Amandah Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
 Fronting Operator Please,Falls Festival, Tasmania, December 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1987 or 1988 (age 37–38)[1] New Zealand |
| Origin | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Double-A Side |
Amandah Wilkinson (born 1987 or 1988)[1] is a New Zealand-Australian pop musician from theGold Coast, Queensland. She was the founding mainstay lead singer and guitarist ofOperator Please from 2005 to 2011, which released two studio albums before splitting. Wilkinson went solo asBossy Love in 2011 and used the same name when forming a duo in 2013 with John Baillie Jnr, ex-lead vocalist and drummer of Scottish pop-rock groupDananananaykroyd (2006–2011). As from 2016 they are based inGlasgow and released their debut album,Me + U, in October 2019 via Double-A Side Records.
Amandah Wilkinson was born in New Zealand to an Indonesian mother and an English father.[2][3][1] She was raised inNew Plymouth andChristchurch with an older sibling, whom she describes as "a huge influence, musically and artistically."[2][1] In 1997 the family moved to Australia and settled on theGold Coast, Queensland.[2] After seeing American musical comedy film,Josie and the Pussycats (2001), and listening to its relatedsoundtrack, Wilkinson decide to pursue a career in pop music.[2]
While a secondary student atElanora State High School in 2005 she canvassed fellow students to form a teen pop group,Operator Please.[2][1] Alongside Wilkinson on lead vocals and guitar wereTim Commandeur on drums, Sarah-Jane Gardiner on keyboards, Stephanie Joske on violin and Ashley McConnell on bass guitar, who were all aged from 17 to 19.[4] They entered and won a localBattle of the Bands competition, soon after Joske was replaced by Taylor Henderson on violin.[4] As a member of Operator Please, Wilkinson co-wrote most of their tracks for both studio albums,Yes Yes Vindictive (2007) andGloves (2010), and the associated singles and extended plays. She also co-producedGloves with Justin Tresidder.[3]
While Operator Please were supporting English bandthe Futureheads in 2008 inDundee, Wilkinson met the lead vocalist and drummer John Baillie Jnr of fellow support act,Dananananaykroyd.[5] When her group had ended in 2011 Wilkinson started performing as Bossy Love and issued a single, "Fight This Off", which featured rapping by Kween G (Giladesi Namokoyi) in December.[6] Wilkinson moved to London in 2012 to continue writing material.[5][7] She sent one of her tracks to Baillie in Glasgow and he produced a recording for her.[5] The pair continued collaborating and Bossy Love became a duo in 2013.[2]
While living in London Wilkinson also worked for the railways, on weekends she would travel to Glasgow to perform and co-write with Baillie.[7] Their debutmixtape,Hollidates, appeared in November 2014.[8] After Bossy Love achieved a residency at the Bongo Club,Edinburgh, Wilkinson relocated to Glasgow.[7][8] The duo released a single, "Want Some", in March 2016.[8] In August 2017 they performed at theBelladrum Festival.[7] Bossy Love issued their debut album,Me + U, on 31 October 2019 via Double-A Side Records.[2][5][9] Max Sefton ofThe Skinny observed, "[it's] the work of a talented duo but it's surely a record that will win them many more friends and admirers."[10]Me + U was short-listed for the 2020Scottish Album of the Year Award.[11][12]
At 19, ebullient band-leader Amandah Wilkinson is the group's oldest member...
The 22-year-old putting it upon herself to shun big-name offers...