | Sydney, Australia |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, novelist |
Instruments |
|
Years active | 2004–present |
Labels | Spunk/EMI, ABC |
Website | hollythrosby |
Holly Sarah Throsby is an Australian musician and novelist.
Her work as a solo artist has produced six albums. She was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Female Artist in 2006 for Under the Town ; and in the same category in 2008 for A Loud Call . In 2011, she was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Children's Album for See!, her album of alternative children's songs. Throsby has toured extensively both internationally and in Australia, with artists including Joanna Newsom, Paul Kelly, Sun Kil Moon, Devendra Banhart, and The Tallest Man on Earth.
Throsby is a member of Seeker Lover Keeper, with fellow singer-songwriters, Sally Seltmann and Sarah Blasko. They released an album of the same name in June 2011, which peaked at No. 3 and was nominated for an ARIA Music Awards of 2011 for Best Alternative Album in that year. The band's second album, Wild Seeds (2019) and was nominated for an ARIA Music Awards of 2019 for Best Adult Contemporary Album. The album was accompanied by three music videos starring Australian actors Magda Szubanski, Madeleine Madden, and Yael Stone.
Throsby's debut novel, Goodwood, was published by Allen & Unwin on 28 September 2016. Goodwood came in at number 7 on the ABC's Book Club's Top Ten and was number 3 on Dymocks’ list of the Best Books of 2016. Goodwood has been since been shortlisted for an Indie Book Award, two Australian Book Industry Awards, two Davitt Awards (from Sisters in Crime), a Ned Kelly Award, and the Barbara Jeffris Award. Her second novel, Cedar Valley, was published in September 2018. It was longlisted for an Indie Book Award and a Davitt Award. Throsby's third novel, Clarke, was published in 2022.
Holly Sarah Throsby is the daughter of Margaret Throsby, a radio presenter on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Classic FM; and John Buttsworth, a psychiatrist and art and furniture dealer. [1] [2] [3] Her uncle, David Throsby is a cultural economist, and her maternal grandmother was a cellist in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. [2]
Throsby grew up in Sydney and began studying guitar at the age of 8. She studied classical guitar techniques and began composing from the age of 11. She attended Hunters Hill High School for her secondary education. [4]
Her older half-brother, Timothy Marc, died in a motorcycle accident in Thailand in 1996. [2] Throsby later recalled the death of her brother "I was 17 when [he] died and I had one exam left in my HSC. I went to the exam and did all that stuff because I thought you had to keep on doing that stuff and I didn't stop... Those things affect you. I think it has made me scared. It made me scared to travel because he died when he was in Bangkok. It made me scared to get on a motorcycle, which I've never done. It made me scared when other people travel away from me". [4] After earning a B.A. degree (major in English) from the University of Sydney, Throsby worked at an art house video store for several years and travelled overseas, including living in Austin, Texas for six months. [5]
During 2003 Throsby recorded her debut album, On Night (11 November 2004), with experimental producer, Tony Dupé, at his cottage on Saddleback Mountain, near Kiama. [6] Throsby provided lead vocals and guitar, additional musicians were Dupé on piano and pump organ, Davey Cotsios on guitar and backing vocals, Abel Cross on bass guitar and double bass, and Joseph Fuse on drums. [6] In Australia it appeared on the indie label, Spunk Records. [5] AllMusic's Mark Deming described her album of "uncluttered but emotionally resonant songs made a major impact with critics." [5] Chloe Persing of Woroni felt it was "a collection of quaint and delicate acoustic songs that have a lyrical focus on themes such as loneliness and distance, and have the ability to resonate quite powerfully." [7]
Throsby toured Australia supporting various musical acts: Bonnie "Prince" Billy (a.k.a. Will Oldham), Joanna Newsom, Bill Callahan/ Smog, M. Ward, Devendra Banhart, Jose Gonzales, Low and The Eels. [8] She toured in the United States, attending SXSW in 2005 and returning for a support tour with David Pajo (Slint, Interpol, Papa M). Throsby also toured Europe, including the United Kingdom, with Micah P. Hinson. In September 2005 Throsby's cover version of "Not the Girl You Think You Are" was compiled on the various artist's album, She Will Have Her Way – a tribute to singer-songwriters, and brothers, Tim and Neil Finn. [9] Fellow female singers on the album include Sarah Blasko and Sally Seltmann (as New Buffalo). [9]
