Biography
Brooke Fraser turned her sharp folk-pop sensibilities into widespread commercial dominance during the early 2000s, propelled especially by the 2010 chart-topping single “Something in the Water,” and secured her place among New Zealand’s highest-selling singer/songwriters with the 2003 debut album What to Do with Daylight. Three further critically praised studio albums followed under her birth name—Albertine, Flags, and Brutal Romantic—before she issued the 2022 live worship project Seven under the name Brooke Ligertwood. Beyond solo endeavors, Ligertwood belongs to the Australian Christian collective Hillsong Worship and supplied both the songwriting and lead vocals for its 2017 Grammy-winning track “What a Beautiful Name.”
Born in Wellington on December 15, 1983, as the daughter of Bernie Fraser, a former standout with the New Zealand All Black rugby squad, Ligertwood studied piano between the ages of seven and 17. She wrote her first original composition at age 12 and later taught herself guitar. A standout appearance at the Christian music festival Parachute in 2000 led her to move to Auckland, where she secured management with producer Matty J and signed a multi-album contract with Sony.
What to Do with Daylight arrived in late 2003, entering the Kiwi pop charts at number one and ultimately achieving seven-times platinum status. In 2005 she joined Australia’s Hillsong Church and became part of its worship ensemble Hillsong Worship, appearing on the group’s 2006 album Mighty to Save. That same year she traveled to Los Angeles to cut her second solo album, Albertine, which likewise debuted at number one. Though its sales trajectory proved less explosive than the debut, Albertine still attained multi-platinum certification in New Zealand, reached gold status in Australia, and entered the American Top 100. In 2007 she co-wrote the single “None But Jesus” for Hillsong Worship’s United We Stand. After departing the collective following the release of 2010’s A Beautiful Exchange, she unveiled her third solo album Flags, which contained her first number-one single, the buoyant “Something in the Water.”
The widespread acclaim for both album and single translated into major recognition at the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards, where Ligertwood collected Album of the Year, Best Pop Album, Single of the Year, Best Female Artist, and the People’s Choice Award. Returning to the studio in 2014 after an 18-month period of writing across multiple locations, she recorded her fourth album with David Kosten serving as co-producer. Sessions took place at his West London facility, while orchestral elements were captured at the historic Abbey Road studios; the resulting project revealed a more experimental sonic palette than her earlier work. Brutal Romantic appeared in late 2014 and earned Ligertwood the Best Female Solo Artist honor at the 2015 New Zealand Music Awards.
She rejoined Hillsong Worship for the 2016 live album Let There Be Light, which included the Grammy Award-winning song “What a Beautiful Name.” Two Brooke Fraser compilation sets—A-Sides and B-Sides—surfaced in 2016 and 2018, respectively, and in 2022 she released the worship collection Seven, marking her first body of material issued under her married name, Brooke Ligertwood.
Born in Wellington on December 15, 1983, as the daughter of Bernie Fraser, a former standout with the New Zealand All Black rugby squad, Ligertwood studied piano between the ages of seven and 17. She wrote her first original composition at age 12 and later taught herself guitar. A standout appearance at the Christian music festival Parachute in 2000 led her to move to Auckland, where she secured management with producer Matty J and signed a multi-album contract with Sony.
What to Do with Daylight arrived in late 2003, entering the Kiwi pop charts at number one and ultimately achieving seven-times platinum status. In 2005 she joined Australia’s Hillsong Church and became part of its worship ensemble Hillsong Worship, appearing on the group’s 2006 album Mighty to Save. That same year she traveled to Los Angeles to cut her second solo album, Albertine, which likewise debuted at number one. Though its sales trajectory proved less explosive than the debut, Albertine still attained multi-platinum certification in New Zealand, reached gold status in Australia, and entered the American Top 100. In 2007 she co-wrote the single “None But Jesus” for Hillsong Worship’s United We Stand. After departing the collective following the release of 2010’s A Beautiful Exchange, she unveiled her third solo album Flags, which contained her first number-one single, the buoyant “Something in the Water.”
The widespread acclaim for both album and single translated into major recognition at the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards, where Ligertwood collected Album of the Year, Best Pop Album, Single of the Year, Best Female Artist, and the People’s Choice Award. Returning to the studio in 2014 after an 18-month period of writing across multiple locations, she recorded her fourth album with David Kosten serving as co-producer. Sessions took place at his West London facility, while orchestral elements were captured at the historic Abbey Road studios; the resulting project revealed a more experimental sonic palette than her earlier work. Brutal Romantic appeared in late 2014 and earned Ligertwood the Best Female Solo Artist honor at the 2015 New Zealand Music Awards.
She rejoined Hillsong Worship for the 2016 live album Let There Be Light, which included the Grammy Award-winning song “What a Beautiful Name.” Two Brooke Fraser compilation sets—A-Sides and B-Sides—surfaced in 2016 and 2018, respectively, and in 2022 she released the worship collection Seven, marking her first body of material issued under her married name, Brooke Ligertwood.
Albums
Singles
