FIONA Unger has headlined stunning productions centred on the careers of music icons and this year is no different with her Adelaide Fringe Show \u2013 She Does Prince.<\/p>\n
Crafting a show around the iconic singer and songwriter is yet another passion project for Fiona as she channels her inner teenager.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved Prince as a teenager, I saved up and bought his albums, spent a lot of time playing his vinyl albums and singing those songs into my hairbrush in my bedroom,\u201d Fiona said. \u201cHe was probably the foundation to my musical taste.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was so different, my parents hated him and his music, and although I didn\u2019t know it at the time he was prepping my musical taste to explore different styles and types of music I listen to and appreciate now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Performing with her usual ensemble Fi & Frenz, the show debuted on Wednesday night at The Jade with a follow up performance set for March 2.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have chosen not only songs that were hits for Prince, but some of the music and hits he shared with other musicians,\u201d Fiona said. \u201cPrince was a huge influence and supporter to his musician friends and was happy to share his compositions, and then they would put their twist on his songs.\u201d<\/p>\n
When You Were Mine, a collaboration with Cyndi Lauper, a prime example of that aspect of his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea for the show started on the drive back to Mount Gambier after Adelaide Fringe last year,\u201d Fiona said. \u201cI had Prince playing loud all the way home, and I thought honestly, I love his music so much, why shouldn\u2019t I share that with more people and so the seed was sown.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hardest part was deciding which songs to use because of the prolific amount of music he wrote and produced.\u201d<\/p>\n
As with most of Fi & Frenz shows\u2019 Marie Holmes has been a key \u2018payer in putting She Does Prine together.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy best friend and pianist Marie Holmes is a great support and she has helped with arranging most of the charts, and with her experience in the music industry she is a great help around production and putting the show together- I have a vision and she helps it become reality,\u201d Fiona said.<\/p>\n
Fiona is also joined by James Owen on drums, Callum Unger on bass, and also assisting with the chart arranging, and Scott Maxwell on guitar.<\/p>\n
Having the opportunity to take their musical stylings to a wider audience is always a challenge on which Fi & Frenz thrives.<\/p>\n
\u201cFringe Adelaide gives me the opportunity to reach a larger audience, and explore my musical dreams,\u201d Fiona said. \u201cI suppose there are no assumptions on who I am in Adelaide, apart from being a musician! This may sound a little strange, but I can be a musician and performer in Adelaide, whereas in Mount Gambier I\u2019m feel like I\u2019m seen as a wife, nurse and mum and I do bit of singing on the side. Don\u2019t get me wrong I love being wife, nurse and mum, but it\u2019s amazing to be seen as a singer and performer first for a change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fi & Frenz are looking to secure some performance dates in Mount Gambier later this year, post Generations in Jazz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FIONA Unger has headlined stunning productions centred on the careers of music icons and this year is no different with her Adelaide Fringe Show \u2013 She Does Prince. Crafting a show around the iconic singer and songwriter is yet another passion project for Fiona as she channels her inner teenager. \u201cI loved Prince as a […]<\/p>\n