Zara Phillips

About

Zara Phillips

Zara Phillips is a singer and songwriter, actor, author, and activist. As an adoptee herself, much of her work is centred around the adoption world and is focused on improving understanding the lifelong impact of adoption. She is a mother of three and is married to musician Richard Thompson. She divides her time between London and New Jersey.

Zara was raised in Totteridge, North London, and was adopted as a baby. She found her birth mother at 24 and after a lifelong search, her birth father at 51. She was always singing and writing as a child, which led to her becoming a harmony singer in the 80s, with acts like Bob Geldof, Matt Bianco, David Essex, and Nick Kamen.

After a spell of addiction, she became sober at age 22, and devoted more of her time to her own music, writing and activism. Her 2006 CD ‘When The Rain Stops’ and ‘You me and us” 2011. were produced by Ted Perlman. Her 2008 Film ‘Roots Unknown’ won Best Homegrown Documentary at the NJ Garden State Film Festival. Her 2008 book, ‘Mother Me’ describes the unfolding as an adoptee raises a family of her own. Her song ‘I’m Legit’, cowritten with Darryl McDaniel’s of DMC, has been a huge hit in the adoption world and beyond. ‘Beneath My Father’s Sky’, a one woman show that Zara wrote and performed, was the winner of Best Direction at NYC United Solo festival in 2014, and was also performed in LA, San Francisco, Connecticut, and in London in 2016. She was presented with an ‘Angel in Adoption’ award 2015.

In the past, Zara has facilitated workshops with adopted families and the mental health professionals.  She engages the teens to create songs about their experience.

Zara’s book ‘Somebody’s daughter’ published by John Blake/Bonnier Publishers, was released February 2018 in the UK and August 2018 in the USA.  Zara has written and performed a play with the same title in England and the US in 2022.A production of a film version of the play will be released in early 2024. Zara tours with her husband Richard Thompson performing as a harmony singer. Zara’s new album ‘Meditation and KitKats’ is available on CD and all streaming platforms. 

Her latest book Somebody’s Daughter: A Moving Journey of Discovery, Recovery and Adoption was published on February 22nd, 2018 in the UK by John Blake/Bonnier publishing.

Her personal website can be seen at http://www.zaraphillips.net