Sinéad Monica Harnett (born 12 October 1989) is an English singer and songwriter of Irish and Thai descent.

Early life

Born to a Thai mother and an Irish father who separated when she was a toddler, Harnett was raised by her mother in

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. north of Charing Cross, nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, London, Whetstone, Mill Hill and Hendon. It is ...

, north London while her father lived in Australia. Harnett attended Holly Park Primary School in

Friern Barnet Friern Barnet () is a suburban area within the London Borough of Barnet, north of Charing Cross. Its centre is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane (running north and south), Woodhouse Road (taking westbound traffic towards No ...

. She also took weekend dance classes at the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

(in

Barons Court Barons Court is a London Underground station in West Kensington in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Greater London. This station serves the District line and the Piccadilly line. Barons Court is between West Kensington and Ha ...

at the time). She went on to study at Arts University College Bournemouth, where she pursued a degree in acting and appeared in student productions of plays such as ''

One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...

''.

Career

Harnett gained prominence as a singer in 2011 when, following an open request to her Twitter followers for suggestions and applicants, grime artist

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations *Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town *Wiley, Georgia, an U.S. unincorporated community * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People *Wiley (musician), ...

selected Harnett to feature on the single "Walk Away" from his album '' Chill Out Zone''. In 2012, she was featured on the

Disclosure Disclosure may refer to: Arts and media Film and television *'' CBC News: Disclosure'', a television newsmagazine series in Canada * ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American erotic thriller film based on the 1994 novel by Michael Crichton * ''Dis ...

track "Boiling" from their EP ''The Face''. She released her debut single, "Got Me", in 2013 via

Black Butter Records Black Butter Records is a British record label based in London, England. Founded in 2010 by Olly Wood, Henry Village and Joe Gossa, the self-funded start-up went on to become an established tastemaker label, and one part of a camp of music-rela ...

, and contributed songwriting and guest vocals to

Rudimental Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle. They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013, and ...

's debut album, ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

''. She was also featured on

Ryan Hemsworth Ryan Hemsworth (born 23 April 1990) is a Canadian record producer and DJ. He specialises in electronic music and sampling. He has produced tracks for Tinashe, Tory Lanez, Mitski, and E-40. Biography Raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Hemsworth a ...

's solo album ''

Guilt Trips ''Guilt Trips'' is the first solo studio album by Canadian DJ/producer Ryan Hemsworth. It was released on Last Gang Records on October 22, 2013. Music videos were created for "Against a Wall" and "One for Me". The album won the 2014 Juno Award for ...

'', on the opening track "Small + Lost", and provided uncredited vocals for

Kidnap Kid Matthew 'Matt' Rupert Lancaster Relton, known professionally as Kidnap, formerly known as Kidnap Kid, is an English electronic dance music record producer and DJ from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He was awarded iTunes US's 'Best Electronic Song ...

's single "So Close". Her debut EP, ''N.O.W.'', was released in August 2014 through 333 Records; it includes the single "No Other Way", which ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' named track of the week. Another track on the EP, "Paradise", received the same honour from ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

''. Snakehips, who are featured on "No Other Way", featured Harnett on their single "Days with You". By late 2014, she was recording her debut album with producer

Chris Loco Christopher Crowhurst, better known by his stage name Chris Loco, is an English record producer and songwriter. Discography Production and songwriting credits References {{DEFAULTSORT:Loco, Chris English DJs English record producers ...

for release on

Virgin EMI Records Virgin EMI Records was a British record label owned by the Universal Music Group that was formed in 2013. In June 2020, the label was rebranded as EMI Records, and operates Virgin Records as an imprint of the new EMI Records. History Virgin ...

, and was shortlisted for

MTV UK MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & I ...

's Brand New for 2015 award. The album was originally due for release in 2015 and also features contributions from

James Fauntleroy James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for his songwriting work and guest performances on songs by high-profile artists including Travis ...

, Chloe Martini, KOZ,

TMS TMS may refer to: Broadcasting * TMS (entertainment data), data provider * ''Test Match Special'', BBC cricket coverage * ''This Movie Sucks!'', a Canadian TV show on bad movies * ''That Metal Show'', a US TV talk show Media * Hobby of Mode ...

, and

Two Inch Punch Ben Ash, professionally known as Two Inch Punch, is an English record producer, musician, remixer and songwriter. He has written and produced records with Jessie Ware, Sam Smith, Years & Years, Rag'n'Bone Man, Tory Lanez, Ty Dolla $ign, Damon ...

. Its first single, "She Ain't Me", was released in June 2015, followed by "Do It Anyway" in September 2015. In early 2016, Harnett featured on the single "Never Say Never?" by rapper

Nick Brewer Nick Brewer (born 1989) is an English rapper. His 2015 song, "Talk To Me", charted at #19 on the UK Singles Chart. Background Brewer was born in East London in 1989 but lived in Essex during his time at the University of Essex, where he studied ...

. In August, she released the EP ''Sinead Harnett'' via

Rinse FM Rinse FM is a London-based community radio station, licensed for "young people living and/or working within the central, east and south London areas". It plays garage, grime, dubstep, house, jungle, UK funky and other dance music genres po ...

; it features collaborations with

GRADES Grade most commonly refers to: * Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.) * A designation for students, classes and curricula indicating the number of the year a student has reach ...

, JD. Reid,

Kaytranada Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian music producer, rapper, singer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of m ...

, and Snakehips, and has produced the singles "If You Let Me" and "Rather Be with You". In 2020, she played a role in the videogame Five Dates.

Artistry

Harnett's musical influences include

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

The Fugees ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a British rapper and MC. He is often credited as a pioneer of British hip hop and grime music and was ranked by ''Complex'' as one of the greatest British ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

and

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote in 2013 that "Harnett's rich, soulful voice and range has drawn comparisons to

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

, but her recordings are more experimental and contemporary; a brand of jazz-tinged, melodic electronic pop a bit reminiscent of

Jessie Ware Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer and songwriter. She came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, '' Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and produced the sing ...

Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and rapper. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by the ...

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Mixtapes

As lead artist

Guest appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harnett, Sinead 1990 births Living people Alumni of Arts University Bournemouth Black Butter Records artists British Asian musicians English dance musicians English people of Irish descent English people of Thai descent British contemporary R&B singers English soul singers People from Finchley Singers from the London Borough of Barnet Virgin Records artists 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers