Edit history

Many an urban pedestrian has been caught by surprise by this charming songstress in the small hours of an inner city morning... New Zealand-born to a Japanese mother and third generation Irish/English father, Mariko McConnell has never known any other niche of society than that of a unique and rare individual. After flagging an early career as a diesel mechanic, Mariko moved to Australia's Sunshine Coast at 26 years of age, where she first established herself as a busker. Although small in stature, she is big in voice and her sometimes playful, sometimes poignant melodies have sliced through the tough atmospheres of city landscapes from her home town of Auckland, New Zealand to Australia's east coast. She has busked her way from the Sunshine Coast through to Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Bathurst, Coffs Harbour, Wollongong, Sydney, Melbourne and of course Auckland, New Zealand. Amongst these challenging environments for a little lady Mariko has honed her craft busking