Georgina Callaghan is an English singer and songwriter. She performs under the name Callaghan. She is best known for her 2012 album '' Life in Full Colour'' produced by

Shawn Mullins Shawn Mullins (born March 8, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative, and Americana music. His 1998 single "Lullaby" hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Gr ...

Early life

Callaghan wrote her first song at the age of 14 and earned a place on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

TV show ''Get Your Act Together'', hosted by Irish singer

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and presenter. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop g ...

. She grew up in Allington, Lincolnshire, and played the flute and piano. At

Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School (KGGS) is a grammar school with academy status for girls in Grantham, Lincolnshire, established in 1910. It has over 1000 pupils ranging from ages 11 to 18, and has its own sixth form. History KGGS was fou ...

she gained 10 GCSEs, with 8 at grade A, in the K class in 1999.

Career

Callaghan has worked with many musicians and producers including Grammy Award-winning writer John Peppard (1998,

Best Country Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to quality country music collaborations for artists who do ...

for " In Another's Eyes") and producer Peter Lawlor who formed the band

Stiltskin Stiltskin is a Scottish Rock music, rock band that first achieved widespread popularity in the mid-1990s. Stiltskin are led by frontman Ray Wilson (musician), Ray Wilson, the only constant member throughout the band's history. They are best kn ...

. In 2008, Callaghan self-released a single "Look Around". Doing all of the PR and radio plugging herself, Callaghan achieved airplay on numerous

radio stations, extensive local and national press coverage as well as a performance on Sky TV. All proceeds from the sale of the single went to music charity Live Music Now. In July 2009, Callaghan travelled to

Georgia, USA Georgia is a state in the Southeastern United States. It borders Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, South Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west. Of the 50 U.S. states, Georgia i ...

to record with US artist

. The first single from the collaboration "Smile" was played and endorsed on the Bob Harris Country Show on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

. Callaghan's album '' Life in Full Colour'' was completed in 2011 and initially made available as pre-release limited edition copies to fans through her website, and at live shows. The album was released in 2012 to strong reviews:

"A 12-track set infused with folk, pop, rock and country influences and, above all, immediate hooks" – Billboard.com

"Life In Full Colour by Callaghan proves that this Brit has been listening to her Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow records. ...Girl can write. Girl can sing. Girl can play piano. Girl has captured my heart. Callaghan, oh Callaghan, sing me back home" – Aquarian Weekly

"The world needs more singer songwriters like Callaghan. In a time where mediocrity is seen as brilliant, Callaghan truly shines through as the real deal. Her voice is original and pure, and she is one of the greatest unsigned talents I've ever heard." – Shawn Mullins

After living in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

for a few years she moved to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

in 2012 after completing 4 tours opening for Mullins. In June 2013

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

published a four-page article titled ''House Music'' which detailed her first show in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

as part of her ''Callaghan Across America Tour'' describing the exposure that

house concert A house concert or home concert is a musical concert or performance art that is presented in someone's home or apartment, or a nearby small private space such as a barn, apartment rec room, lawn, or backyard."VIDEO: House concert in Royal Oak," ...

s can provide for both independent and established artists. On 22 September 2013

broadcast a recorded live session with Callaghan for the Bob Harris Sunday show as part of his week in Nashville covering the Americana Awards.

Influences

Callaghan's music is a blend of pop/rock/singer-songwriter genres, with influences from great artists including Shawn Mullins, Sarah McLachlan,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

and

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

. Her voice has been compared to artists including

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing (album), Surfacing'' (1997), for which she won two G ...

and

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...

Discography

Albums

*'' Life in Full Colour'' (2012) *''Callaghan: Live in America'' (2013) *''A History of Now'' (2015) *''Callaghan's Acoustic Coffee House'' (2016) *''Callaghan'' (2018) *''Callaghan's Acoustic Coffee House - Volume 2'' (2020) *''Callaghan's Acoustic Coffee House - Volume 3'' (2022)

Compilation albums

*''Callaghan's Crazy Beautiful (Isolation) Life Collection'' (2020)

EPs

*''Callaghan'' (2005) *''Road To Elmersville'' (2006) *''Nothing You Say'' (2007) *''London To Lawrenceville'' (2010) *''40 States and Counting'' (2013) *''The Other Side'' (2017) *''The Final Four'' (2018) *''Skin on Skin'' (2018) *''Snowflakes - A Winter EP'' (2019)

Singles

*"Look Around" (2008) *"Smile" (2009) *"Best Year (2015)" (2015) *"Last Song" (2016) *"Surrender" (Acoustic) (2017) *"I Don't Know How To Lose You" (Acoustic) (2017)

Collaborations

*Album ''Life in Full Colour'' produced by

* "Sweet Surrender" (''Life in Full Colour'') co-written by Callaghan and

* "The Only Thing Real" (''Life in Full Colour'') co-written by Callaghan and

* "Smile", "Look Around" and "The Edge of Love" (EP ''London To Lawrenceville'') produced by

* Songs on EP ''The Final Four'' produced by Starr Parodi and Jeff Eden Fair *Album ''Callaghan'' produced in collaboration with Starr Parodi, Jeff Eden Fair and Anthony Resta *Album ''Callaghan'' guest vocals by

Louis Price Louis Bernhardt Price (born March 29, 1953) is an American R&B and soul singer, and actor notable for being the lead singer of the first post- Dennis Edwards led version of The Temptations from 1977 to 1979. Price lived in Chicago as a child and ...

, former lead vocalist of the Temptations.

Quotes

* "Having seen her do a showcase earlier this year, I thought she was wonderful" – Bob Harris OBE (BBC Radio 2) * "One of the best albums of last year, LIFE IN FULL COLOUR, for Callaghan" – Bob Harris OBE (BBC Radio 2). * "A 12-track set infused with folk, pop, rock and country influences and, above all, immediate hooks" – Billboard * "Life In Full Colour is joyful listening" – Huffington Post

References

External links

*
Callaghan's Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Callaghan, Georgina Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English women singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters Musicians from Lincolnshire People educated at Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School People from Boston, Lincolnshire People from South Kesteven District 21st-century English singers