Brooke Fraser

Brooke Gabrielle Fraser was born on December 15, 1983, in Wellington, New Zealand. The eldest of three children, she is the daughter of former rugby player Bernie Fraser and Lynda Fraser. She began piano lessons at age seven, started writing songs at twelve, and taught herself acoustic guitar by fifteen. At eighteen, in 2002, Fraser signed a multi-album deal with Sony Music after a competitive bidding process, marking the start of her professional music career. Her debut album, ‘What to Do with Daylight,’ released in late 2003, immediately achieved number one status and seven-times platinum certification in New Zealand, selling over 105,000 copies and remaining on the charts for sixty-six weeks. The album also reached gold status in Australia, and all five of its singles charted in the top twenty in New Zealand.

Following her debut, Fraser toured with John Mayer and David Bowie. In 2005, she traveled to Rwanda and Tanzania, experiences that inspired her second album, ‘Albertine’ (2006), named after a young genocide victim she met. This album reached number one in New Zealand, going double platinum, and debuted at No. 90 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in 2008. From 2005 to 2010, Fraser was a member of Hillsong Worship, co-writing songs like “None But Jesus.” Her third solo album, ‘Flags,’ released in 2010, also reached number one in New Zealand, number three in Australia, and No. 59 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The lead single, “Something in the Water,” received widespread international airplay and achieved double platinum status in New Zealand and gold in Germany and Italy. Her fourth album, ‘Brutal Romantic’ (2014), marked a shift towards electronic sounds. She later contributed to the charity supergroup #KiwisCureBatten for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Fraser rejoined Hillsong Worship in 2016, co-writing and performing “What a Beautiful Name,” which won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song in 2018. Under her married name, Brooke Ligertwood, she released the live solo worship album ‘Seven’ in 2022 and the studio album ‘Eight’ in 2023. She has since stepped away from Hillsong Church again. In June 2024, she performed a concert with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at Spark Arena, setting a venue record for a solo New Zealand act. Throughout her career, Fraser has maintained a commitment to philanthropy, working with organizations like World Vision and charity: water.