SJD | |
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 SJD in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sean James Donnely |
| Born | 1968 (age 55–56) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Round Trip Mars |
SJD, or Sean James Donnelly, is a musician from Auckland, New Zealand. His music is a mix of pop-rock, soul, and electronic music. The name SJD also refers to Donnelly's touring band when not performing solo.
Donnelly has cited influences including Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), Gary Numan, the Human League and Soft Cell. [1] SJD's debut album 3 was initially self-released on Swarf Records as 120 CD-Rs in 1999 before being picked up by Flavour Distribution. After contributing a track to the Sideways compilation and playing alongside Phase 5 he then signed to the Round Trip Mars label. Second album Lost Soul Music was released in 2001. Southern Lights was released 2004 with assistance from government arts funding agency Creative New Zealand, yielding the single "Superman You're Crying" which met with some popular success in New Zealand and huge critical acclaim. Sean Donnelly and Angus McNaughton shared the 2005 New Zealand Music Awards Tuis for Best Producer and Best Engineer for their work on Southern Lights. Songs from a Dictaphone was released in July 2007 and followed by Dayglo Spectres, which is a collaborative effort with guitarist and fellow Round Trip Mars artist James Duncan (also in Dimmer), and was released in Oct 2008. His album Elastic Wasteland is entirely written, played, produced and mixed by Sean alone and was released on 16 November 2012.
SJD has collaborated with several other New Zealand musicians, including contributions to Dimmer's successful album You've Got to Hear the Music.
With Don McGlashan and Edmund McWilliams, he co-produced Don McGlashan's 2006 album Warm Hand and wrote "I Will Not Let You Down", which is on the album.
Sean Donnelly formed The Bellbirds in 2009 with Sandy Mill, Victoria Kelly and Don McGlashan. He writes most of their songs. [2]
In 2011, he was part of Neil Finn's Pajama Club project. [3]
In 2012 he produced an all-star cover version of Chris Knox's "Not Given Lightly" for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.
In 2013 SJD won the Taite Music Prize for his album Elastic Wasteland. [4] In 2015, he released the album Saint John Divine.
Donnelly was awarded the Mozart Fellowship at the University of Otago in 2022 and 2023.
"There's a disadvantage in terms of connecting to an audience because New Zealand is a small country and you can't really survive off a cult audience. But having said that, the cultural isolation and the fact that you probably aren't really going to make it add an imperative to achieve on a more aesthetic level, as opposed to a more financial level. If you don't think you can succeed any other way, you've got to try and be true to your heart." -- New Zealand's pulsing electronica, New Zealand Herald (2001-06-08)
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [5] | |||
| 1998 | 3 |
| — |
| 2001 | Lost Soul Music |
| 50 |
| 2004 | Southern Lights |
| 31 |
| 2007 | Songs from a Dictaphone |
| 11 |
| 2008 | Dayglo Spectres |
| 36 |
| 2012 | Elastic Wasteland |
| — |
| 2015 | Saint John Divine |
| 17 |
| 2022 | Sweetheart |
| — |
The Mutton Birds were a New Zealand rock music group formed in Auckland in 1991 by Ross Burge, David Long and Don McGlashan, with Alan Gregg joining a year later. Four of their albums reached the top 10 on the New Zealand Albums Chart, The Mutton Birds (1992), Salty (1994), Envy of Angels (1996) and Rain, Steam and Speed (1999). They had a number-one hit with "The Heater" (1994), while their two other top 10 singles were a cover of "Nature" by the Fourmyula (1992), and an original, "Anchor Me" (1994). From 1996 to 2000 the group were based in England; they returned to New Zealand and then disbanded in 2002.
Donald McGlashan is a New Zealand composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who Is best known for membership in the bands Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, and The Mutton Birds, before going solo. He has also composed for cinema and television. Among other instruments, McGlashan has played guitar, drums, euphonium and French horn.
