1990–1994: Early commercial success The Corrs are from Dundalk, County Louth, in Ireland. Jim and Sharon initially began playing as a duo, often at McManus's, their aunt's pub. While their younger sisters Caroline and Andrea were still attending school, Jim and Sharon added them in 1990 to form a
quartet. Their career took off in 1991 when they auditioned for the film
The Commitments. Jim, Sharon and Caroline each had small parts as musicians, while Andrea had a speaking part as Sharon Rabbitte.
John Hughes noticed them when they auditioned for the film and agreed to become their manager. In 1994, the USA ambassador to Ireland,
Jean Kennedy Smith, invited them to perform at the
1994 FIFA World Cup in
Boston after seeing them play a gig at Whelan's Music Bar in
Dublin. The Corrs joined
Celine Dion's worldwide
Falling into You Around the World Tour as a supporting act.
1995–1999: International fame Jason Flom,
Atlantic Records's head of A&R, recommended that they meet
David Foster, a Canadian musician, producer, composer and arranger. The Corrs played live for Foster and he agreed to sign them to Atlantic Records. They extended their stay in the US for over five months to record their debut album,
Forgiven, Not Forgotten. It featured six instrumental selections among its Celtic-influenced tracks. The album sold well in Ireland, Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway and Spain. Major success in the US and the UK, however, was not immediately forthcoming. Eventually, the album reached
Platinum status in the UK and Australia, and 4× Platinum in Ireland, The Corrs also collaborated with
Carole Bayer Sager, Oliver Leiber,
Rick Nowels and Billy Steinberg. It was successful in Ireland and the UK and entered the Australian album charts at number 3. and Australia. In June 1998, the Corrs participated in the Pavarotti and Friends for the Children of Liberia charity concert. The concert was held in
Modena, Italy and was hosted by
Luciano Pavarotti. The concert aimed to raise money to build the Pavarotti and Friends Liberian Children's Village, to provide refuge for children in
Liberia. The following year, the Corrs received a
BRIT Award for Best International Band. They performed live on
MTV's
Unplugged on 5 October 1999 at
Ardmore Studios, County Wicklow, Ireland. The resulting CD and DVD sold 2.7 million copies and featured live performances of previously released songs, plus a new song, "
Radio", later featured on their third album,
In Blue. The Corrs worked with
Alejandro Sanz on
In Blue, recording "Una Noche (One Night)", a duet between Sanz and Andrea Corr; Sanz played Andrea's love interest in the music video. In return, the Corrs performed "Me Iré (The Hardest Day)" with him on his album,
El Alma Al Aire. The Corrs collaborated with
Robert Lange to produce a mainstream hit single, "
Breathless", which reached number 20 in the
Billboard Hot 100, number seven in Australia, number three in Ireland and New Zealand, and topped the charts in the UK,
In Blue achieved Platinum sales in the US, double platinum in the UK, and 4× Platinum in Australia. During the production of the album, the Corrs' mother, Jean, died while waiting for a lung transplant. She was buried at St. Patrick's cemetery in
Dundalk. "No More Cry", written by Andrea and Caroline Corr for the album, was written to help their father get over his grief. In 2001, the Corrs released their first
compilation album,
Best of The Corrs. The album featured previously released songs and new tracks, such as the singles "
Would You Be Happier?", "Make You Mine" and "Lifting Me". The album did not chart highly in Ireland but reached Platinum status in Australia. The Corrs collaborated with
Josh Groban, recording "Canto Alla Vita", for his
eponymous debut album. When the band returned to Ireland, they hosted another live concert at
Ardmore Studios, where they previously performed for the
MTV's
Unplugged series. These performances were recorded and compiled on a live album,
VH1 Presents: The Corrs, Live in Dublin, which was released in the UK.
2003–2005: Later years In 2003, Andrea Corr recorded "Time Enough for Tears", written by Bono and
Gavin Friday for the film
In America. This track was featured on the Corrs' 2004 album,
Borrowed Heaven. Recorded over an 18-month period in Dublin and Los Angeles,
Borrowed Heaven was produced by
Olle Romo, who previously worked with
Melanie C and
Kelly Clarkson. The album marked the Corrs' return to the
folk rock genre with a slightly heavier emphasis on guitars. Nevertheless, the album was not as successful as their predecessors, but at least successful enough to enter at No.2 in both the UK and Germany and reach
silver status in the UK as well as gold in Germany. Jason Duffy temporarily joined the band as drummer, filling in for Caroline while she was pregnant with her second child and unable to tour.
Borrowed Heaven was dedicated to the band's parents. The band also dedicated their 2005 album
Home to their late mother. It is regarded as a traditional Irish album as the band
covered traditional Irish songs taken from their mother's songbook to commemorate their 15 years as a band. The album was produced by
Mitchell Froom and featured the BBC Radio 2 Orchestra. The songs on
Home spanned the history of Irish music.
Home had success in Ireland, France (reaching No. 5) and Germany (reaching No. 12) and was certified silver in the UK.
2006–2014: Solo projects and retrospective releases The Corrs went on an extended hiatus starting in 2006, raising their own families and pursuing solo careers. Andrea released her first solo album,
Ten Feet High, on 25 June 2007. It was produced by
Nellee Hooper, who has worked with
Björk,
Gwen Stefani and
Madonna; Bono was an executive producer. The first single released from the album was "
Shame on You (to Keep My Love from Me)". On 30 May 2011, Andrea released her second album,
Lifelines, an album of cover songs, with
The Blue Nile's "
Tinseltown in the Rain" as the first single. Sharon started pursuing a solo career in 2009, her single "
It's Not a Dream" was released on 29 August 2009. On 10 September 2010 her debut album
Dream of You was released, with her cover of "
Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" by
The Korgis as the first single. Sharon finished writing her second album in March 2012. The album that emerged was called
The Same Sun. The Corrs released their second
compilation album,
Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection, on 20 November 2006. The album consisted of several of the band's hits, as well as tracks that had not previously been released on Corrs albums, such as "
I Know My Love", a collaboration with
The Chieftains and "
All I Have to Do Is Dream", Andrea's duet with
Laurent Voulzy. The album also featured remixes of "
When the Stars Go Blue" and "Goodbye". The latter was released as a download-only single to promote the album. However, the album charted poorly, reaching number 24 in Ireland. On 17 September 2015, the band confirmed their sixth studio album,
White Light, which was released on 27 November 2015 and was accompanied by a European tour, which took place in 2016.
2020–present: Second return and touring Australia In 2020,
Taylor Swift included a cover of The Corrs'
Breathless in a setlist of songs by female artists to commemorate women's history month. She described the artists she had chosen as "faraway mentors who taught me how music could make someone's life easier and more magical" and said they had guided her "melodically, lyrically, spiritually and emotionally". On 26 November 2022, the Corrs performed together for the first time since 2017, playing to a crowd of approximately 11,000 at Hope Estate Winery, in Australia's
Hunter Valley, their first concert in Australia in 21 years. The concert was a success, and the Corrs announced on 4 December 2022 that they would tour Australia and New Zealand in October and November 2023 and later added dates in Jakarta, Indonesia and Manila, Philippines. == Musical style and influences ==