The name Brooke Fraser might not jump out at music fans in Asia, but that's about to change. The New Zealand songstress has three hit albums in her home country, plays sell-out shows in the US, and is now breaking big in Europe.
Her latest album, Flags, recently entered the top 10 in Germany, and lead single Something in the Water is making her one of the most popular artists on radio. Now, just before she plays her first Asian concerts in Singapore - and, on August 18, at Grappa's Cellar, in Central - she is starting to make inroads in the East.
The 27-year-old started her career young, signing her first record deal with Sony when she was 18. Her honeyed vocals matched with clever songwriting that paired wry metaphors with memorable choruses saw her debut album, 2003's What to Do With Daylight, debut at No 1 in New Zealand's pop charts as she attained an early fame that took her by surprise. The album stayed in New Zealand's charts for 66 weeks.
By the time Fraser released 2006's follow-up, Albertine, she had moved to Sydney, Australia, to get out of the spotlight. That album went to the top of the charts in New Zealand, too, and she went on to pick up a clutch of the country's best music awards.
She was soon on a non-stop touring schedule around Australasia and the US, pouring her heart out every night in what she says were very intense, personal songs that took a heavy emotional toll. Burnt out, she decided to take a year off, recharging her batteries and questioning whether to go on.
'From a selfish perspective, or if I was purely looking to live a cosy, comfy life, certainly that's when I could have packed it in,' says a now-relaxed-sounding Fraser over the phone from her Sydney home, which she shares with husband Scott Ligertwood, a popular Christian rock musician. Fraser is also a devout Christian who in her spare time writes songs for successful Christian worship pop group Hillsong.