Kirsten Morrell (born Kirsten Maccoll Reade; December 1974) is a British-born

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the band

Goldenhorse Goldenhorse is a pop and folk-pop band from New Zealand. The group was formed in 1999 by lead vocalist Kirsten Morrell and guitarist Geoff Maddock, who brought in Joel Wilton and Ben King from other projects to found the initial lineup. Go ...

. Morrell is a trained operatic singer and performed as a national singer in the New Zealand Opera for two years. In the early 2000s, she found success fronting the pop group

, which debuted in 2002 with the chart topping album '' Riverhead''. The band found continued success with the 2005 release of ''

Out of the Moon ''Out of the Moon'' is the second album by New Zealand band Goldenhorse, released in 2005 under Siren Records.Reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

'', before entering a long hiatus. Morrell recorded her first album as a solo artist with the 2010 release of ''

Ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...

'', and returned to London to join the

Crouch End Festival Chorus Crouch End Festival Chorus (CEFC) is a symphonic choir based in north London which performs in a range of musical styles, including traditional choral repertoire, contemporary classical, rock, pop and film music. Led by musical director Davi ...

. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Morrell began writing new solo material, and returned to New Zealand in anticipation of her upcoming sophomore album, '' Morrellium''. Morrell has been an active spokesperson for equitable trade and environmental causes, including as an ambassador for

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

, and backing campaigns by

Fairtrade A fair trade certification is a product certification within the market-based movement of fair trade. The most widely used fair trade certification is FLO International's, the International Fairtrade Certification Mark, used in Europe, Africa ...

. In 2005, she sang and appeared in the music video for Greenpeace version of " Anchor Me", which peaked at 3 on the New Zealand charts.

Biography

Morrell was born to Tricia Reade in London, England, and was raised in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

. Her parents eventually left London to start an organic farm in rural

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, where Morrell spent the later part of her childhood. Morrell and her family moved to New Zealand when she was 12, uniting with her grandparents who lived in

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It h ...

. Morrell attended Selwyn College in Auckland, receiving a music scholarship and classical training. In her teens, she began an English literature degree at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, which was put on hold until she returned to study at 24. She subsequently became a qualified yoga teacher, and in 2013, began studying an arts management masters at the

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology ( AUT; ) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT is New Zealand's third largest university i ...

Career

Morrell has been involved in the music industry since the 90s, but has worked as a volunteer, a board member, executive and manager in various organizations, including People Tree, The Fair Trade Foundation, New Zealand Opera and

, to name some. Morrell has been involved in the New Zealand Opera chorus for 12 years, performing as a core

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

1999–2007: Goldenhorse

Morrell formed Goldenhorse in 1999 with guitarist Geoff Maddock. In 2002, Goldenhorse released '' Riverhead'' to commercial success, going 3× platinum and topping the New Zealand charts. The album was self-funded and had been recorded independently without a label, using money from Morrell's mother and equipment loaned from

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He is best known as a founding member of Split Enz. Finn founded the band in 1972 with Phil Judd and served as lead singer and principal songw ...

and

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for being a principal member of Split Enz and for being the lead singer of Crowded House. He was also a member of Fleetwood Mac from 2018 ...

. It was recorded on-and-off over a year, with most of the recording in a home studio in the Waitakere Ranges. The success of the album subsequently lead to a record deal with Siren Records. With the assistance of veteran producer Murray Grindlay, Goldenhorse followed-up in 2005 with ''

Out of the Moon ''Out of the Moon'' is the second album by New Zealand band Goldenhorse, released in 2005 under Siren Records. In 2007 after returning from their UK tour, the band released ''

Reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

'' to lackluster commercial sales, briefly entering the top 40 chart at 38. Shortly after, Goldenhorse went on hiatus and has not reformed since, with the members moving on to different projects. In 2013, Morrell claimed not all members of the band got along with each other, but that she still considered Goldenhorse an "entity."

2009–2019: ''Ultraviolet'' and Crouch End Festival Chorus

In 2009, Morrell worked with producer Jol Mulhullond to record her 2010 debut solo album, ''

''. It spent two weeks on the charts, peaking at 25, and was received with mixed reviews. Following the release of ''Ultraviolet'', Morrell moved back to London, where she joined

, a leading symphonic choir which has performed at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

. She has appeared on several of their classical recordings. In 2016 as a qualified yoga teacher, Morrell started a yoga business, SingingTreeYoga, in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

2020–present: Solo return with ''Morrellium''

During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Morrell began writing new solo material. She returned to New Zealand and setup a home studio in Auckland, releasing "Strawberry Fool" in 2023. She is currently working on her upcoming second album, '' Morrellium'', which is being produced by Clint Murphy, who worked with Goldenhorse on ''Reporter''.

Personal life

Morrell has family from England and from New Zealand, the latter originating from

Lyall Bay Lyall Bay is a bay and suburb on the south side of the Rongotai isthmus in Wellington, New Zealand. The bay is a popular surf beach, featuring a Breakwater (structure), breakwater at the eastern end. It is home to two surf lifesaving clubs and ...

, Wellington. Morrell previously lived in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and currently resides in central

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, but over the years has periodically lived in England pursuing music and opera. Her mother, Tricia, lives in Ponsonby. Morrell also has an older brother, Bryne Reade, born two years earlier, who is a journalist, filmmaker, and photographer. Morrell was formerly in a long-term relationship with Goldenhorse band mate and collaborator

Geoff Maddock Geoff Maddock (born ) is a New Zealand musician, composer, and producer. He is best known as a member of the rock group Bressa Creeting Cake and for co-founding Goldenhorse, for which he was a central creative force as a song-writer, producer, ...

. In a 2013 interview, Morrell suggested that her success with Goldenhorse did not earn her much money, and that she was living in a rented home with three flatmates, stating "there are people who get paid to do their art, but I never seem to. At some point I was.'' In a 2023 interview with

RNZ Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classica ...

, when asked if music was her full-time occupation, Morrell simply replied "I wish."

Political views and advocacy

Morrell has been regularly involved in fair trade and environmental organisations, using her profile to support fundraisers and campaigns. She was an ambassador for Greenpeace New Zealand, and has attended various events and fundraisers for the organisation. In 2005, she sang and appeared in the music video for Greenpeace's charity cover of " Anchor Me" which peaked at 3 on the New Zealand charts. Morrell has publicly opposed the mining of conservation land and the whaling industry. In 2007, Morrell fronted a fundraising campaign by

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. It began as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief ...

in support of fair trade for coffee producers. In 2009, Morrel participated in the Auckland supercity hikoi protests. Morrell has been a supporter of Fair Trade Auckland and was actively involved in the organisation in the early 2010s, including as a signature collector for campaigns to support Auckland becoming a fair trade city. In 2014, Morrell worked at a call center for the "Get Out and Vote" campaign organised by the Council of Trade Unions.

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2010) * '' Morrellium'' (2025, upcoming)

Singles

* " Melody Bells" (2009) * "I'm Free" (2011) * "Strawberry Fool" (2023) * "Harry" (2023)

As featured artist

* " Anchor Me" (2005)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrell, Kirsten New Zealand musicians New Zealand opera singers New Zealand women singers New Zealand women songwriters People from Hampstead Living people 1974 births People educated at Selwyn College, Auckland