Leanna Maree "Max" Sharam (born 1969) is an Australian interdisciplinary musician and singer-songwriter. In the mid-1990s, Sharam had three top 40 hit singles in Australia, "

Coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

", "Be Firm" and "Lay Down", from her top 10 album ''

A Million Year Girl ''A Million Year Girl'' is the debut studio album by Australian singer Max Sharam. The album was released on 15 May 1995 and peaked at number 9 on the ARIA chart and was certified gold. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995 the album was nominated for ...

'' (1995). She received eight nominations at the

ARIA Music Awards of 1995 The Ninth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) was held on 20 October 1995 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. There had been a 18-month gap since the ...

; winning ARIA Award for Best Cover Art with Dominic O'Brien for the album.

Biography

Early life

Leanna Maree Sharam was born in

Benalla, Victoria Benalla is a small city located on the Broken River gateway to the High Country north-eastern region of Victoria, Australia, about north east of the state capital Melbourne. At the the population was 10,822. It is the administrative centr ...

, in 1969. She grew up near Beaufort about west of Melbourne and studied classical singing and the electronic organ from an early age and was one of the four girl sopranos in pink frocks singing in the Sounds of Sunday Massed Choir at the Ballarat Uniting Church, conducted by musical director W. H. Keith Young MBE, which was recorded and televised weekly by BTV Channel 6. Following her graduation from arts college, with a major in behavioural science, Sharam moved to Europe.

Early Europe

Sharam spent several years travelling around Europe where she initially made a living from busking. Sharam, while based in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, was part of a bohemian community of artists that included

Kurt Wenner Kurt Wenner is an American artist, he is known for his 3D pavement art shown internationally. Early life and education Wenner was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1958, but grew up in Santa Barbara, California. He attended Rhode Island School of ...

known for his groundbreaking street art. Whilst performing in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, Italy, Carlo Picone, a

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

news journalist and producer, invited her to audition for ''Forza Venite Gente'', a popular Italian

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

, starring

Oreste Lionello Oreste Lionello (18 April 1927 – 19 February 2009) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Lionello was born in Rhodes (which was then a possession of Italy), to Calabrian parents, and grew up in Reggio Calabria. He began his career a ...

, for which she landed a lead role. The musical toured across Europe for two years. Other Italian Theatre productions engaged her, including ''Kolbe'' directed by Polish film director –

Krzysztof Zanussi Krzysztof Pius Zanussi (born 17 June 1939) is a Polish film and theatre director, producer and screenwriter. He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where he conducts a summer workshop. He is ...

an
Tadeaus Bradecki
She received the Star of the Year award at

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

's Cole Porter Festival, recorded and released a dance extended play, "I'm Occupied". Her story was documented in an Italian television program, ''La Ragazza con la Chitarra'' ("Girl with the Guitar"), shown on RAI TV.

Climax and comedy

Sharam spent a year in Japan studying

Taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...

drums and fronting a Japanese band ''Climax'' based in

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

before returning to Australia where she worked as a stand-up comedian, performing regularly on the Sydney Comedy Circuit. She also appeared on Red Faces, Hey Hey it's Saturday TV.

1990s

Sharam started a number of small-time Sydney bands, Minx and Gaudi, and performed regularly in an all electronica outfit, Fleshworld. In 1992, Sharam performed her self-penned song "

" on the television talent show ''

New Faces ''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central. Original series: 197 ...

'', reaching the finals and attracting the attention of a number of record companies: Soon after, under the banner of Max Sharam: The Sounds of Sirens, she was performing regular sell-out solo acoustic shows at Kinselas nightclub in

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. ...

1994–1999: ''A Million Year Girl''

Sharam signed a recording contract with

Warner Music Australia Warner Music Australia Pty Limited (WMA) is the Australian division of the Warner Music Group. WMA also distributes in New Zealand. History In 1969, Warner Bros. Records branched out and WEA was born. The first country in which it was estab ...

in 1994, which issued her debut EP, ''

'', in October – produced by Daniel Denholm and Nick Mainsbridge – with the song peaking at No. 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart during February 1995.Australian (ARIA) chart peaks: *Top 50 peaks: *Top 100 peaks to December 2010: *"Is It OK If I Call You Mine?": "Coma" was voted the eighth-most popular song on radio station, Triple J's Hottest 100 of 1994. Her debut album, ''

'', was released in May 1995, achieving gold accreditation and reaching No. 9 in the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. At the

Sharam was nominated in eight categories, losing to

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

and

Silverchair Silverchair were an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...

, but winning ARIA Award for Best Cover Art for the album with Dominic O'Brien. The album spawned two more Top 40 singles, "Be Firm" (No. 25 in June) and "

Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" is the second single from Melanie Safka's 1970 album '' Candles in the Rain''. It was her breakthrough hit in the United States, climbing to number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the Cash Box T ...

" (a cover of

Melanie Safka Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (born February 3, 1947), professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for the 1971–72 global hit "Brand New Key", her cover of " Ruby Tuesday", her compositi ...

's song, which reached No. 36 in November). Her fourth single, "Is It OK If I Call You Mine?", a cover written by

Paul McCrane Paul David McCrane (born January 19, 1961) is an American film, television and theatre actor, as well as a television director and singer. He is known for his portrayal of Montgomery MacNeil in the 1980 film '' Fame'', Frank Berry in the 1984 fil ...

for the film '' Fame'', was released in February 1996 but peaked outside the top 100. After several subsequent sell-out national tours, Sharam disappeared from the Australian mainstream music scene moving to Los Angeles for several years. Sharam re-appeared in Channel 9's TV documentary ''Dream Factory'', shot in Los Angeles.

