Una Healy

Una Healy
Foden backstage at The Voice of Ireland in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Una Theresa Imogene Healy
Also known as	Una Foden
Born	(1981-10-10) 10 October 1981 (age 35) Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland
Genres	Pop, Dance, R&B, Country Pop, Folk, Country and Irish
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, guitarist, dancer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Polydor, Fascination, Decca
Associated acts	The Saturdays, Declan Nerney,
Website	The Saturdays

Una Theresa Imogene Foden (née Healy); born 10 October 1981, is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician, and television presenter. She rose to fame in 2008 as a member of the 5 member English–Irish girl group The Saturdays, signed to Fascination and Polydor Records. The group have achieved substantial success with numerous top-ten hits as well as a hit number one single entitled 'What About Us'. In October 2014, it was confirmed that Healy would become a judge on The Voice of Ireland.

Healy was born in Thurles, to Anne, a nurse, and John Healy, a GP. She has a sister named Deirdre. She comes from a musical background, and is the niece of country singer Declan Nerney. She is a cousin of Irish athlete Paul Hession. At the age of 13, Healy gave up swimming (she was an All-Ireland champion swimmer at nine) and decided to take up guitar, teaching herself to play using her mother's guitar and from then on began to write songs of her own.

After finishing school at 18, Healy decided to take a year out and worked as a medical secretary. She went on to study nursing and then primary teaching at Mary Immaculate College, but finally decided to pursue her music passion at 23 years old.

Healy began her music career playing guitar and singing in pubs and clubs around Ireland, solo and in bands. Whilst she was slowly finding success in her native Ireland as an indie solo artist, she felt she did not have a firm direction in her career. Therefore, in the summer of 2007 she flew over to London to gain more exposure and experience and landed an audition for The Saturdays, which was her first audition for a major label and abroad.

Healy won Ireland's Glinsk Song Contest in both 2004 and 2006. She represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 as a backing singer for Brian Kennedy on "Every Song Is a Cry for Love".