Penny Flanagan is an Australian singer-songwriter and author.
Career
Music
Penny Flanagan's musical career began in 1989 as one half of the folk-pop duo
Club Hoy. The duo released the 1991 album ''Thursday's Fortune'' before Flanagan went solo.
The first single from her debut album, ''Bravado'', was "Lap It Up" which hit No. 52 in the
Triple J Hottest 100, 1994
The 1994 Triple J Hottest 100, counted down in January 1995, was a countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. A CD featuring 32 of the songs was released. A countdown of the ...
. The album was produced by
Martin Armiger
John Martin Armiger (10 June 1949 – 27 November 2019) was an Australian musician, record producer and composer. He was one of the singer-songwriters and guitarists with Melbourne-based rock band the Sports from August 1978 to late 1981, whic ...
and featured
Paul Hester
Paul Newell Hester (8 January 1959 – 26 March 2005) was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for their last year together from December 1983 to December 1984, and co-founding member an ...
from
Crowded House
Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...
on drums.
She also received significant radio and
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
play for her cover of
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
's "
When You Were Mine" from her EP ''Seven Flights Up'' which was released on her own independent label, Penny Dreadful Records.
In 1997, she contributed an offbeat cover of
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
's "
Better the Devil You Know
"Better the Devil You Know" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, taken from her third studio album ''Rhythm of Love (Kylie Minogue album), Rhythm of Love'' (1990). The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and was rel ...
" to the soundtrack of the Australian film ''Dust Off The Wings'' and released a music video for the song that aired on
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
and ''
Rage
Rage may refer to:
* Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger
Games
* Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game
* Rage (trick-taking card game), a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell
* ''Rage'' (video game), a 2011 first- ...
''.
Her next release, ''Light Sleeper'', was praised by Australian ''
Rolling Stone Australia
''Rolling Stone Australia'' is the Australian edition of the United States' ''Rolling Stone'' magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture, published monthly. The Australian version of ''Rolling Stone'' was initially published in 197 ...
'' magazine as "a mature and intelligent release from a genuine talent, deserving of wider success." The album was produced by
Tim Powles
Timothy Guy Gerard Powles (born 21 December 1959) is a New Zealand music producer and artist. Also known as timEbandit Powles, he primarily plays the drums and percussion.
Early career
Powles started his music career at Nelson College, which ...
of
the Church and featured a duet with
Steve Kilbey
Steven John Kilbey (born 13 September 1954) is an English born Australian singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer and bass guitarist for the rock band The Church. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter. As of 2020, Kilbey has r ...
on the track "Into the Sun". After the release of ''Light Sleeper'' she retreated from performing to focus on raising her three children.
Writing
In 1994 Flanagan published ''Changing The Sky'', a children's book.
She published the adult novels ''Sing to Me'' (1998) and ''Surviving Hal'' (2018).
Personal life
Her father,
John Flanagan, is an Australian author best known for the ''
Ranger's Apprentice
''Ranger's Apprentice'' is a series written by Australian author John Flanagan. It began as twenty short stories Flanagan wrote for his son to get him interested in reading. Ten years later, Flanagan found the stories again and decided to tur ...
'' novel series.
[Showbiz a family affair for Flanagan , Illawarra Mercury 26 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2013](_blank)
/ref> She is the sister of actress and comedian Kitty Flanagan
Kitty Flanagan (born July 18th 1970) is an Australian comedian, writer and actress. She is known for portraying Helen Tudor-Fisk in the television comedy program '' Fisk'', which she also co-created, co-wrote and co-directed. She spent eight ye ...
and since 2010 has toured with Kitty as part of her stand-up comedy shows. She writes original music for and performs songs in Kitty's show.
Purrfect sister act , Newcastle Herald 19 April 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2013
/ref> She also has a brother, who is a chef and runs a coffee shop in the snowfields of Japan.
Discography
Albums
Extended plays
Charting singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flanagan, Penny
1970 births
Living people
20th-century Australian novelists
Australian children's writers
Australian women novelists
Australian male singer-songwriters
Singers from Sydney
20th-century Australian women writers
21st-century Australian singers
21st-century Australian women singers
People educated at Monte Sant'Angelo Mercy College
21st-century Australian women writers
21st-century Australian writers
Australian women singer-songwriters
21st-century Australian singer-songwriters