Shona Laing

With insightful lyrics, a rich vocal tone, and a passionate singing style in common, Shona Laing had hits as a folk artist in the '70s ("1905") and with new wave in the '80s ("Glad I'm Not a Kennedy") before reaching the Top Five of the album chart in her native New Zealand with the more adult-oriented rock of 1992's New on Earth. She eventually settled into an alternative folk sound by her ninth studio album, 2007's Pass the Whisper. Forty years after winning Best New Artist at the New Zealand Music Awards, she received their Legacy Award in 2013. Born in 1955, Laing came in second on the New Zealand TV talent competition New Faces as a teen, leading to a record deal with Phonogram in 1972. Her first album, that year's Whispering Afraid, was a folk record that spawned two Top Five hits: her debut single "1905" and the follow-up, "Show Your Love." A third single, "Masquerade," reached number 11. Laing won New Zealand Music Awards for Best New Artist as well as Recording Artist of the Year in 1973. She released one more album with Phonogram, 1974's Shooting Stars Are Only Seen at Night, before parting ways with the label and relocating to the U.K. In England, she continued to perform at folk clubs and recorded an album that was never released. Adopting a more pop/rock-oriented style, a separate album, Tied to the Tracks, arrived via EMI in 1981. Laing soon came to the attention of Manfred Mann and she accepted an invitation to join his Earth Band for a couple of years, including performing on their 1983 release, Somewhere in Afrika. Shona Laing returned to New Zealand in 1985, the same year she appeared as a singer in the film Shaker Run and released her fourth long-player, the synth-heavy Genre. While the album didn't chart, it featured the song "Glad I'm Not a Kennedy," which reappeared on her next album, 1987's South. In the meantime, the synth pop tune reached number two in her home country, landed on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart, and was nominated for a New Zealand Music Award for Single of the Year; Laing took home the award for the category of Best Female Vocalist. The follow-up single, "Soviet Snow," received airplay on MTV and appeared on the U.S. dance chart. In 1988, South was nominated for Album of the Year, and Laing received another New Zealand Music Award for Best Female Vocalist. The compilation 1905-1990: A Retrospective arrived in 1991 before Laing, newly signed with Epic, released the grittier New on Earth in 1992. Behind three Top 40 singles, it climbed as high as number four on New Zealand's album chart. After moving to TriStar, her seventh studio LP, 1994's Shona, marked her final appearance in the Top 40. She followed it with the acoustic album Roadworks in 1997. While Laing's recording output slowed, she continued to perform shows for fans in New Zealand. The Essential Shona Laing saw release in 2004, and she returned to her folk roots for 2007's Pass the Whisper, her first original material in over a decade. It was followed by a concert tour of wineries across the country. In 2013, the five-time New Zealand Music Award winner was the recipient of their Legacy Award.
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