Brooke Fraser

Grammy-winning Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) artist and popstar Brooke Gabrielle Ligertwood (née Fraser), known professionally as Brooke Fraser, was born on December 15, 1983 in Wellington, New Zealand. The daughter of former All Black rugby player Bernie Fraser – who is of Fijian, Portuguese, and Scottish descent – she grew up in Naenae, Lower Hutt and started learning the piano aged seven. Her songwriting journey kicked off early; she was just 12 when she began penning her own lyrics to made-up songs. She picked up an acoustic guitar aged 15, and that same year entered into the world of music journalism writing for Soul Purpose magazine, where she was made editor in 2002. Keen to fulfill her ambitions of becoming a songwriter, she quit her job and moved to Auckland in 2002. The gamble paid off; she soon signed a multi-album deal with Sony Music and released her debut major-label record in October 2003. What to Do with Daylight went straight in at Number one on the New Zealand RIANZ Album Chart, was certified seven times platinum, and also spawned five Top 20 singles including "Arithmetic." Her second album, Albertine, arrived in 2006 and was certified double platinum. By her third album, Flags (2010) – which yielded her first international hit in "Something in the Water" – she had become a fully-fledged international star with sold-out world tours under her belt. Her fourth album, Brutal Romantic, was released in 2015, and two years later she co-wrote and sang lead vocals on "What A Beautiful Name" for Let There Be Light; the 25th live album by Australian Christian Group Hillsong Worship of which she has been a member since 2005. The album won her a Grammy award for the song under the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song category. In 2016, she also released new single "Therapy," after rewiring her sound to skew more towards electronic pop.