sing', is an affirmation, and 'Struggle and Survive', with the uplifting 'She will not lose' motif, is a dedication to women who fight for freedom." During August–September 1992 Arramaieda toured with Kev Carmody. By 1995 Teresa Castley had been replaced by a new member, the Mauritius-born singer Pascale Rose; in this line-up the band also featured on Carmody's 1995 album Images & Illusions, however in the same year Shanahan's mental health issues led to the break-up of the band. Shanahan sang with Coco's Lunch, in Melbourne, for their debut album, Raise the Tender Heart (1996). Her need to sing politically relevant music led to joining, Akasa, contributing tracks to their first two albums. Their debut self-titled album appeared in 1999, which was "recorded, mixed and mastered" by Ross Cockle (Mother Goose, Australian Crawl, Beargarden) with the line-up of Shanahan, Diana Clark, Vicki King and Andrea Watson. Their second album, World Citizen (March 2002), had Shanahan and King joined by Heidi Bradburn and Mihi Rangi; it was co-produced by the group with Siiri Metsar via Black Market Music . Dieter Bajzek of Folk Alliance Australia observed, "Finally a full-length, well recorded and mastered CD... from this polished and hard-working female a cappella quartet, supported by tasteful percussion. Great original songs (except two trad. items from NZ and Africa)... covering worthy and interesting topics." She also directed four choirs, including Living Out Loud, The Boîte Millennium Chorus, and Yirriba. Melanie Shanahan committed suicide at the age of 39. A memorial concert was held in suburban, Eltham in early December. As of February 2005, Akasa had continued with the line-up of Bradburn, Clark, King and Watson: they finished their set list with "Shanahan's 'Walk with Me' [which] radiated a serene, hymn-like quality that made them especially poignant. Shanahan was one of the founding members of Akasa, and [the song] served not only as a heartfelt conclusion to the concert, but a fitting tribute to a woman who embodied so many of the qualities that still resonate in the group's music.". Shanahan was later commemorated in separate songs by the U.K.'s Rory McLeod and Australia's Carl Cleves. References External links Arramaieda (feat. Melanie Shanahan, Rachel Hore, Kirsten Mackenzie and Pascale Rose) live on stage, Hobart, May 1995 - in-concert recording 1964 births 2003 suicides Australian women singer-songwriters Australian folk singers 20th-century Australian women singers