The Plague was a New Zealand theatrical punk/art rock band that existed from 1977 to 1979, and was led by Richard von Sturmer. Their most famous performance was at the Nambassa Music Festival in 1979 and they recorded four tracks for the Infectious EP. Von Sturmer went on to a career in writing and film-making and other members went on to play in bands such as The Whizz Kids, Blam Blam Blam, The Swingers, Coconut Rough and Pop Mechanix.
SJD can refer to:
Goodnight Nurse was a New Zealand pop punk band formed in Auckland in 2001. The group originally began as a trio, but later changed to a four-piece prior to the release of their second album. It consisted of lead vocalist Joel Little, guitarist and back up vocalist Sam McCarthy, bassist Rowan Crowe, with drummer and back up vocalist Jaden Parkes.
Dimmer was the name under which New Zealand musician Shayne Carter recorded and played music from 1994. It began as an umbrella name for jam sessions and short-lived band line-ups, then home recordings, then an ensemble with various members and guests. This evolution led to more settled four-piece rock band. At least 41 musicians have been acknowledged as playing a part in Dimmer over 18 years, with Carter the only permanent fixture.
"Bathe in the River" is a single released by New Zealand supergroup Mt Raskil Preservation Society featuring New Zealand soul singer Hollie Smith. It appears on the soundtrack for the 2006 New Zealand film No. 2.
Warm Hand is the debut solo album by New Zealand songwriter Don McGlashan. Released in May 2006, it was a finalist for the 2006 New Zealand Music Awards' Album of the Year, while McGlashan was a finalist for Best Male Solo Artist for his work on the album. The live band that toured in support of the album, Don McGlashan and the Seven Sisters, comprised Sean James Donnelly (SJD), John Segovia, and Chris O'Connor.
Independent Music New Zealand Incorporated (IMNZ) is a trade body which was set up in 2001 to provide a voice for New Zealand independent record labels and distributors.
Marvellous Year is a 2009 album by New Zealand songwriter Don McGlashan and The Seven Sisters.
The Bellbirds formed in 2009 in Auckland, New Zealand. The band consists of Sandy Mill: vocals, percussion, Victoria Kelly: vocals, piano, organ, Don McGlashan: vocals, guitar, various instruments and Sean Donnelly : vocals, guitar, bass. Sean Donnelly writes most of the songs.
Pajama Club are a rock band from Auckland, formed in 2011. They consist of Neil Finn, Sharon Finn, Sean Donnelly, and Alana Skyring.
Pajama Club is the eponymous 2011 debut album by Pajama Club, the band formed by Crowded House songwriter Neil Finn, his wife Sharon Finn, and keyboard player Sean Donnelly. The album was released in Australia and New Zealand on 9 September 2011, 13 September in North America and 19 September in Europe.
The Taite Music Prize is an annual New Zealand music award event. It features the same-named prize awarded for the best album from New Zealand.
The 2007 APRA Silver Scroll Awards were held on Tuesday 18 September 2007 at the Auckland Town Hall, celebrating excellence in New Zealand songwriting. The Silver Scroll Award was presented to Brooke Fraser for her song "Albertine", and singer Jordan Luck was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame as its inaugural member. This was also the first year that the finalists and winners were selected by online votes by APRA members instead of an anonymous panel.
Dizzy Heights, released in February 2014, is the third solo album by New Zealand singer-songwriter, Neil Finn.
Lucky Stars is the third solo album by New Zealand musician Don McGlashan. It was released in 2015. McGlashan began writing songs for the album at a small beach house on the Thames Estuary, then moved to Neil Finn's writing room at Roundhead Studios in Auckland to begin recording them with guitarist Tom Rodwell. The pair were joined by former Mutton Birds guitarist David Long and former Seven Sisters member and current Phoenix Foundation drummer Chris O'Connor.
Victoria Kelly is a New Zealand composer, arranger, and vocalist.
Out of Silence, released 1 September 2017, is the fourth solo album by New Zealand singer-songwriter, Neil Finn. The making of the album was livestreamed on Finn's Facebook page.
Bright November Morning is the fourth solo studio album by New Zealand musician Don McGlashan. Released in February 2022, the album debuted at number one on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.
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