Born in Dundalk, Ireland in 1970, she grew up in a musical family, with her parents Gerry and Jean part of a touring covers band. After sister Caroline refused to attend her violin lessons, Sharon took up the instrument instead and went on to play in national and youth orchestras and later became a qualified violin teacher. After studying science for a year at college, she managed a record shop and worked in her aunt's pub, where she also performed as part of a duo with brother Jim, before Caroline and Andrea joined to form the Corrs. One of the most popular acts of the late '90s, they sold millions of albums worldwide, scored 12 Top 40 U.K. singles including the number one "Breathless," played several sold-out arena tours, and recorded five studio albums before announcing a break in 2005. Sharon wrote several of their biggest hits ("So Young," "Radio") and all of their instrumental album tracks, but only took center stage in 2009, when she performed as a solo artist for the first time at Glastonbury and Isle of Wight festivals and released the Children in Need charity single "Me and My Teddy Bear." Her debut album, Dream of You, was produced by longtime collaborator Billy Farrell and featured Jeff Beck and Spanish singer Alex Ubago. Featuring the singles "It's Not a Dream" and "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime," it reached number 22 in her native Ireland and number 37 in the U.K. Sharon has also appeared on albums by Bryn Terfel and Jean Michel Jarre, received a Grammy nomination for her theme tune to the BBC drama Rebel Heart, and is an ambassador for Nelson Mandela's 46664 AIDS awareness campaign. ~ Jon O'Brien