Jamie McDell (born 3 November 1992) is a New Zealand musician and singer-songwriter.[1] She was discovered at the age of 16 by EMI Music New Zealand after sending them a demo tape of her acoustic original music.[2] Prior to being signed by a major record label, McDell used various social media outlets to gain exposure, posting YouTube videos – including original songs and cover songs, Twitter and Facebook to get her music out to the masses.
Jamie McDell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 3 November 1992 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | alt-country, country-pop, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Independent |
| Website | www |
She released her debut single, "You'll Never Take That Away", on 20 February 2012, which was certified Gold in New Zealand.[3][4] Following the success of her debut single, McDell released her EP, All That I Wanted – Acoustic EP, on 4 May 2012.[5] Her second single, "Rewind" was released on 13 June 2012.[6] McDell's debut studio album, Six Strings and a Sailboat, was released 16 November 2012 and was certified Gold in New Zealand.
Ask Me Anything, McDell's second studio album, was released 27 March 2015.
McDell's third studio album, Extraordinary Girl, was released on 4 May 2018, independently released and recorded at House of Blues, Studio D, Nashville Tennessee. The album featured various country musicians such as Kasey Chambers, Bill Chambers and Tami Neilson.
Early life and career
editJamie McDell was born in Auckland and brought up in a musical family, with a passion for singing and music. Her father Terry McDell, a New Zealand sailing champion (1972 Yachtsman of the Year) decided the family would live aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean when Jamie was seven years of age.[1] She was introduced to the music of Jimmy Buffett and John Denver and learnt to play the guitar by watching her parents perform these songs on the boat.
Jamie McDell on songwriting:[7]
I write songs about a lot of different things depending on what's happening in my life at the time. Lately my songs have been about relationships, dealing with loss, and wanting to go back to the beach! I can really get inspired by anything.
2012–present: Six Strings and a Sailboat
editMcDell's single, "You'll Never Take That Away", was released to the New Zealand market on 20 February 2012.[3] It was successful on the Official New Zealand Top 40, entering and debuting on the chart at No. 27 on 2 April 2012. The single climbed to No. 11 and spent a total of ten weeks on the chart.[8] The single topped the Top 20 New Zealand Singles chart (which features singles by New Zealand artists) on 30 April 2012, holding the top position for four consecutive weeks.[9] The single was certified Gold on 28 May 2012.[4]
Following the success of her debut single, McDell released a 5-track EP, All That I Wanted – Acoustic EP, featuring acoustic renditions of "You'll Never Take That Away", "Rewind" and three other original songs. It was released via EMI Music New Zealand on 4 May 2012.[5]
Her second single, "Rewind", was released 13 July 2012.[6] It peaked at number 30 on the New Zealand singles chart.[10] Her third single, "Life in Sunshine", was released 12 October 2012.[11] It peaked at number 27 on the New Zealand singles chart.[12]
McDell entered the studio to begin recording her debut studio album in August 2012.[13] The cover art, release date and title for the album, Six Strings and a Sailboat, were revealed on her official Facebook page. The album was released 16 November 2012.[14] It peaked at No. 8 on the New Zealand albums chart.[15] An instrumental version of the album was released on 11 January 2013 on the iTunes Store.[16]
Her fourth single, "Angel", was released 1 February 2013.[17]
She wrote a song called "Ode to the Lines" for Global Citizen. It was released on 26 July 2013 on the iTunes Store with all proceeds going towards helping those living in extreme poverty.[18] She performed "Ode to the Lines" with Anika Moa at the Global Citizen Concert, held at the Auckland Town Hall on 4 August 2013.[19]
Though Jamie began her music career in the commercial Pop music world, she became an independent artist in 2016 and decided to pursue her dream of recording in Nashville. In late 2017 Jamie travelled to Nashville to record an album, solely written by her, with award-winning Australian producer Nash Chambers.[citation needed]
She was named 2018 Top Female Artist by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand at the 2018 Benny Awards.[citation needed]
Discography
edit| Jamie McDell discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 2 |
| EPs | 2 |
| Singles | 6 |
| Music videos | 6 |
Studio albums
edit| Album | Album details | Charts | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [20] |
NZ Artist [21] | |||
| Six Strings and a Sailboat |
|
8 | 2 | RMNZ: Gold |
| Ask Me Anything |
|
7 | 3 | |
| Extraordinary Girl |
|
—[A] | — | |
| Jamie McDell |
|
TBR | TBR | |
Notes
- ^ Extraordinary Girl did not enter the NZ Top 40 Albums Chart, but peaked at number one on the NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart.[22]
Extended plays
edit| Album | Album details | Charts | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Artist [21] | |||
| All That I Wanted – Acoustic EP |
|
8 | |
| Crash – EP |
|
— | |
| Tori – EP |
|
— | |
| The Botox – EP |
|
— | |
| Jamie McDell OurVinyl Sessions |
|
— | |
| Beach House |
|
— |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak Positions | Album | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [24] |
NZ Artist [25] | ||||
