Briana Corrigan (born 30 May 1965) is a Northern Irish singer. She was a member of The Beautiful South from 1988 to 1992.
Brianna Corrigan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 May 1965 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | Pop rock |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1988–present |
Early life
editCorrigan was born in Northern Ireland. When she was 11 years old, her family moved from Belfast to Portstewart, County Londonderry, where she attended Dominican College, Portstewart, the school at which her mother taught.[1] She moved to Newcastle upon Tyne in England at the age of 18 to study for a BA in creative and performing arts.
Beautiful South
editWhile studying in Newcastle upon Tyne, Corrigan began singing with The Anthill Runaways. Go! Discs Records, which was considering signing the band, made her an offer to travel to Hull and sing with Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway of The Beautiful South. Soon after she was asked to go to Milan with the band to help record their debut album, Welcome to the Beautiful South. She appeared alongside Dave Hemingway on the band's only UK Singles Chart number 1 single, "A Little Time".
After appearing on three albums, Corrigan left the band in 1992 to pursue a solo career.[2] The decision was driven by a desire to record her own work and partly by ethical disagreements with some of Heaton's lyrics, particularly songs such as "36D", which criticised British glamour models and the industry that employed them.[citation needed] Hemingway later remarked, "We all agree that we should have targeted the media as sexist instead of blaming the girls for taking off their tops".[3][4][5]
Her time with the band culminated in one of the fastest-selling British albums in history, Carry on up the Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South.[6]
Solo career
editAfter she left the band, Corrigan reunited with producer Mike Hedges who had produced the first two Beautiful South Albums, and recorded the solo critically acclaimed album, When My Arms Wrap You Round, in 1996 on East West Records. The first single, "Love Me Now", peaked on the UK Singles Chart at No.48.[7] This was the only single released, as Corrigan and her record company parted company a few months after the album's release.[citation needed] Until October 2022, she taught singing at the British School al Khubairat.[8]
Discography
edit- Studio albums
- When My Arms Wrap You Round (1996)
- Red Bird (2012)
References
edit- ^ Admin. "Stella Maris (Parish Magazine) – Portstewart Parish". Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (1998). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 59. ISBN 0-86241-827-5.
- ^ "Contemporary Musicians, Volume 19". beautifulsouth.org. 1 September 1997. Archived from the original on 21 June 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
- ^ "The Beautiful South – the Band". BBC Music. 29 November 2001. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
- ^ "A Little Time". Songfacts. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
- ^ Lamle, Maria (1996). "The Beautiful South". In Buckley, Jonathan; Ellingham, Mark (eds.). Rock: The Rough Guide. London: Rough Guides. pp. 63–64. ISBN 1-85828-201-2.
- ^ "BRIANA CORRIGAN | full Official Chart History". Official Charts.
- ^ "StackPath". britishschool.sch.ae. Retrieved 28 August 2022.