Childhood & Early Life
Andrea was born Andrea Jane Corr, on May 17, 1974, in Dundalk, Ireland. She is the youngest of the four children of Gerry Corr, an 'Electricity Supply Board' payroll department manager, and his wife, Jean. Andrea has two sisters, Caroline and Sharon, and a brother, Jim.
Andrea’s parents had a band named 'Sound Affair' and were popular for performing compositions by 'ABBA' and 'The Eagles.' Gerry and Jean often performed in the local pubs of Dundalk, and the Corr siblings would often accompany them. This encouraged them to follow in their parents’ footsteps.
Andrea began her music lessons by learning to play the tin whistle. She learned to play the piano under the tutelage of Gerry. Andrea can also play the ukulele. She spent her teenage years polishing her music skills. She practiced with her siblings and eventually earned the position of the lead singer of the band. Andrea attended 'Dun Lughaidh Convent' and often participated in school plays.
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Career
Andrea began her music career with her quartet titled 'The Corrs,' which she formed with her siblings in 1990. They were scouted by Irish musician John Hughes while auditioning for the 1991 musical comedy 'The Commitments.' He later became the manager of 'The Corrs.' Andrea made her solo debut as an actor with the role of ‘Sharon Rabbitte’ in 'The Commitments.'
In 1995, Andrea’s band signed a deal with 'Atlantic Records' and released their debut album, 'Forgiven, Not Forgotten.' The album was a hit in Japan and Spain and earned the “platinum” status in the UK and Australia. The album was a huge success in Ireland, too, where it earned the “quadruple platinum” status and was one of the most popular Irish band debuts.
As a member of 'The Corrs,' Andrea became part of several albums, such as 'Talk on Corners' in 1997 (the remix version was more popular) and 'In Blue' in 2000. Andrea lost her mother, Jean, while working on the album ‘In Blue.’ Andrea and Caroline penned the lyrics of 'In Blue’s song 'No More Cry' for their father, who was then in mourning after Jean’s death.
In 2004, 'The Corrs' released their album 'Borrowed Heaven.' Dedicated to their deceased mother, the album included the track 'Time Enough for Tears' from the 2002 film 'In America.' It was sung by Andrea. The 2005 album 'Home' included cover versions of several traditional Irish songs that the Corr siblings had found in their mother’s songbook. This album, too, was a tribute to Jean and also marked 15 successful years of 'The Corrs.'
In between her music stints with her band, Andrea continued acting and appeared in several films, such as 'Evita' (1996). She took a break from acting but then resumed in 2003, with a mildly successful film 'The Boys from County Clare.' Despite the film not earning much at the box office, her portrayal of ‘Anne’ in it earned Andrea the 'Film Discovery Jury Award' for the ‘Best Actress’ at the 'US Comedy Arts Festival.' The same role earned her an 'IFTA Award' nomination. In 2006, she made her solo music debut with the track 'All I Have to Do Is Dream' for the album 'La Septième Vague.' The following year, Andrea released her debut solo album, 'Ten Feet High.' Her second solo studio album, 'Lifelines,' was released in 2011.
In 2009, Andrea made her professional stage debut as ‘Christina’ in the play 'Dancing at Lughnasa.' She also played the title role in the play 'Jane Eyre,' based on Charlotte Brontë’s popular novel of the same name. Andrea wrote the lyrics for the song 'Oh Brother' from the album 'Music of Ireland – Welcome Home.'
Andrea and her band are also known for their charity performances. She teamed up with 'The Corrs' to perform and raise funds for various foundations, organizations, and causes, such as the 'Pavarotti & Friends Liberian Children's Village,' the 'Freeman Hospital’ in Newcastle upon Tyne (Jean died there), the Omagh bombing victims in Northern Ireland, and 'The Prince's Trust.'
'The Corrs' has also performed at the 'Special Olympics' held in Dublin and has been supporting the 'Nelson Mandela 46664' campaign, a musical AIDS-awareness campaign. In 2005, Andrea and her band’s philanthropic endeavors were honored by with the prestigious title 'Honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire,' awarded by Queen Elizabeth II.
On October 10, 2010, Andrea and others performed at a tribute concert at 'Shepherd's Bush Empire,' which was organized to pay homage to the late British musician Kirsty MacColl. Again, on November 30, 2012, she performed at the 'The American Christmas Carol' concert held at ‘Carnegie Hall,’ to support the 'Golden Hat Foundation,' a non-profit organization founded by actor Kate Winslet and Margret Ericsdottir, to support people suffering from autism.
Family & Personal Life
On August 21, 2009, Andrea married Brett Desmond, a stockbroker, at 'St Joseph's Church.' Following this, they had a grand reception at the 'Doonbeg' golf resort and spa. Many of her musician friends and her sister Caroline performed at the ceremony. Andrea’s daughter, Jean, was born on April 28, 2012. She gave birth to her son, Brett Jr., on January 4, 2014.
Andrea and Brett dated for 2 years before their marriage and got engaged in Barbados. Before dating Brett, Andrea had a 4-year relationship with Irish actor Shaun Evans. She also has dated her former manager, Giles Baxendale.
Andrea is a Roman Catholic and always prays before performing.
