Jamie
McDell

“No pearl exists without the sandy grit that acts as both an agitator and a catalyst for the solid, iridescent beauty that results. So it is with the thirteen lovingly crafted tracks on Jamie McDell’s self-titled fourth album, pearls of wisdom and wonder formed by an adventurous childhood, early music stardom, and a series of migrations across three countries.” - Audiofemme (on self-titled album)

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"While minor chords ring and drums shuffle in the background, Jamie McDell rattles off a laundry list of sins. “Breaking your heart might have been the worst crime,” she confesses to her victim, whose testimony is then heard in the second verse. A sad duet between two estranged lovers, “Worst Crime” is one of multiple highlights from McDell’s newly-released Botox EP." - Rolling Stone

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"The New Zealander enchants with airy vocals and confessional lyrics on the title track and its intriguing follow-up “Worst Crime” featuring Robert Ellis. All the while, her storytelling is at the forefront of each song."

- Billboard (on The Botox EP)

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"Ringing guitar chords are backed by atmospheric layers of keyboards, but the true stunner is McDell’s unforced voice, which has already led the Americana artist to gold certifications and award nominations in her native New Zealand." 

- Rolling Stone (on Extraordinary Girl Single)

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"Showcasing more richness and density than the typical banjo and fiddle exercise, the album contains waves of haunting tremolo guitar, fuzzy squalls, heavy distortion and a keen sense for crafting rewarding, sometimes even dramatic, vocal melodies."

- All Music (on Extraordinary Girl Album)

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When she was just age 7, McDell’s father left a high-paying job at an elite Auckland law firm to shift her mother, younger sister and Jamie onto the high seas and began living  aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean. It’s here Jamie wrote her first song, a sea shanty  to the dolphins. Also on that yacht lived a small collection of her parents’ favourite  cassette tapes, which luckily included albums by Jimmy Buffett, John Denver and  James Taylor. The young artist quickly formed a particularly strong bond with these  records and she fondly remembers watching her parents perform Buffett duets - and  occasionally chiming in, learning how to harmonise with her mother. An eager learner,  Jamie then picked up the guitar after studying her fathers’ John Denver chord book collection and has never

looked back. 

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Now at age 28, New Zealand singer/songwriter Jamie McDell has achieved a prolific  amount in her formative years. Being signed to EMI at age 16 sparked the beginning of  a successful musical journey, making her a household name across the nation. With the release of her debut album ‘Six Strings and a Sailboat’, she went on to achieve Gold  album sales, receive three NZ Music Award nominations, winning Best Pop Album of  2013. Then her sophomore record ‘Ask Me Anything’ gained global attention, seeing  album track ‘Moon Shines Red’ featured on American TV series Pretty Little Liars. 

In March 2017 Jamie made trip to Nashville, looking for a change of scenery and to  connect with the environment that birthed much of the music throughout her youth. It’s  here she wrote the songs that would make up the fabric for her third record “Extraordinary Girl”. She met with expat Australian producer Nash Chambers for coffee  one day and decided they shared the same musical values. Not long after that meeting  McDell arranged to fund her first independent record “Extraordinary Girl”, which was  recorded over the space of two days later in 2017 at House of Blues studio in  Nashville. She then returned home for the albums’ release, promotion and supporting  tours throughout

New Zealand and Australia. 

 

Then in early 2019 Jamie relocated to Toronto, Ontario for a new chapter and to be  closer to Nashville. It’s here she found herself sitting on the floor of her tiny apartment, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with a friend in a troubled relationship, and out  came the powerful song, Botox. “It’s a story depicting the dangers of silencing our  instincts and compromising our values, just because a significant other has you  convinced that you need fixing” Jamie says. This track would then fuel a new era of  unapologetic honesty in McDell’s songwriting, and the release of The Botox EP.  

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After opening a US tour for Robert Ellis (Texas Piano Man) in early 2020, she would  then visit Nashville once again, team with Nash in his eastside studio and gathered the  amazing musical talents of Dan Dugmore, Jedd Hughes, Dennis Crouch, Shawn  Fichter, Jerry Roe, Jimmy Wallace, Tony Lucido and Ross Holmes, along with guests  such as the McCrary Sisters, Robert Ellis, Erin Rae and Tom Busby (Busby Marou). This new album contains Jamie’s most brutally honest moments, in both  writing and performance, while the musicians and production take you on modern  journey through 70s folk and country, blended with a healthy dose of roots and rock.