Shona Laing

Last updated

Shona Laing
Shona Laing.jpg
Laing performing at WOMAD 2009 in New Zealand
Background information
Born (1955-10-09) 9 October 1955 (age 68)
New Zealand
Genres Rock, new wave
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1972–present
Labels Vertigo, Philips, Pagan Records, EMI, Virgin, Columbia, Epic
Formerly of Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Shona Laing (born 9 October 1955) is a New Zealand musician. Laing had several folk hits in her native country and in the 1980s became internationally popular for her alternative music, most notably "(Glad I'm) Not a Kennedy" and "Soviet Snow" which was based on the Chernobyl disaster. Various alternative radio stations in the US such as WLIR played songs from her "South" album and she became internationally known. Laing contributed to Manfred Mann's Earth Band album Somewhere in Afrika and contributed music to, and appeared in, the 1985 action film Shaker Run . [1]

Contents

Musical career

Laing first came to prominence in 1972 as a 17-year-old schoolgirl, coming runner-up in the television talent show New Faces with her song "1905". [2] She signed a recording contract with Phonogram. Her first two singles, "1905" and "Show Your Love" were both certified gold and each peaked at number 4 on the New Zealand charts [ citation needed ]. In 1973, she won two RATA awards: Best New Artist and Recording Artist Of The Year. [3] Laing twice represented New Zealand at the Tokyo Music Festival, in 1973 (with the song "Masquerade") and 1974. In 1975, she relocated to Britain and was based there for the next seven years during which time she released a number of singles and an album, Tied to the Tracks in 1981. She joined Manfred Mann's Earth Band for two years, working alongside English musician Chris Thompson for the album Somewhere in Afrika . [4]

Laing returned to New Zealand in 1983, and released her album Genre two years later, in 1985. The song "(Glad I'm) Not a Kennedy" eventually charted in Australia, and was re-released as part of her next album, South . The song reached No. 2 on the NZ Singles Chart in August 1987. [4] Laing won the APRA Silver Scroll in 1988 for "Soviet Snow" and in 1992 for "Mercy of Love". [5]

Laing was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame as the Legacy Award recipient at the 2013 New Zealand Music Awards in November 2013. [6]

Personal life

During a concert on 18 July 1996, Laing said she was bisexual and in a relationship with another woman. [7] [8]

Discography

Albums

YearTitleDetailsPeak chart
positions
NZ
[9] 		AUS
[10]
1972 Whispering Afraid ——
1974Shooting Stars Are Only Seen at Night
  • Label: Philips/Phonogram International
  • Catalogue: 6334 012
——
1981Tied to the Tracks——
1985Genre
  • Label: Pagan Records/Virgin
  • Catalogue: PAL 1004
——
1987 South
  • Label: Pagan Records/Virgin/TVT
  • Catalogue: PAL 1031/208 735
1662
1992New on Earth4—
1994Shona
  • Label: TriStar Music/Epic
  • Catalogue: WK 66165
35—
1997Roadworks
  • Label: Columbia Records/Sony Music
  • Catalogue: 488241-2
——
2007Pass the Whisper
  • Released: 1 November 2007
  • Label: Independent label
——
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

YearTitleDetailsPeak chart
positions
NZ
[9]
19911905–1990 Retrospective19
2002The Essential Shona Laing
  • Label: Columbia
  • Catalogue: 5096842000
—
2020Hindsight
  • Label: Frenzy
—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsAlbum
NZ
[9] 		AUS
[10] 		US
Dance
[11] 		US
Mod.
Rock
[12]
1972"1905"4———Whispering Afraid
1973"Show Your Love"4———
"Masquerade"11———
"Someone to Be With"————Non-album single
1974"I'm Crying Too"————Shooting Stars Are Only Seen at Night
1975"Don't You Think It's Time"————Non-album single
"I Love My Feet"39———Whispering Afraid
1980"Whistling Waltzes"————Tied to the Tracks
"Don't Tell Me"————
1981"Overboard"————Tied to the Tracks
1981"Bundle of Nerves"————Non-album single
1984"America"44———Genre
1985"Not a Kennedy"————
"One in a Million"————
1987"(Glad I'm) Not a Kennedy"29—14South
"Drive Baby Drive"4565——
"Soviet Snow"——32—
"Caught (Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea)"————
1992"Walk Away (42nd Street)"14———New on Earth
"Fear of Falling"26———
"Thief to Silver"35———
1993"Mercy of Love"————
1994"Kick Back"————Shona
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Awards

