Stella Donnelly (born 10 April 1992) is a Welsh-Australian

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produ ...

singer-songwriter and guitarist. After the success of her debut EP ''Thrush Metal'' in 2017, she signed with Secretly Canadian in 2018. She released her debut studio album ''

Beware of the Dogs ''Beware of the Dogs'' is the debut studio album by Australian indie pop musician Stella Donnelly, released on 8 March 2019 by Secretly Canadian. The album was nominated for various awards in 2019 and 2020, including Australian Album of the Year ...

'' to critical acclaim in March 2019, peaking at number 15 on the ARIA Album Charts and winning Independent Album of the Year at the

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...

. Her second album, ''

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

'', was released in August 2022, debuting at number 29 on the ARIA Charts.

Early life

Born in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

to a Welsh mother, she spent some childhood years in Morriston before moving to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

with her family. Donnelly first started singing when she joined a rock band in high school (Irene McCormack Catholic College) that performed

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a ...

covers. After high school, Donnelly studied contemporary and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Donnelly was a part of the bands Boat Show and Bell Rapids before leaving them to pursue her solo career.

Career

2017–2021: ''Beware of the Dogs''

Donnelly released her first EP titled ''Thrush Metal'' in 2017 on the record label Healthy Tapes. In 2018, the EP was reissued in the United States by the American label Secretly Canadian. Donnelly released her debut studio album, ''

'', on 8 March 2019 via Secretly Canadian. It received widespread acclaim from critics, including

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

, who praised it as a "musical encyclopedia of

ale Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to bala ...

assholes". At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2019 The ARIA Music Awards of 2019 are the 33rd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2019 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA ...

, ''Beware of the Dogs'' was nominated for Breakthrough Artist. In October 2019, Donnelly came at no. 6 in ''Happy Mag''s list of "The 15 Australian female artists changing the game right now".

2022–present: ''Flood''

In January 2022, Donnelly provided vocals for "Proof", a single from

Methyl Ethel Methyl Ethel is an Australian art rock band from Perth, signed to Future Classic in 2021 and formerly to Dot Dash and 4AD. The band consists of Jake Webb, Thom Stewart, Chris Wright, Jacob Diamond, and Lyndon Blue. Webb previously fronted Su ...

's fourth studio album ''Are You Haunted?'' She further featured on ''

ReWiggled ''ReWiggled'' is a double album by Australian children's music band the Wiggles and various artists, released on 11 March 2022. Disc one is a tribute album of the Wiggles' songs reinterpreted by Australian artists and disc two is a studio albu ...

'', a 2022 tribute album to Australian children's music group

the Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, C ...

, covering their song "Ba Ba Da Bicycle Ride". On 10 May, Donnelly premiered the song "Lungs" live on

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

, and announced her forthcoming second studio album ''

''. A music video for the song was also released, directed by herself and Duncan Wright. Two more singles – "Lungs" and "How Was Your Day?", were released to promote the album before it was released on 26 August 2022. Following the release of the album, Donnelly will embark on an international tour around the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

beginning in September.

Personal life

For recreation, Donnelly enjoys playing squash, swimming at beaches, birdwatching, gardening, completing cryptic crosswords, cooking, rock climbing with her partner, and playing board games with friends. In an interview with ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' she said, "My version of taking a break rom recording and touringis filling up my day with as many activities as possible." Donnelly describes

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music i ...

and

Courtney Barnett Courtney Melba Barnett (born 3 November 1987) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her deadpan singing style and witty, rambling lyrics, she attracted attention with the release of her debut EP ''I've Got a Friend Calle ...

as musical influences.

Political views and activism

Donnelly is a supporter of various social and political causes. Her 2017 debut single "Boys Will Be Boys", written about societal attitudes towards women and her friend's experience of

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

, was dubbed a " #MeToo anthem". Donnelly is opposed to the celebration of

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port ...

. In a 2019 interview with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' she said, "It's a really nationalist, white pride day... and it's actually a very historic day for

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

– an invasion day, and a day of mourning." Donnelly supports

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

, and was "relieved" when it was legalised in Australia in 2017. Donnelly is

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pr ...

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Notes

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

(APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters".

J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

's youth-focused radio station

. They commenced in 2005.

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.

WAM Song of the Year

The

WAM Song of the Year WAM was originally formed as the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. (WARMIA) in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia. WAM first receiv ...

was formed by the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. (WARMIA) in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia.

West Australian Music Industry Awards

The

Western Australian Music Industry Awards The Western Australian Music Industry Awards (commonly known as WAMis) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM). The WAMi Awards are Western Aust ...

(commonly known as WAMis) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM).

Other awards

Nominated

* Australian Women in Music Awards 2018 – Breakthrough Artist – Herself

References

External links

* *
Stella Donnelly
at

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Donnelly, Stella 21st-century Welsh women singers Singers from Cardiff Musicians from Perth, Western Australia Living people 1992 births 21st-century Australian women musicians Secretly Canadian artists