SJD

aka Sean James Donnelly, The Purple People Eater


We’re not exactly short of fine singer-songwriters in New Zealand, but Sean James Donnelly is the best example of a breed of songwriters who are just as at home with synthetic textures and subtly original structures as organic instrumentation and traditional song form.

Emerging from obscurity in the late 1990s as an idiosyncratic electronic artist, SJD (Sean James Donnelly) went on to confound his ardent fan base and staunchest critics by evolving into one of our finest songwriters, winning major awards along the way and becoming a trusted collaborator with first division legends Don McGlashan and Neil Finn.

Stinky Jim and SJD, 2007
Photo credit: Photo by Andrew Dubber
Tree People
Saint John Divine, released in March 2015
Sean Donnelly, 2011
Photo credit: Photo by Deborah Smith
I Wrote This Song For You
Superman You're Crying - Radio New Zealand session (July 2015)
Lava Lamp
Superman You're Crying (live at Radio NZ, July 2015)
Sean Donnelly, aka SJD
Photo credit: Photo by Deborah Smith
SJD - I Wanna Be Foolish (2014, directed by Greg Page)
SJD - The Corner at Half-Five
SJD, The Bads and Mulholland at The King's Arms, March 2014
Making Music - SJD (2005)
Beautiful Haze
SJD - Superman You're Crying (from the album Southern Lights, 2004)
Make Love Ask Questions Later
SJD - Southern Lights (Kid Loco Remix)
The Witness
SJD - Miniatures 1
SJD - Rising Falling Rising
Bad Karma In Yokohama
Sean Donnelly at Auckland's Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, Lopdell House, Titirangi, 2015
Little Pieces (2015)
Cartoon Villains
Inside SJD's West Auckland HQ
SJD - A Boy
Baby You're Oh So
SJD and Julia Deans in a 2017 promotional photo.
SJD with The Pajama Club
Photo credit: Photo by Jackson Perry
SJD's Lost Soul Music from 2003
Trivia:

Donnelly’s Taite Music Prize win in April 2013 included a heavy trophy and $10,000 in cash.

Members:

Sean James Donnelly - multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, vocals, bass

Labels:

Round Trip Mars

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