| 2012 | "You'll Never Take That Away" | 11 | 1 | Six Strings and a Sailboat | RMNZ: Gold |
| "Rewind" | 30 | 1 | |||
| "Life in Sunshine" | 27 | 3 | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| 2013 | "Angel" | — | 3 | ||
| 2014 | "Dumb" | 37 | 3 | Ask Me Anything | |
| "Crash" | — | 5 | |||
| 2019 | "God is a Woman (615 Sessions)"[26] | — | — | n/a | |
| "Extraordinary Girl (615 Sessions)"[27] | — | — | |||
| 2021 | "Dream Team"[28] | — | — | Jamie McDell | |
| "Not Ready Yet"[29] | — | — | |||
| 2022 | "Poor Boy" (with Tom Busby) |
— | — | ||
| "Mother's Daughter" | — | — | |||
| 2023 | "BeachHouse"[23] | — | — | BeachHouse | |
Charity singles
edit| Year | Single |
|---|---|
| 2013 | "Ode to the Lines" |
Music videos
edit| Title | Year | Director(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| "You"ll Never Take That Away" | 2012 | — | [30] |
| "Rewind" | — | [31] | |
| "Life in Sunshine" | — | [32] | |
| "Angel" | 2013 | Garth Badger | [33] |
| "Dumb" | 2014 | Shae Sterling | [34] |
| "Crash" | Anita Ward | [35] | |
| "Back of My Mind" | 2015 | Garth Badger | [36] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Awards | Year | Type | Song or album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand Music Awards | 2013 | Best Pop Album | "Six Strings and a Sailboat" | Won |
| Best Female Solo Artist | "Six Strings and a Sailboat" | Nominated | ||
| Breakthrough Artist of the Year | "Six Strings and a Sailboat" | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b "Jamie McDell Facebook: About". Jamie McDell. Retrieved 22 July 2012 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Jamie McDell set to perform at Amazon". scoop.co.nz. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ a b "iTunes – Music – You'll Never Take That Away – Single by Jamie McDell". itunes.apple.com/nz. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ a b "'You'll Never Take That Away' is now Gold!". Jamie McDell. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012 – via Facebook.
- ^ a b "iTunes – Music – All That I Wanted (Acoustic Version) – EP by Jamie McDell". itunes.apple.com/nz. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ a b "iTunes – Music – Rewind – Single by Jamie McDell". itunes.apple.com/nz. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ "Jamie McDell: You'll Never Take That Away". theedge.co.nz. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ "You'll Never Take That Away – Jamie McDell – Top 40 Singles". muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ "Top 20 New Zealand Singles Chart – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". nztop40.co.nz. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ "Rewind – Jamie McDell – Top 40 Singles". muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Life in Sunshine – Single by Jamie McDell". Retrieved 24 July 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Life in Sunshine – Jamie McDell – Top 40 Singles". Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "Dear..." Jamie McDell. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012 – via Facebook.
- ^ "'Six Strings and a Sailboat' album (acoustic) bonus track info :)". Jamie McDell. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Six Strings and a Sailboat – Jamie McDell – Top 40 Singles". Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Six Strings and a Sailboat (Instrumental Version) – Album by Jamie McDell". Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Angel – Single by Jamie McDell". Retrieved 24 July 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Ode To the Line – Single by Jamie McDell". Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ "Jamie McDell Facebook 4 August". Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ "The New Zealand Top 40 Album Chart – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". nztop40.co.nz. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Top 20 New Zealand Album Chart – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". nztop40.co.nz.
- ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Band & Musician News - Gold-Certified Singer-Songwriter Jamie McDell Releases Her 'Beach House' Single + Announces The 'Beach House' EP Out June 16". Muzic. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "New Zealand Top 40 Single Chart – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on 27 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ "Top 20 New Zealand Single Chart – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ "God is a Woman (615 Sessions) – single". Apple Music. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Extraordinary Girl (615 Sessions) – single". Apple Music. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Dream Team – single". Apple Music. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Not Ready Yet – single". Apple Music. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Jamie McDell – You"ll Never Take That Away (Music Video)". 14 March 2012 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Jamie McDell – Rewind (Music Video)". 12 July 2012 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Jamie McDell – Life in Sunshine (Music Video)". 18 October 2012 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Jamie McDell – Angel (Music Video)". 18 February 2013 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Jamie McDell – Dumb (Music Video)". 12 August 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Jamie McDell – Crash (Music Video)". 6 November 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Jamie McDell – Back of My Mind ft. Rai Thistlethwayte". 27 February 2015 – via YouTube.