I'm a professional songwriter based in L.A. I specialize in country pop and mainstream pop rock, though I was born in Australia and grew up writing country with and for my family of recording artists, (Ray, Lee and Tania Kernaghan.) I've written 11 #1 songs and had over 100 songs cut worldwide in genres as diverse as pop, rock, contemporary country, adult contemporary and adult alternative and won numerous awards including Apra (Ascap) Song Of The Year. I'm also an ARIA nominated recording artist - my latest cd is "Shadow Wine And Truth Lilies".
Looking back, it’s easy to see why I expresses myself easily in song. I've been immersed in the music industry since birth. My father was one of Australia’s most progressive and successful independent recording artists of the 70’s and 80's, my sister, Tania, has become one of Australia’s best loved country singer’s while my big brother, Lee, is quickly becoming an Aussie icon and is one of the highest selling recording artists in Australia. I'm the youngest and perhaps most intrepid of the family and I've been based in the U.S for ten years. I grew up on tour with dad’s traveling music show and got my start writing songs for my sister, Tania. When I was 18 I co wrote her Tan’s first # 1 single and soon after I signed my first record deal with ABC/EMI and a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. In recording my own material I took a decidedly different musical direction to my famous siblings. Drawing on my own eclectic mix of influences ranging from Tom Petty to Bonnie Raitt and Peter Gabriel. My adult alternative singer songwriter debut record, "Cypress Grove", got music critics on side. Bernard Zuel of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, "Fiona is one of Australia's best new songwriters... with more potential than ten Sheryl Crows or Lisa Loebs." That record earned me a faithful little following - and a finalist award for “Best New Australian Talent” at the 1996 Australian Recording Industry Awards.
I might have surprised industry insiders when rather than cutting a second record in Sydney in the late 90’s I moved to “the songwriter’s Mecca”, Nashville T.N, to work as a staff songwriter for Warner Chappell Music Publishing. I had my first cut in the U.S with Mindy McReady on her "Not So Tough" album (Sony), which debuted in Billboard's Hot 100. Life in Nashville was colorful to say the least... I shared a house with Keith Urban's band mates and learned a lot from my friend's ascent to international fame. Keith and his band had just signed to Capitol Records when I was living with them and so I got to see first hand what it takes to get that far in the States. I immersed myself in collaborative work with hit producers and co writing partners such as Marv Green (“Amazed”), Vicky McGehee ("Like We Never Loved At All") and Andrew Farriss of INXS as well as working a fair bit as a demo vocalist. Determined to keep growing creatively I made many writing trips back to Australia and to Europe and studied up on some of my influences and heroes including Irish poet, William Butler Yeats and Beethoven on a little pilgrimage to Vienna. I also lived in New York for a while, fueling up on all “The Big Apple” has to offer. David Bowie's guitarist, Gerry Leonard, and his fiance, singer songwriter Pam Mann, were my N.Y family and turned me on to some awesome stuff that helped deepen my "creative well" - things like The Museum of Modern Art, Jivamukti Yoga, Tibetan Buddhist Meditation and of course all the incredible local music! I worked between N.Y and Nashville for some time until after 9/11 when I hit a sizeable physical and emotional burnout. That caused me to fine tune my personal and creative direction.
You could say I found my wings again in the "City Of Angels", Los Angeles, where I've been based since 2003, writing for a wide range of genres and artists - and reveling in a return to my own artistry as a singer songwriter and performer. I think LA is a perfect setting for my irreverent and eclectic style and of course it's inspired new songs like "City Of Angels", (where I get to pull no punches and sing about California culture, "...where would we be without the best of Mexico? Let Maria raise the kids, you go get your lipo..." ) Within a few months of moving to LA I got a call from Marilyn Manson’s guitarist and producer, John Five, asking me to sing background vocals on a session for Garbage. That was cool. I also signed on with film and tv music placement companies, Blue Buddha Entertainment, Pump Audio and Alloy Tracks - and learned the lay of the land in Hollywood from collaborators like writer producer Kevin Savigar (of Rod Stewart fame). A career highlight followed when multi platinum selling Sony BMG artist, Tina Arena, included my song,"Take Me Apart", on her much anticipated, "Greatest Hits" CD. Then in 2005 the pioneering indie label, Red Rebel Music, released the compilation CD, "Feeling Fiona” which features 12 various artists including Aussie greats Ross Wilson and Vika and Linda Bull performing previously unreleased songs of mine.
These days I run my own show - or indie music publishing company - and rep my own catalog specializing in country pop and mainstream pop rock. Some of my co writers are KEVIN SAVIGAR, J.J FARRIS and BEN LEE. My focus is on writing for film and TV and collaborating with writer/producers and signed artists.
I also work as a writer/producer team with my husband, Daniel Kresco, when he's not tied up working for film composer, Hans Zimmer, at Remote Control Studios. Daniel brings many years of recording expertise to the party. His credits include work with Michael Jackson, Lee Ann Womack, Reba McEntire, Barenaked Ladies, Alicia Keys and Limp Bizkit and many more. A while back we wrote and recorded a second hit album for my sister, Tania, her "Livin' The Dream" cd - which was one of '09's Top 10 most downloaded albums on iTunes Australia. I try and balance writing commercial material for recording artists with a little introspection and recording my own more AAA stuff. (Like on the pretty autobiographical, “Shadow Wine and Truth Lilies”.) I give myself permission to sing about my own life in a completely candid way and make the most of the total creative freedom I have now.
Music journalist and author, Jeff Apter, had this to say about the "Shadow Wine And Truth Lilies" record...
""U.S based Kernaghan, the quiet achiever of the Oz music clan, has spent much of her career as a songwriter for hire - this her second album of grown up pop - high on melody and insight, light on "twang" is more personal than a tattoo: Secrets Of The Flesh has an epic emotional flow that wouldn't have been lost on Sheryl Crow's great Globe Sessions."
Album Review - The Sydney Morning Herald Metro.
"Shadow Wine And Truth Lilies" is out now on Red Rebel Music/MGM. It's also available on CD Baby in the U.S and iTunes worldwide.
To contact me about collaborating or writing for your project email me: fiona@fionakernaghan.com