2000–2009

In 2000 Sharam moved to Manhattan, New York where she continued to write. She wrote and staged her first one-woman show, ''MadmoselleMax'', for the

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...

. In January 2005, she performed "Butterfly Suicide" at the Hong Kong

Fringe Festival Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Kemp, Robert, ''More that is Fre ...

. The one-woman ''P'Opera'' (a "Virtual Variety/Multi Media Musical") featured the misadventures of "ill Soprano", a highly-strung opera diva who takes to the streets at night singing. In 2006 Sharam portrayed Jean Lee in the musical ''The Hanging of Jean Lee'', which was based on a biographical book of poems by

Jordie Albiston Jordie Albiston (30 September 1961 – 28 February 2022) was an Australian poet. Early life Jordie Albiston grew up in Melbourne, the second of four children. She studied music at the Victorian College of the Arts before completing a doct ...

. The score was written by Australian composer Andree Greenwell and the musical played at

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

alongside

Hugo Race Hugo Justin Race (born 23 May 1963) is an Australian rock musician and record producer who had been based in Europe from 1989 to 2011. He was a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1983–85), and The Wreckery (1984–89) with Nick Barker ...

. Sharam performed and produced the music for 2006

AFI award The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsi ...

winning documentary '' Forbidden Lie$'' and in 2007 wrote, performed and produced the closing credit song for '' Expired'', a movie starring

Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress and director. Known for her work in independent cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for two ...

Jason Patric Jason Patric (born June 17, 1966) is an American film, television and stage actor. He is known for his roles in films such as ''The Lost Boys'', ''Rush (1991 film), Rush'', ''Sleepers (film), Sleepers'', ''Geronimo: An American Legend'', ''Your ...

Illeana Douglas Illeana Hesselberg (born July 25, 1961 or 1965), known professionally as Illeana Douglas, is an American actress and filmmaker. She appeared in three episodes of '' Six Feet Under'', for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as O ...

and

Teri Garr Teri Ann Garr (born December 11, 1944) is an American former actress, dancer, and comedian. She frequently appeared in comedic roles throughout her career, which spans four decades and includes over 140 credits in film and television. Her accola ...

. In 2008 Sharam continued to tread new ground and experiment with platforms, creating video performance based art. She was invited to join the New York Foundation for the Arts, a not-for-profit arts organization, panel for Video Art. In February 2009 Sharam returned to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with her show ''Songs and Stories from My Suitcase''. and followed it up with another more experimental production ″Bushpygmalion″ which featured Sharam's animated artworks in a semi-autobiographical tale. In June, 2017 her performance art was part of an exhibit in Fabrik der Künste in Hamburg, Germany as part of a retrospective for German painter, Tania Jacobi and then in September 2018 as part of the inaugural Ballarat Biennale of Australia Art (BOAA).

2010–present

Sharam is a Master of Fine Art (MFA) and studied Animation Direction at Australian Film Television & Radio School (AFTRS, Sydney) before graduating from RMIT's Centre for Animation & Interactive Media (AIM) in 2011. In 2011 she was a finalist in the APRA Professional Development Awards and in 2013 The

Vanda & Young Vanda & Young were an Australian songwriting and producing duo composed of Harry Vanda and George Young. They performed as members of 1960s Australian rock group the Easybeats where Vanda was their lead guitarist and backing singer and Young wa ...

Songwriting Competition. Sharam also created the music and sound design for the play ''Anaconda'', which won 'Best Original Play' at

Hollywood Fringe Festival The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual fringe theatre festival in Hollywood, California. Most indoor venues for the festival are in and around Hollywood Theatre Row, a stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. Founder Ben Hill ...

in 2012. In 2012, Sharam launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise funds to record new work with Grammy Award-winning producer

Malcolm Burn Malcolm Burn (born October 4, 1960) is a Canadian-born music producer, recording engineer and musician. Emmylou Harris's ''Red Dirt Girl'', produced by Burn, won Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 2001 Grammys. Biography Born in Cornwall, Ont ...

. The new EP, ''The Gods Envy'' "songs thematically linked – stories of young girls/women crashing through the safety net of society", was scheduled for an independent release in 2014. In 2014, Sharam supported

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

on Lauper's '

She's So Unusual ''She's So Unusual'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on October 14, 1983, by Portrait Records. The album was re-released in 2014 to commemorate its 30th anniversary, and was called ''She's So Unu ...

' 30th Anniversary Tour. In April 2019, she performed "Society" at the

APRA Music Awards of 2019 The APRA Music Awards of 2019 are the 37th annual awards given in the series of awards together known as APRA Awards, given in 2019. The awards are given in a series of categories in three divisions and in separate ceremonies throughout the yea ...

. In 2020, Sharam portrayed the ghost of Jean Lee in the docudrama A Miscarriage of Justice based on the hanging of

Ronald Ryan Ronald Joseph Ryan (21 February 1925 – 3 February 1967) was the last person to be legally executed in Australia. Ryan was found guilty of shooting and killing warder George Hodson during an escape from Pentridge Prison, Victoria, in 1965. ...

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. Sharam won 1 award from 8 nominations. , - , rowspan="8",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

, rowspan="3", "Coma" , ARIA Award for Single for the Year , , - , ARIA Award for Song for the Year, Song for the Year , , - , Breakthrough Artist - single , , - , rowspan="1", "Coma" (Paul Elliott) , ARIA Award for Best Video , , - , rowspan="3", ''A Million Year Girl'' , Best Female Artist , , - ,

Best New Talent Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

, , - , Breakthrough Artist - Album , , - , rowspan="1", ''A Million Year Girl'' (Dominic O'Brien and Max Sharam) , Best Cover Art , , -

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharam, Max 1969 births ARIA Award winners Australian songwriters Australian women singers Interdisciplinary artists Living people