Cliona Hagan (born 27 February 1989) is an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
country music singer from
Ballinderry
Ballinderry () is a small civil and ecclesiastical parish on both sides of the County Londonderry / County Tyrone border in Northern Ireland. It is a rural parish of about 350 houses and lies on the western shores of Lough Neagh.
The parish c ...
, County Tyrone.
Career
''The All Ireland Talent Show''
Hagan appeared as a contestant on the 2009
first series of the
RTÉ reality talent competition, ''
The All Ireland Talent Show
''The All Ireland Talent Show'' was a Raidió Teilifís Éireann television series which was billed as Ireland's biggest-ever talent contest. It was first announced in November 2008 and the first series commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, ...
''. Mentored by
Eurovision winner
Dana, Hagan made it the final of the competition, ultimately losing out to
The Mulkerrins.
2010–2015
Following her appearance on ''The All Ireland Talent Show'', Hagan began studying in
Queen's University Belfast where she earned a degree in music. She went on to study at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, where she became qualified in secondary school music teaching.
Between 2013 and 2015, Hagan worked as a schoolteacher. In 2016, she decided to give it up to pursue a career in singing.
2015–present
On 28 October 2016, Hagan's debut album ''Straight To You'' was released.
In a country music special edition of the long-running Irish chat show, ''
The Late Late Late Show'', well-known Irish country singer
Philomena Begley named Hagan as "one to watch" for the future of Irish country music.
Hagan has supported the likes of
Nathan Carter,
and
Mike Denver
Michael Fallon (born 15 June 1980 in Portumna, County Galway) known as Mike Denver, is an Irish country singer.
Career
Starting touring at age 16, he later on met manager Willie Carty who signed him. Denver recorded his first album ''Wings to Fl ...
on tour across Ireland and Europe.
In March 2018, while Ireland was suffering the effects of
Storm Emma, Hagan performed two songs on ''
The Late Late Late Show''.
One month later, Hagan returned to the show for their annual country music special performing a duet of '
Hurts So Good
"Hurts So Good" is a song by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, then performing under the stage name "John Cougar". The song was a number two hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for the singer/songwriter. It was the first of three major hi ...
' alongside
Nathan Carter.
On 22 June 2018, the album ''Secret Love'' was released.
In September 2018, Hagan was named Best Irish Country Female Artist at the Irish Post Country Music Awards.
In 2019, Hagan was announced as one of the celebrities taking part in the
third series of ''
Dancing with the Stars.'' Hagan was partnered with professional dancer
Robert Rowiński on the show. On 22 March 2019, they reached the final of the competition, finishing as joint runners-up with
Johnny Ward and
Emily Barker
Emily Barker (born 2 December 1980) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and composer. Her music has featured as the theme to BBC dramas ''Wallander'' and ''The Shadow Line''. With multi-instrumental trio the Red Clay Halo, she record ...
, with
Mairéad Ronan and
John Nolan becoming the eventual winners.
On 29 November 2019, the album ''Little Darlin was released. A DVD named ''Travelling Shoes'', which was a video collection of Hagan's music videos and live performances, was also released on the same day.
On 21 October 2021, Hagan released a new album; ''The Dolly Songbook''. The album was a tribute to
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
, in which Hagan recorded twelve of her songs.
Personal life
Hagan was born in Ballinderry, County Tyrone. On 25 May 2022, she married musician Simon Sheerin in
County Westmeath. The wedding was later featured on an episode of the documentary ''From This Moment On,'' which premiered on
BBC One Northern Ireland
BBC One Northern Ireland is a Northern Irish television channel based on the UK-wide BBC One, owned and operated by BBC Northern Ireland. The service is broadcast from Broadcasting House in Belfast. In the rest of the UK, BBC One Northern Irela ...
on 2 November.
References
External links
Official site*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagan, Cliona
1989 births
Living people
Musicians from County Tyrone
21st-century singers from Northern Ireland
Country singers from Northern Ireland
The All Ireland Talent Show contestants