In July 2006, Throsby released her second album, Under the Town , it was produced by Dupé again but included a larger group of session musicians. [10] [11] Dupé assisted with piano, bouzouki, clarinet and trumpet; Jens Birchall provided cello and double bass; Rebecca and Samantha Brown (twin sisters) both played violin, Jack Ladder was on bass guitar and Bree van Reyk played drums. [12] It reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 100. [13] It also reached No. 2 on the related Hitseekers Albums chart. [13] The ARIA Report cited her "distinctive, fragile voice" with her "country-folk sound and poignant lyrics regarding all things from howling wolves to coffee pots" which have "struck a chord with music lovers." [13] Under the Town was lauded by music critics; including the UK press with ratings of 3/5 in Uncut , 4/5 in Mojo , and 8/10 from Drowned in Sound 's Dom Gourlay. [14] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2006 Throsby was nominated for Best Female Artist for the album. [15] [16]
Ed Nimmervoll, an Australian music journalist, declared Under the Town to be his Feature Album for the week of 5 September that year. [11] He explained that "she's moving on, growing. What hasn't changed is the revealing, daring nature of her songs, Holly musing on life and love in a quiet breathless provocative voice, accentuating every word. She's sensual and fragile. The songs are filled with images and feelings that spill between the songs". [11] Mess+Noise's Craig Mathieson opined that "playfulness comes easily, but it’s the unease that lingers" while her "voice has an airy, splintered tone – certain syllables crack under the pressure – and she uses it to move easily between gently plangent pop and formal folk constructs". [17]
Throsby promoted the album with a national tour, interrupted by a short tour of New Zealand. [18] She described her writing process to Laura MacIntyre of MediaSearch website, "I've never had any music lessons, I don't understand music theory. I make chord shapes, but I really just make things up as I go along ... I have ideas for a song, a song can start from one word, one image ... Melodies seem to pop out of thin air often, as if the song is already written, the melodies just seem to come. It's almost involuntary". [18]
Throsby's third album, A Loud Call (July 2008), was produced in Nashville by Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Andrew Bird) with string and horn arrangements recorded in Kangaroo Valley (near Kiama) by Dupé. [19] It includes guest vocals by Bonnie "Prince" Billy and guest musicians from Lambchop and Silver Jews. [19] A Loud Call was hailed by the Australian and the British press as Throsby's strongest work. Joel Bryant of Same Same website praised its "instrumental depth, a notable departure from the bareness of her previous albums." [20] Daily Mirror 's Gavin Martin described Throsby as "sylph-like" and that "Pumping up the volume is not in [her] game plan" on her "alluring album" as she "knows decibels aren't needed to capture emotional wonders." [21] Mark Deming of AllMusic felt she was "able to sound fragile and strong at the same time; there's a wary vulnerability in her breathy vocals, but the emotional power of her music is enough to persuade anyone that this is someone who possesses a firm will when she needs it." [19]
A Loud Call peaked at No. 34 on the ARIA Albums Chart – her highest placement as a solo artist. [22] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2008 it provided her second nomination as Best Female Artist. [23] Throsby toured extensively in Australia, as well as tours in Europe with Paul Kelly, [24] The Handsome Family, [25] and The Tallest Man on Earth [25] – who covered Throsby's track, "To Begin With", at his subsequent live shows. Throsby played at the St Jerome's Laneway, [26] [27] and Splendour in the Grass festivals in 2007 and 2009. [28] [29]
In October 2010 Throsby released an album of original children's songs, See!. [30] Billed as an alternative "black sheep" children's album, See! was recorded in January of that year with long-time collaborator Dupé and included guest cameos by Darren Hanlon, J. Walker, Jack Ladder and, her mother, Margaret Throsby. It was released through ABC Music. Throsby and her band, The Hello Tigers – with Bree van Reyk on drums and percussion and Jens Birchall on cello, bass and mandolin [30] – have performed the album as a live show at festivals in the Australian state capitals including Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival, Adelaide Festival Centre and Melbourne Arts Centre.
