She began her musical career as a member of Damien Rice's band.

Since beginning her solo career in 2007 she has released two albums: Sea Sew and Passenger. Hannigan's music has received award nominations both in Ireland and the USA.

Hannigan was born in Dublin but grew up in Kilcloon, County Meath, Ireland.

She attended primary school at Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa in Kilcloon and secondary school at The King's Hospital in Palmerstown and enrolled at Trinity College, Dublin to study Art History.

While still in college Hannigan met Damien Rice at a concert in Dublin in early 2001.

Rice enlisted Hannigan to sing on his 2002 album O and his later album "9", featured in the hit "9 Crimes". She toured with Rice as part of his band during that period lending vocal support and occasionally playing electric guitar, bass guitar or drums.

In 2007, Hannigan returned to Dublin and began a solo career.

Some of Hannigan's live recordings were made available through trading networks radio shows.

These recordings included: "Willy" by Joni Mitchell, "Be My Husband" by Nina Simone (from the 1965 album Pastel Blues), "Mercedes Benz" by Janis Joplin and "Love Hurts" by Roy Orbison.

Hannigan also performed live with her own band, called The Daisy Okell Quartet and contributed guest vocals to the recordings of Mic Christopher, The Frames and Herbie Hancock.

Lisa Hannigan's debut solo album, titled Sea Sew, was rehearsed in a barn in Thomastown and recorded in Dublin before being released in Ireland in September 2008.

The lead single, "Lille", was made available as a free Internet download and other tracks were available for preview on her Myspace page.[12] The sleeve featured needle-work by Hannigan.

Some music critics called the recording one of the best Irish albums of the year.

Sea Sew received favourable reviews in the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

The single "Lille", released in August 2008 on Irish and American radio stations.

Hannigan performed at Electric Picnic 2008.

Hannigan was the opening act for singer-songwriter Jason Mraz on his U.S. tour in 2008.

That year, she appeared on the charity album Even Better Than the Disco Thing and performed a duet of Mick Flannery's new song "Christmas Past" with Flannery on Tony Fenton's Christmas Special on Today FM.

In December 2008, she made her UK solo debut at St Johns Church in London.

Hannigan signed with ATO Records in the U.S., where her album was released in February 2009.

Sea Sew was nominated for the Choice Music Prize and Best Irish Album at the Meteor Music Awards in January 2009.

That same year, Hannigan appeared on the American television shows Jay Leno, The Colbert Report.

In 2009, Hannigan also appeared on the BBC's Later... with Jools Holland, performing her song "I Don't Know".

Sea Sew rose in the UK charts following this appearance[citation needed] and she performed at Glastonbury 2009 music festival and went on tour later in the year.

She performed at the nomination ceremony and she was greeted by confused journalists wondering "Lisa who?".

Hannigan performed at Electric Picnic 2009

Later in 2009, she toured the United States with David Gray and performed solo shows in New York, Los Angeles and London.

She then began a tour of Ireland to finish the year.

Hannigan's song "Ocean and Rock" was used in a 2009 Irish video supporting same-sex marriage entitled "Sinéad's Hand".

As part of an advertisement campaign for Oxfam's Make Trade Fair, Hannigan was drenched in melted chocolate and she participated in the Irish musical collective The Cake Sale with lead vocal on the track Some Surprise, which was played on the US television series Grey's Anatomy.

Hannigan also contributed to the 2009 charity album, Sparks n' Mind, released in aid of Aware.

Hannigan recorded her second album, titled Passenger, at Bryn Derwen Studios in North Wales with producer Joe Henry and engineer Ryan Freeland.

The album was released in the US and Canada on 20 September 2011, and on 7 October in Ireland and the UK.

Hannigan performed at the Eurosonic Festival in 2012 when Ireland was the "Spotlight Country

In 2009, a broadcast of Other Voices was recorded.

Her music has received critical praise, airplay and award nominations both in her native Ireland and the United States.

In 2008, her debut album Sea Sew spawned the single "Lille", a Choice Music Prize nomination, two Meteor Music Awards nominations and a Mercury Prize nomination.

Hannigan performs using "broken-down, wheezy old instruments".

Herbie Hancock said of her vocals, "there's so much jazz in the notes and phrases that she picks. She was singing the ninths, the elevenths of the chords...I mean some of the things sound like choices that Miles would have made."

Irish, Musician, Singer-Songwriter, Music,