Melinda Jackson

Melinda Jackson

Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs. Before forming Rogue Traders, the pair had worked together on many projects, including the dance music act Union State, which relocated to Melbourne in 1992. The group's name comes from the 1999 drama film, Rogue Trader. They were joined in 2004 by soap opera actress, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, on lead vocals, Cameron McGlinchey on drums and Tim Henwood on guitar. Davis continued as a behind-the-scenes member, contributing to the songwriting process but not making any public appearances with the group. Rogue Traders have achieved chart success in Australia, with seven top 20 hits on the ARIA Singles Chart, "One of My Kind", "Voodoo Child", "Way to Go!", "Watching You", "We're Coming Home", "Don't You Wanna Feel" and "I Never Liked You". Their most successful single, "Voodoo Child", peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, number four in Australia, number seven on the New Zealand Singles Chart and number fifteen on the Irish Singles Chart. The group's two Top 5 albums in Australia are Here Come the Drums (2005) and Better in the Dark (2007). In 2007, Here Comes the Drums was certified 4× platinum by ARIA for shipment of 280,000 copies, while Better in the Dark was certified platinum in 2008. As of 2008, Rogue Traders have been nominated for ten ARIA Awards, three MTV AVMA Awards, one The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, one Inside Film Award, and eight APRA Awards. In June 2008, Bassingthwaighte left the band to focus on her acting and solo music career. In July that year, her then-boyfriend and later husband, McGrinchey, also left the band. In November 2008, Mindi Jackson was revealed as the new lead singer to replace Bassingthwaighte. Peter Marin joined on drums to replace McGrinchey. The band was unceremoniously dumped by Sony Records in 2010, and split due to infighting shortly afterwards. Their fourth studio album and greatest hits compilation, The Sound of Drums, was released after their split in November 2011.On 15 December 2015, it was announced that the group had reformed with former lead singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte. The band were working on new music, expected to be released in late 2017, which had not yet materialised as of 2021, though a 2021 remix EP of "In Love Again" was released in June 2021.

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