Shelley Harland

Shelley Harland
Birth name Shelley Ann Harland
Also known as Shelley Ann Harland-Wright
Born ca. 1979
Caterham, Surrey, England
Origin New York, New York, United States
Genres Pop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1997–present
Associated acts Phoelar

Shelley Ann Harland-Wright (born as Shelley Ann Harland, ca. 1979, Caterham, Surrey) is an English-born pop singer-songwriter and producer. In 1997 she started her music career in New York and performed mononymously as Harland. By 2006 she was based in Australia and released material as Shelley Harland.

Biography

Shelley Ann Harland was born in about 1979 and grew up in Caterham, Surrey.[1][2] While growing up, she did not receive any musical training; however, she developed a love and a taste for music and would make up songs with a keyboard she had at home. In 1997 Harland finished her secondary education and started working as a beauty therapist.[1] In that year she met an Australian guitarist-singer-songwriter, James Wright, and they developed a domestic partnership.[1] The couple moved to New York where initially Harland worked as a private investigator while Wright performed in his band, Stretch Princess.[3][4] She later recalled "[James] was on tour and one day I just picked up his guitar and just started playing it ... It was an immediate and natural thing. I started to play and now I can't imagine not doing it. It's like breathing – music – it's who I am. It was fate".[3]

Harland started to write songs with an acoustic guitar and a four-track record sampler. She collaborated with Andrew Wright, James' brother, a programmer and producer.[1] In 1999 Harland and Andrew formed Phoelar and issued an album of the same name, which was recorded in Sydney with Andrew producing.[1] Its music style was orientated towards electronic and trip-hop sounds. Justin Elswick of Review Digest found that Phoelar was "more experimental and somewhat darker" than Harland's later work.[5] He noted that "'Lovers Greed' is a fantastic track that captures the creamy and urban vibe of a Quarterflash or The Motels song".[5] All the tracks were co-written by Harland and Andrew.[6]

In 2003, Harland released her first two albums under the mononym Harland but after that used her full name.

By 2006 Shelley and James Wright had moved to Sydney.[4] She released her fourth album Red Leaf in 2009. It featured predominantly acoustic and pop sounds, in contrast with her previous electronic works. Four singles were lifted from it: "Wonder", "Friday", "Stranger" and "In the Dark." Harland recorded her fifth album, The Girl Who Cried Wolf, after launching a fundraising campaign. "New Things" was released as a single.

In 2013, her song "In the Dark" (from the Red Leaf album) was chosen for the advertising campaign for the new Omega Ladymatic Watch, featuring actress Nicole Kidman. Harland also performed at the launch event La nuit enchantée, which took place at the Stadpalais Liechtenstein in Vienna.

Since the start of her career, Harland has collaborated with many artists from the world of electronic music, such as Delerium, Ferry Corsten, Pole Folder, Loverush UK!, Headstrong, Morgan Page, Junkie XL and Guru/Jazzmatazz. She toured with Delerium, The Fray and Elvis Costello.

Discography

Album Year
Phoelar 1999
Salt Box Lane 2003
Sinking Shade 2005
Red Leaf 2009
The Girl Who Cried Wolf 2014

Collaborations

Year Artist Title Label Type Song(s)
2003 Delerium Above the clouds Nettwerk Single Above the clouds
2003 Junkie XL Radio XL Roadrunner Records Album Rivers
2003 Ferry Corsten Right of way Tsunami Album Holding on
2004 Rio Klein Fearless Nettwerk Single Fearless
2005 Pole Folder Zero Gold Bedrock Records Album Abrasion/Fall in violet
2006 Sleepthief The Dawnseeker Neurodisc records Album Desire of ages
2007 Loverush UK Different world Loverush digital Single Different world
2007 Mike Hiratzka Only human Impropa talents Single Only human
2008 J-Punch The secret Sundown recordings Single The secret
2008 Pole Folder Radio 101 Proton music Single Radio 101/Mona Kea
2008 Pole Folder Love chemical Faith music Single Love chemical
2008 Headstrong Helpless Solar Records Single Helpless
2012 Morgan Page In the air Nettwerk Album Loves mistaken

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Roup, Denise (27 May 2004). "Harland". YouthQuake. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "'Friday' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 18 January 2014. Note: User may have to click 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:' e.g Friday; or at 'Performer:' Shelley Harland
  3. 1 2 Pattison-Levi, Cecillia (21 July 2009). "Features Shelley Harland". BMA Magazine. Canberra Streetpress. Archived from the original on 27 January 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Episode Guide – Episode Twenty One". Spicks and Specks. Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Review of Salt Box Lane / Phoelar". Review Digest. Musical Discoveries. 9 November 2003. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "'Lovers Greed' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 18 January 2014. Note: User may have to click 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:' e.g Lovers Greed; or at 'Performer:' Phoelar - Harland
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