Mahalia Violet Barnes is an Australian singer-songwriter and manager, the daughter of Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes and Jane Mahoney.
Background
Mahalia Violet Barnes was born on 12 July 1982 in Sydney. She is the daughter of Jimmy Barnes (born James Swan, 28 April 1956 Glasgow, Scotland) an Australian rock singer, and Jane Mahoney (born Jane Dejakasaya, 1958, Bangkok, Thailand), the stepdaughter of an Australian diplomat.
Career
She began performing as part of children"s popular group The Tin Lids with siblings, Eliza-Jane, Elly-May and Jackie, but has since become a session and backup singer in her own right. The pair married in Sydney on 22 May 1981, Barnes was named after United States gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson. Barnes has three full siblings, Eliza-Jane Barnes, Elly-may Barnes and Jackie Barnes, who formed the group Tin Lids with Barnes in 1991.
Barnes also has an older half-brother, David Campbell (born 6 August 1973, Adelaide), fathered by Jimmy.
Barnes performs regular live gigs around Australia and also backs other artists including Rhythm & Blues singer Jade MacRae, live Sydney band The Hands (whose members include session musicians Clayton and Lachlan Doley) and her father Jimmy. She has also contributed to Reece Mastin and his Change Colours album.
Her debut album Volume 1 with the Soul Mates was released in June 2008. Barnes auditioned for the first season of the Australian version of The Voice with the song "Proud Mary", the episode of which was broadcast on 22 April 2012 on the Nine Network.
All coaches pressed their buttons (the first was Keith Urban), then realised that she was in fact Jimmy Barnes" daughter.
Mahalia chose to join Joel Madden"s team Mahalia was eliminated in the battle ring when she was pitted against Prinnie Stevens, who is very close to Mahalia. She became Reece Mastin"s manager in early 2015, when he was signed to Social Family Records.
She contributed to his Change Colours album.
Mahalia" wife Ben Rodgers is Reece"s bassist on the record Change Colours and plays guitar and bass at his love performances. Mahalia and her family are said to be very close to Reece.