It’s that time of week again! Magic’s Mark McCarron is back with another ‘Where Are They Now?’ episode! This time, he caught up with pop-rock icon Sharon O’Neill.
Born in Nelson and emerging as a rising star in the 70s and 80s, Sharon’s singer-songwriter talent led her from humble beginnings in NZ to award and chart success across Australasia; her songs helped define a generation of Kiwi music fans.
Now, she continues her journey with quiet determination, resilience, and pure love of the music game.
In her chat with Mark, the NZ Music Hall of Famer admits to him that this career path wasn’t always the plan.
“I enjoyed music and loved listening to the radio, but I never thought I’d make my career as a singer-songwriter,” she says.
Writing poetry and being a self-taught guitarist playing by ear eventually merged into something more.
“The first time I heard my record on the radio… it was surreal. I thought, This is actually happening”
Listen to the full chat below:
Her New Zealand career started with the pub circuit, playing small venues before earning a record deal and touring nationally with John Stevens.
“Those were paying-your-dues days,” she reflects, “We really did work back then.”
It was in the 80s that she really started to gain more traction with singles like ‘Words’ (1980) and ‘Maxine’ (1983). She spoke of how they kicked everything off.
“‘Words’ definitely did because it got a lot of airplay… it was the start of my biggest album - one that was really important to me”, she recalled.
Yet 'Maxine', her enduring fan favourite, tells a different story: “It never really was a big hit, but it’s hung around all my career as though it were. People know it, and when they start singing it back to you on stage, that’s worth it.”
Moving to Australia in the early 1980s brought both challenges and opportunity.
“It was exciting but daunting,” she says. A huge era for live music and touring, she added, “it was frantic but wonderful.”
There, she faced industry pressure to change her stage presence. “I was told to step out from behind the keyboards,” which left her “in two minds”, but, as she told Mark, she eventually came to a compromise.
Moving their chat to the present day, Sharon’s connections to music and her Kiwi roots remain strong.
“I’ve been popping up in all sorts of places,” she says, recalling tours with When the Cat’s Away, ‘Give It a Girl’ series concerts at Auckland Casino, and collaborations with 1980s contemporaries such as Dragon and the Eurogliders.
Her most recent major shows in NZ were part of the Home Again tour just before the pandemic. “I’m so glad we did it - after that, it was Covid, and shortly after, my partner Alan got sick.”
O’Neill’s life now centres on honouring that partnership.
“Alan passed away last October,” she shares quietly. “We’d planned to record an EP together of the songs we’d written. I still plan to make it happen, and possibly call it 'Cowboy and Butterfly'. Once it’s ready, I hope to tour New Zealand and maybe Australia again.”
Through it all, her bond with fans has never faded.
“I love meeting anyone who’s followed my music. They’ve been so supportive. To have someone tell you a song helped them through something, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
When asked what she’d tell her younger self, she laughs: “I’d say, snap out of it. Believe in yourself. Don’t be afraid, do it.”
And as for how she’d like to be remembered? “I spilled a lot of my heart out in my songs,” she says. “If that helped anyone along the way or made them happy, I’ll go to my grave very, very happy.”
Tune in to Magic Breakfast Tuesdays at 8 am, or listen on demand HERE, to catch up with more NZ stars of the past and see what they’re up to now.
