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United Kingdom Hollie Smith is a New Zealand soul singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose solo albums have consistently reached number one on the RIANZ charts, establishing her as a prominent artist in New Zealand's music scene.
Hollie poured herself into a new pursuit, singing with Wellington band TrinityRoots. It gave her the confidence to release her own...
One of these early songs with McDonald, featuring Smith, would eventually be sampled for a track by US rap artist DMX for his album Year Of The Dog... Again.
After working with numerous bands including Trinity Roots, Fat Freddy's Drop and Detroit dance legend Recloose, she was approached by NZ songwriting royalty Don ... Also featured on Fat Freddy’s Drop's track 'Hope'.
After working with numerous bands including Trinity Roots, Fat Freddy's Drop and Detroit dance legend Recloose, she was approached by NZ songwriting royalty Don ... Also performed on Recloose’ albums.
Performed on Concord Dawn albums.
In 2005, Smith signed a multi-album record deal with Manhattan Records, part of the Blue Note Label Group.
The deal then collapsed upon the sale of Manhattan Records/EMI to Universal, which forced the singer to use the profits of her first album release, 'Long Player,' released in 2006, debuting at #1 and going on to sell Gold, to get out of the deal with Blue Note.
Signed a multi-album record deal with Manhattan Records, part of the Blue Note Label Group.
She's just signed up to become labelmates with Norah Jones, and we can expect a fairly enthusiastic global marketing campaign.
Auckland-based Hollie, 39, who is now part of a designer pyjama fundraiser for Cure Kids, dubbed Great Full Jams.
In July 2015, Smith signed a deal with Warner Music NZ and then in September of that year released the single "Lady Dee".
An album which saw her collaborating with some of New Zealand’s top musicians, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, TEEKS, Sole Mio and Raiza Biza.
Her bilingual collaboration with Teeks, ‘Whakaaria Mai/How Great Thou Art’ received widespread acclaim.
An album which saw her collaborating with some of New Zealand’s top musicians, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, TEEKS, Sole Mio and Raiza Biza.
An album which saw her collaborating with some of New Zealand’s top musicians, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, TEEKS, Sole Mio and Raiza Biza.
In early 2021 Smith worked alongside Don McGlashan again for the TVNZ series Waiata Anthems, on an episode that documented the making of a bilingual te reo Māori version of ‘Bathe In the River’, titled ‘Korukutia’.
Born Hollie J. Smith on November 17, 1982, in Auckland, New Zealand, Hollie Smith began her musical journey early. In 1999, at the age of 16, she recorded her debut album, “Light From a Distant Shore,” after winning Best Female Vocalist at the National Jazz Festival of NZ. This Celtic music album was produced by her stepfather, Steve McDonald. An early song featuring Smith from this period was later sampled by US rap artist DMX for his album, “Year Of The Dog… Again.” Throughout her career, Smith has consistently achieved chart success, with four solo albums reaching the number one position on the RIANZ albums chart, solidifying her status as one of the most successful female New Zealand artists of the 21st century.
Smith moved to Wellington in 2003, where she sang with TrinityRoots, recording the album “Home, Land and Sea” and touring with the band. She also collaborated with other notable artists, featuring on Fat Freddy’s Drop’s track ‘Hope’ and performing on albums by Concord Dawn and Recloose. In 2005, she released the 5-track “Hollie Smith EP,” showcasing her original compositions. The same year, she had a significant hit with “Bathe in the River,” a song written by Don McGlashan and featured in the New Zealand film “No. 2.” This track spent 22 weeks in the NZ Top 10 and earned an APRA Silver Scroll award. Her debut solo album, “Long Player,” released in 2006, debuted at number one and achieved Gold certification, despite her having to use the profits to exit a record deal with Manhattan Records/EMI after the label’s sale.
After a two-year hiatus from the music industry, Smith released “Humour and the Misfortune of Others” in 2010, which also debuted at number one and was certified Gold. She further collaborated with Mara TK on “Band of Brothers Vol. 1” in 2011 and joined fellow singer-songwriters Anika Moa and Boh Runga for a collaborative album, “Anika Boh Hollie,” in 2013, following a sold-out acoustic church tour in New Zealand. In 2014, she headlined her stage at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Her 2016 album, “Water or Gold,” again topped the NZ Top 40 Albums Chart and garnered New Zealand Music Award nominations. In 2021, her fourth solo album, “Coming In From The Dark,” featuring collaborations with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, TEEKS, Sole Mio, and Raiza Biza, also debuted at number one. In 2022, Smith won the second season of “The Masked Singer NZ” as ‘Bedazzled Unicorn’.
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