Throsby told Darren Levin of Mess+Noise, "I thought it'd be fun to make one for friends who had kids... hanging out with them, and babysitting them, and driving around in the car listening to this children's music that just made me want to stab my ears out... I thought it'd be a nice idea to make an album that wasn't like warbling 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' over a really bad background." [31] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2011 she was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Children's Album for See!. [32]
In February 2011 Throsby released her fifth solo album, Team, which peaked in the ARIA Albums Chart top 50. [22] It was recorded in a 19th-century church in Wildes Meadow with Dupé producing. Team received four-star reviews in the Australian and British press and was lauded as her most experimental album, eschewing traditional song structure for layered, intersecting vocals expressing varying points of view around the subject of a relationship breakdown. Chris Trout of Drowned in Sound found she was "a brilliant writer of melodies, even when shackled to a trad blueprint" where "the lyrics are affecting because the imagery Throsby employs is neither too personal and specific... nor too self-consciously 'poetic'... to communicate much to the listener except that she is in the presence of a Good Writer." [33]
Throsby released After a Time in 2017. Recorded by Tim Kevin, the album featured a Throsby-penned duet with Mark Kozelek called "What Do You Say?" and performances from Mick Turner from Dirty Three as well as Bree van Reyk, Jens Birchall and Marcus Whale (Collarbones, BV). After a Time was longlisted for the Australian Music Prize and was included in Rolling Stone Magazine 's top 50 albums of the year, and music journalist Bernard Zuel's top 10. The song "What Do You Say?" had over 2.5 million streams on Spotify and the song "Aeroplane" had over 30 million streams.
Throsby has contributed to albums by Josh Pyke, The Sleepy Jackson, Hayden, TZU and Jack Ladder.
From August 2010 Throsby, along with Sarah Blasko and Sally Seltmann, was a member of the vocal trio, Seeker Lover Keeper. [34] In June 2011 their debut album was released, which had been recorded in New York with engineer Victor Van Vugt (PJ Harvey, Nick Cave) and Dirty Three's drummer, Jim White as well as van Reyk on drums. It debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart and achieved gold accreditation. [35] [36] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2011 the album was nominated for Best Adult Alternative Album. [37]
In October 2011 the trio provided a cover version of "Sinner" for the third Finn brothers tribute album by various artists, They Will Have Their Way , which also included Throsby's earlier rendition of "Not the Girl You Think You Are". [38] To promote it Throsby and the group toured Australia with other artists on the related They Will Have Their Way Tour in November of that year. [39] [40] Seeker Lover Keeper completed two national tours in 2011 and 2012, before each artist resumed their solo careers.
In July 2012 Throsby undertook a tour of Bob Dylan Tribute Concerts with fellow Australian artists Patience Hodgson, Kevin Mitchell, Josh Pyke and Kav Temperley. [41]
In addition to recording, Throsby has written and illustrated two comic books which act as companion pieces to her albums.
Throsby's debut novel, Goodwood, was published by Allen & Unwin on 28 September 2016. Goodwood came in at No. 7 on ABC's The Book Club's Top Ten; and was No. 3 on Dymocks’ list of the Best Books of 2016. It has since been shortlisted for an Indie Book Award, two Australian Book Industry Awards, two Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards, and a Ned Kelly Award. In support of the book, Throsby appeared at festivals including the Sydney Writers Festival, Perth Writers Festival, Adelaide Writers' Week, Newcastle Writers Festival and at numerous live book events, including in Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart.
