JAMIE MCDELL, by Jamie McDell
When Jamie McDell appeared a decade ago as a fully-formed 19-year-old singer-songwriter, she was one parents of young teens could happily accept: McDell was outgoing, free of guile, eco-conscious and her image was of the girl on the beach with a guitar singing to friends around a sunset bonfire of driftwood.
Her 2012 debut album, Six Strings and a Sailboat, which won best pop album at the New Zealand Music Awards, was followed by the more mature Ask Me Anything three years later. In her sophomore effort it was clear McDell was writing about issues above her audience demographic.
Her wholesome image and move towards thoughtful, adult country music with her largely overlooked 2018 album Extraordinary Girl – recorded in Nashville and featuring Tami Neilson and Australian country star Kasey Chambers – confirmed she was an artist capable of growth and blunt observations. The title track noted “ordinary men break extraordinary girls”.
This story is from the March 26 - April 1, 2022 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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This story is from the March 26 - April 1, 2022 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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