Emily Maguire

England-born singer and songwriter Emily Maguire had to remove herself from the rather dour climes of "Old Blighty" to a more basic way of life in rural Australia to work out, record, and — eventually — release her debut full-length. Having been trained as a classical cellist and pianist, Maguire found it no great leap to the guitar, and began writing songs. Her first full-length collection of these works, 2005's Stranger Place, was recorded — according to Maguire — in a shack in the Australian outback. Eventually the record took off, and thanks to the single "The Real World," Maguire found herself back in England, performing at the 2005 Borderline Singer/Songwriter Festival in London. Maguire toured England and the rest of the United Kingdom in 2006 before returning to her adopted land down under to write, record, and produce album number two. The album, which featured the talents of Christian Dunham on bass and Shane Nesic on drums, also included a "string section" arranged by and performed by Maguire herself. Entitled Keep Walking, the album was released by Universal in 2008, following a successful return jaunt to the U.K.