Shelley Harland’s debut single Wonder was the perfect introduction to the singer songwriter and producer who commutes between Sydney, New York and London. An artist with an amazing portfolio of co-writes and collaborations with some of the world’s best known artists – from The Velvet Underground’s John Cale, to million selling rocker Tracy Bonham. Shelley’s voice and lyric have been heard by many more people around the world than it may at first appear. Until Wonder she had remained faceless by choice. Now that is all about to change.
Wonder is a tasteful, emotive slice of pop which displays Shelley’s gorgeous voice and ability to create a moody yet very intimate ambience. No sooner was her debut single in the public domain then, the likes of Grammy Nominee producer DJ Morgan Page (Madonna, No Doubt) and Paul Mac offered up dance floor remixes which are presently warming up clubs throughout Europe.
Shelley’s second single, Friday is a piece of gorgeous pop, replete with classic horn section. It highlights yet another element of Shelley’s broad writing range and wouldn’t sound out of place on a Cardigans or Carpenters album. Currently Friday is being used in a national television campaign by the Seven Network to great effect.
Her own journey began in London where she was born to a carpenter father and a nurse mother. “We were a typical Cockney working class family” she says. “There were no musical aspirations. But there’d be singalongs and dance routines at family get-togethers.” In her late teens Shelley realised there was something special about her voice. She’d sing in noisy karaoke bars and the crowds would fall silent to listen. Then she met James Wright, an Australian who had arrived in London to form a band. He urged her to take up singing full time. Shelley and James soon relocated to New York, where during the day Shelley would work as a private investigator (staking out some of New York’s high flying socialites). Shelley developed her talent for song writing and programming – experimenting with music in her bedroom each evening. In an ‘only in New York’ moment, The Velvet Underground’s John Cale commissioned Shelley to work on one of his records.
These requests to work with Shelley’s beautiful voice spanned genres and styles. Guru found Shelley through MySpace and included her on his latest Jazzmatazz release. Junkie XL, Pole Folder, Delerium and Josh Abraham were other collaborators – and people whom she still works with. Shelley also toured the US and Canada fronting Delerium.
In between her overseas collaborations, she made Red Leaf with producer David Skeet. While absorbing the sounds and moods of her new environment, Shelley’s Sydney network soon expanded to include Tim Powles of The Church, who fell immediately for her music and was soon volunteering to drum on what would prove to be the album recordings. Red Leaf was mixed in London by Chris Sheldon (Foo Fighters, Pixies, Radiohead) and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road studios.
The buzz surrounding these initial tracks soon gained her attention and an eventual recording deal with Australia’s longest serving and most respected independent label, Albert Music. With the label experiencing an exciting renaissance, Shelley is the first female artist to sign to Albert Music in over a decade – a sign that the legendary label has spotted something unique and captivating in Shelley’s music.