The Corrs' eldest sister Sharon won't have her musical siblings in tow at her Auckland show tomorrow. She talks to Lydia Jenkin about going it alone and her new career path.
The eldest sister in the Corr family, the group who reached worldwide fame in the 90s with a bundle of easy listening Celtic-inspired pop hits, Sharon Corr has kept up the violin and piano practice while starting a family, and has recently struck out on her own. She released her debut solo album Dream of You in 2010 and has nearly finished a second album, while also starring as a judge on TV singing competition show The Voice of Ireland.
Tell us why you decided to pursue a solo career.
Well, when the Corrs stopped working, it was very important for me to continue writing, because it's what I do. If you stop doing it, you get rusty, so I just continued writing. I was having my kids, but I really can't have my life without music in it. Before I knew it I'd pretty much written an album, and then I just started to record it, and it was a very natural, organic thing for me to do.
And when you were writing these songs, was your family a source of inspiration or were there other outside influences?
It's a very natural thing. Normally I write at the piano, and I'm just sitting at it, and making up stuff. Then it inspires a melody, and the words start coming out, and I realise I'm writing about something I've been thinking about. Recently I wrote a song called Christmas, and it's about how at Christmas your past is in your present, how the loved ones that are no longer with you seem much more present at Christmas because it's all about memories.
How have you found making music without your siblings?
It's really good, it's very challenging. You get in a real comfort zone with your family, and in some ways you're testing yourself but in other ways you're not. With the Corrs I actually wrote a lot on my own anyway, so it's not unusual for me to write without them. But recently I decided to work with other writers because I was playing it quite safe being my only judge at home. So I started collaborating, which has been brilliant to stretch me as a writer and musician, and also to stretch my experiences lyrically as well.
