Brooke Ligertwood

Brooke Fraser achieved widespread recognition through her chart-topping 2010 single "Something in the Water," converting her intelligent folk-pop style into major commercial triumphs during the early 2000s and establishing herself among New Zealand’s all-time top-selling singer/songwriters via the 2003 debut LP What to Do with Daylight. Three further studio albums under her maiden name—Albertine, Flags, and Brutal Romantic—earned critical praise before she issued the 2022 live worship set Seven under the name Brooke Ligertwood. Beyond solo projects, Ligertwood belongs to the Australian Christian collective Hillsong Worship, serving as songwriter and lead vocalist on its 2017 Grammy-winning track "What a Beautiful Name."

Born December 15, 1983, in Wellington as the daughter of Bernie Fraser, a former standout for the New Zealand All Black rugby team, Ligertwood took piano lessons between ages seven and seventeen. She wrote her first original composition at twelve and later became self-taught on guitar. A standout appearance at the 2000 Christian music festival Parachute prompted a move to Auckland, where she secured management with producer Matty J and a multi-album contract with Sony.

Late 2003 brought What to Do with Daylight, which entered at the summit of the Kiwi pop charts and ultimately achieved seven-times platinum certification. In 2005 she joined Australia’s Hillsong Church and its worship ensemble Hillsong Worship, contributing to the group’s 2006 release Mighty to Save. That year she also journeyed to Los Angeles to cut her second album Albertine, another chart-topping debut. Though it did not replicate the explosive sales of What to Do with Daylight, Albertine attained multi-platinum status at home, gold certification in Australia, and a Top 100 placement in the United States. She co-wrote the 2007 single "None But Jesus" for Hillsong Worship’s United We Stand.

After departing the group following 2010’s A Beautiful Exchange, Ligertwood delivered her third solo album Flags, whose exuberant lead single "Something in the Water" became her first number one. The widespread acclaim for both projects yielded five honors at the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards—Album of the Year, Best Pop Album, Single of the Year, Best Female Artist, and People’s Choice Award. Following an eighteen-month songwriting period across multiple locations, she returned to recording in 2014; David Kosten co-produced the sessions, which took place at his West London facility and incorporated orchestral elements at Abbey Road. The resulting fourth album, Brutal Romantic, adopted a more experimental approach and appeared in late 2014, securing Ligertwood the Best Female Solo Artist prize 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 compilations, A-Sides and B-Sides, surfaced in 2016 and 2018, while 2022 marked the release of Seven, her first body of work issued under her married name, Brooke Ligertwood.