New Zealand Music Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
1973Shona LaingRecording Artist of the YearWon [13]
1973Shona LaingBest New ArtistWon [13]
1985Shona Laing – GenreAlbum of the YearNominated [14]
1987"Glad I'm Not a Kennedy" – Shona LaingSingle of the YearNominated [15]
1987Shona LaingBest Female VocalistWon [15]
1987Shona LaingInternational AchievementNominated [15]
1987Kerry Brown and Bruce Sheridan – "Glad I'm Not a Kennedy" (Shona Laing)Best VideoNominated [15]
1987Shona LaingBest SongwriterNominated [15]
1988Shona Laing – SouthAlbum of the YearNominated [16]
1988Shona LaingBest Female VocalistWon [16]
1988Shona LaingInternational AchievementNominated [16]
1988Stephen McCurdy, Shona Laing and Graeme Myhre – "South"Best ProducerNominated [16]
1994Shona LaingBest Female VocalistNominated [17]
1995Shona Laing – ShonaAlbum of the YearNominated [18]
2013Shona Laing New Zealand Music Hall of Fame inductee [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooke Fraser</span> New Zealand musician (born 1983)

Brooke Gabrielle Ligertwood, professionally known as Brooke Fraser, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. After signing with Sony BMG in 2002, she gained recognition for her debut album, What to Do with Daylight (2003) and followed with Albertine (2006) and Flags (2010). All three debuted at number one on the RMNZ chart and gained her the number one single "Something in the Water". She later released Brutal Romantic (2014), various compilation albums, the live album Seven (2022) and Eight (2023). The latter two were released by Capitol CMG under her married name, Brooke Ligertwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savage (rapper)</span> New Zealand hip hop artist

Demetrius C. Savelio, better known by his stage name Savage, is a New Zealand hip hop recording artist and member of hip hop group the Deceptikonz. Savage was the first New Zealand hip hop artist to have a commercial single achieve platinum certification status in the United States. The "International Breakthrough" accolade of the Pacific Music Awards was created in his honour. Savage also has applied his recognisable voice in the electronic dance music space with 5× platinum hit ''Freaks'' with Timmy Trumpet, and 4 times platinum hit ''Swing'' with Joel Fletcher.

<i>The Sound of White</i> 2004 studio album by Missy Higgins

The Sound of White is the debut studio album by Australian pop singer-songwriter Missy Higgins, released 6 September 2004 by Eleven. It won the 2005 ARIA Music Award for Best Female Artist. Higgins had secured recording contracts with Eleven and Warner Bros. while still in high school, after winning a competition for unsigned artists run by radio station Triple J. Her winning song, "All For Believing", is included on this album. After a backpacking trip in 2002, Higgins toured and wrote songs during 2003. She wrote most tracks alone and collaborated on three songs, with Kevin Griffin, Jay Clifford and Clif Magness respectively. The Sound of White was recorded in 2004 with producer John Porter.

Stephen Ellis Gilpin was a New Zealand singer and a founder of new wave band Mi-Sex.

<i>Natures Best</i> 2002 compilation album by Natures Best series

Nature's Best is a two-disc compilation album of thirty New Zealand popular music songs, selected by a panel as the top thirty New Zealand songs of all time.

The following lists events that happened during 1987 in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Urlich</span> New Zealand singer (1965–2022)

Margaret Mary Urlich was a New Zealand singer who lived in Australia for most of her career.

<i>South</i> (Shona Laing album) 1987 studio album by Shona Laing

South is a 1987/1988 album by New Zealand musician Shona Laing and her most commercially successful release to date. It was released twice; in 1987 as a worldwide release, and again in 1988 in the United States. Laing reprised four of the tracks from her 1985 album Genre for the U.S. release of South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gin Wigmore</span> New Zealand singer

Virginia Claire Wigmore is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Featured on the Smashproof single "Brother" in 2009, Wigmore went on to release four albums – Holy Smoke (2009), Gravel & Wine (2011), Blood to Bone (2015) and Ivory (2018) – with the first three having been chart-toppers on the New Zealand Albums Chart. She is known for her high pitched and raspy voice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimbra</span> New Zealand singer and songwriter (born 1990)

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.

Alessia De Gasperis, formerly known as Kai, is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. Best known for her collaborations, she co-wrote and was featured on Flume's Grammy-nominated "Never Be Like You", Diplo's "Revolution", and "Mind" from by Jack Ü's Grammy award-winning 2015 album.