Her second novel, Cedar Valley, was published in September 2018. [42] Throsby promoted the book with a large book tour and appeared at several writers' festivals across Australia. Cedar Valley makes reference to the real-life unsolved Australian mystery, the Somerton Man. [43]
Throsby's third novel, Clarke, a crime novel described as "bush noir", was published in November 2022. [44]
Throsby wrote an article, "Sing out loud: marriage equality is in tune with the times", for The Sydney Morning Herald in December 2013 describing her same sex relationship: "I would like to be able to get married" but "Australian law says my partner and I aren't allowed". [47] Throsby and her partner are the parents of a child: she described her family in Motherhood and Creativity (April 2015) by Rachel Power. [48] The book includes interviews with other celebrities: Claudia Karvan, Rachel Griffiths, Clare Bowditch and Del Kathryn Barton. [49]
Throsby discussed her cocaine use in Talking Smack (July 2014) by Andrew McMillen. [50] The book features "Honest conversations about drugs" with other Australian musicians, including Paul Kelly, Gotye, Mick Harvey and Phil Jamieson. [50]
Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
AUS [22] [13] | ||
On Night |
| — |
Under the Town |
| 66 |
A Loud Call |
| 34 |
See! |
| — |
Team |
| 41 |
After a Time |
| 56 |
Crowded House are a New Zealand-Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later band members included Finn's brother Tim, who was in their former band Split Enz; sons Liam and Elroy; as well as Americans Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod. Neil Finn and Seymour are the sole constant members.
Sally Mary Seltmann, is an Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Record producer. From 2000 to 2009, Seltmann used the stage name, New Buffalo. Under that name, Seltmann wrote, performed, arranged and produced her debut album, The Last Beautiful Day in September 2004. Her second album, Somewhere, Anywhere appeared in March 2007. Seltmann and Canadian singer-songwriter Feist, co-wrote the song "1234" which was featured in a 2007 iPod Nano commercial. It became a Top 10 hit on the United States Billboard Hot 100 for Feist. Seltmann is married to Darren Seltmann formerly of electronic music group, The Avalanches. In April 2010, Seltmann released her third solo album, Heart That's Pounding. Late that year, she formed an indie rock trio, Seeker Lover Keeper, with fellow Australians Sarah Blasko and Holly Throsby. They issued a self-titled album in June 2011, which peaked at number three on the ARIA Albums Chart. In 2013, Seltmann released her fourth solo album, Hey Daydreamer. In April 2018, Allen & Unwin published Sally Seltmann's debut novel Lovesome.
Katie Anne Noonan is an Australian singer and songwriter. In addition to a successful solo career encompassing opera, jazz, pop, rock and dance, she was the singer in the band George and remains the singer in the band Elixir; performs with her mother Maggie Noonan; and plays with her band The Captains. Noonan was the musical director of and performed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games' opening and closing ceremonies.
The Presets are an Australian electronic music duo of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes. Formed in 2003 and signed to Modular Records, The Presets released two EPs in advance of their debut album, Beams, released in 2005 to positive critical response. After two years of touring, including as the Australian support for Daft Punk, the band's 2008 release, Apocalypso, debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, and went on to win six awards at ARIA Awards 2008, including Album of the Year.
David Joseph Campbell is an Australian singer, actor, and TV personality. He is the son of singer Jimmy Barnes.
Clare Bowditch is an Australian musician, author, and occasional actress.
