Lisa Hannigan

Before beginning her solo career, Irish singer/songwriter Lisa Hannigan made a name for herself as the vocal partner of Damien Rice. In addition to lending her sultry vocals to O and 9, she also toured with Rice, bolstering his music with her talents on the guitar, keyboards, and drums. In 2008, she hit the road as the opener for Jason Mraz's U.S. and Canadian tour, and her debut solo effort, Sea Sew, was released in Ireland later that year, with an American release following in 2009. The album went double platinum in Hannigan's homeland, where her whimsical folk-pop and hushed, soft-spoken vocal delivery appealed to critics and consumers alike. She explored similar territory on her 2011 sophomore release, Passenger. ~ James Christopher Monger