<i>The Love Club EP</i> 2012 EP by Lorde

The Love Club EP is the debut extended play (EP) by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. At the age of 12, she was discovered by Universal Music Group scout Scott MacLachlan, and began writing songs. In December 2011, MacLachlan paired Lorde with producer Joel Little, and within three weeks, the pair had co-written and produced all five songs on the EP. In November 2012, Lorde self-released the EP for free download via SoundCloud. On 8 March 2013 the record was commercially released by Universal Music Group and Virgin Records.

Joel Little is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter. He is best known for his work as a writer and producer with artists Lorde, Taylor Swift, Broods, Sam Smith, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Khalid, Elliphant, Jarryd James, Shawn Mendes, Marina Diamandis, Amy Shark, Goodnight Nurse, Noah Kahan, Years & Years, the Jonas Brothers, and Niall Horan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tami Neilson</span> Musical artist

Tamara "Tami" Neilson is a Canadian-born New Zealand country & soul singer/songwriter. She is the winner of multiple awards, including the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Awards and Best Country Song Award; she is also the winner of the Best Country Album at the New Zealand Music Awards in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2015, and Best Female Artist at the New Zealand Country Music Awards in 2010, 2011 & 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Mai</span> British R&B singer (born 1994)

Ella Mai Howell is an English R&B singer-songwriter. Her musical career began at London's British and Irish Modern Music Institute in 2014, during which time she auditioned as part of a trio on the 11th season of The X Factor. In 2015, she released her debut four-track solo extended play (EP), Troubled in October of that year. The EP and her performances on social media were discovered by American record producer DJ Mustard, who signed Mai to his record label 10 Summers Records, an imprint of Interscope Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benee</span> New Zealand singer

Stella Rose Bennett, better known as Benee and formerly Bene, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter from Auckland. In both 2019 and 2020, she consecutively won Single of the Year, Best Solo Artist and Best Pop Artist at the New Zealand Music Awards. Benee initially gained local prominence with her singles "Glitter" and "Soaked", before her 2019 single "Supalonely" saw international popularity following its success on the video-sharing platforms TikTok and YouTube. Benee subsequently released her debut album, Hey U X, in November 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Glad I'm) Not a Kennedy</span> 1987 single by Shona Laing

"(Glad I'm) Not a Kennedy" is a song by New Zealand musician Shona Laing. According to Laing, the inspiration for the song was her reaction to a television appearance of American politician Edward Kennedy. The song was originally released as a single in 1985, titled "Not a Kennedy", and was included on Laing's 1985 album Genre. It was re-mixed and re-released in 1987, and this version was included on her 1987 album South. The song reached number two in New Zealand, number nine in Australia, and number 14 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Kaylee Bell is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. In 2013, she won the Toyota Star Maker award in Australia, making her the first New Zealand-born artist to win since Keith Urban in 1990. She released her debut studio album, Heart First, later that year. Bell has placed multiple singles in the Top 10 of the Australian Country Music Charts. She is currently the 'Most Streamed Female Country Artist' in Australia. Her second album, Silver Linings was released in November 2021. Bell opened for Brad Paisley on his World Tour NZ show late 2022 alongside Australian country singer Morgan Evans and was support act for Ed Sheeran on his Mathematics World Tour in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maisey Rika</span> Māori singer-songwriter

Maisey Rika is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and composer, performing in both English and Māori. Her five original albums have each reached the Top 40 in the Official New Zealand Music Chart. She was named an Arts Foundation Laureate in 2021, has received awards at the Waiata Māori Music Awards and APRA Awards, including APRA Best Māori Songwriter in 2010 and 2013, and has twice won Best Māori Language Album at the NZ Music Awards.

References

  1. ↑ "Shaker Run". IMDb.com. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 11 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ↑ "New Zealand Music of the 60's and 70's". Sergent.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 November 2001. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Shona Laing - AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  5. ↑ AMCOS, APRA. "APRA Silver Scroll". apraamcos.co.nz. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  6. 1 2 "VNZMA Finalists 2013". NZ Music Awards. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "A Lesbian Decade". 30 September 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "A Chronology of Homosexuality in New Zealand – Part 5 – Queer History New Zealand". Gaynz.net.nz. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 "charts.nz > Shona Laing in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  10. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 172. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 19 June 1988.
  11. ↑ "Billboard > Artists / Shona Laing > Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard . Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  12. ↑ "Billboard > Artists / Shona Laing > Chart History > Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  13. 1 2 "1973 Winners". NZ Music Awards. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  14. ↑ "1985 Winners". NZ Music Awards. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "1987 Winners". NZ Music Awards. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "1988 Winners". NZ Music Awards. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  17. ↑ "1994 Winners". NZ Music Awards. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  18. ↑ "1995 Winners". NZ Music Awards. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.