Jessica Hilda Mauboy is an Australian singer. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of Australian Idol, where she was runner-up and subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia. After releasing a live album of her Idol performances and briefly being a member of the girl group Young Divas in 2007, Mauboy released her debut studio album, Been Waiting, the following year. It included her first number-one single, "Burn", and became the second highest-selling Australian album of 2009, certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
Lisa Helen Mitchell is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter who grew up in Albury, New South Wales. Mitchell currently lives in Melbourne and is working on her fourth studio album. Mitchell finished sixth in the 2006 season of Australian Idol. Her debut extended play, Said One to the Other, topped iTunes in Australia and she signed with London-based publisher, Little Victories, a subsidiary of Sony/ATV. By 2008 Mitchell had relocated to the UK where she recorded her debut studio album, Wonder, which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart. She won the 2009 Australian Music Prize of $30,000 for the album. Mitchell returned to Australia to live in Melbourne. Her second album, Bless This Mess reached No. 7. In March 2015, Mitchell's last single "Wah Ha" was remixed by electronic trio Seekae. Her third album Warriors was released on 16 October 2016 and debuted Top 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Melissa Morrison Higgins, stage name Missy Higgins, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her most popular singles include "Scar", "Steer", and "Where I Stood". Her Australian number-one albums are The Sound of White (2004), On a Clear Night (2007) and The Ol' Razzle Dazzle (2012). Higgins's fourth studio album, Oz, was released in September 2014. In 2018 she released a greatest hits album called The Special Ones, and in September 2024 released the album The Second Act.
The Middle East were an Australian indie folk band that formed in Townsville, Queensland in 2005. The group garnered attention initially by playing small shows in their home town and quickly grew to national and international fame due to their rising popularity on music blogs and websites. In early 2008, the band released their home recorded first album called The Recordings of The Middle East. The band split up before reconvening in 2009 and signing to Australian indie label Spunk Records who re-issued 'The Recordings Of The Middle East' as an abridged EP.
Megan Alexanda Washington is an Australian musician, songwriter and voice actor who has worked mononymously as Washington. Originally performing jazz music, her style shifted to indie pop and alternative rock. She has released four studio albums, I Believe You Liar, There There, Batflowers, and Hot Fuss (2022). Both I Believe You Liar and There There reached the top 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart and Batflowers peaked in the top 25. Outside of music, she has become a screenwriter and film producer. She also voices primary school teacher Calypso in the animated series Bluey.
Kimbra Lee Johnson, known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and seven New Zealand Music Awards.
Stonefield are an Australian rock band comprising the four Findlay sisters: Amy, Hannah, Sarah, and Holly. They were formed in 2006 as Iotah in Darraweit Guim, a small town in rural Victoria. They changed their name in 2010 and have released four studio albums, Stonefield, As Above, So Below — which peaked at No. 19 on the ARIA Albums Chart — Far from Earth, and Bent.
Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow, known professionally as Sarah Blasko, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. From April 2002, Blasko developed her solo career after fronting Sydney-based band Acquiesce between the mid-1990s and 2001. She had performed under her then married name, Sarah Semmens, and, after leaving Acquiesce, as Sorija in a briefly existing duo of that name. As a solo artist Blasko has released six studio albums, The Overture & the Underscore, What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have – which peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart, As Day Follows Night – which reached No. 5, I Awake – which made No. 9, Eternal Return and Depth of Field.
Angelique Frances Meunier, known professionally as Havana Brown or DJ Havana Brown, is an Australian DJ, singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 2008, Brown signed with Island Records Australia as a DJ for the record company and began releasing her Crave compilation album series, which featured remixes of songs from other artists. This led to her touring with international artists, including Britney Spears, Rihanna, the Pussycat Dolls, Chris Brown and Enrique Iglesias.
Seeker Lover Keeper was an Australian indie rock music supergroup formed by Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby in August 2010. The trio each have separate solo careers as singer-songwriters. The group's first album, which was self-titled, was released on 3 June 2011 through Dew Process/UMA.
Seeker Lover Keeper is the self-titled first album released by the Australian all-female trio, Seeker Lover Keeper, composed of solo singer-songwriters Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby and Sally Seltmann. It was released in Australia on 3 June 2011. On 12 June 2011, the album debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Greta Bradman is an Australian operatic soprano.
A Loud Call is the third studio album by Australian indie-folk artist Holly Throsby. It was released on 14 July 2008, which peaked at No. 34 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Throsby worked with Nashville-based producer, Mark Nevers. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2008 she was nominated for Best Female Artist for the album.
Bree van Reyk is an Australian percussionist and composer, born in Townsville, Queensland. She is now based in Newcastle.
Notes