Fiona Horne was 19 when, in 1985, she formed Australia’s first all-girl punk group, The Mothers, who recorded a vinyl 7 inch single “Drives Me Wild” and 12-inch ep called “12 Incher” on the Waterfront Label.
At the time there were few women playing guitar and singing on Australian stages and young Fiona made her mark with her fearless stage persona, defiant lyrics, and powerful guitar playing.
In 1991 she co-formed electro/rock outfit Def FX who went on to have major local and international success, topping the independent charts consecutively, receiving an ARIA nomination for Best Independent Album in 1993, plus regular appearances in JJJ’s Hottest 100—Australia’s leading radio network.
Major label signings to EMI, RCA/BMG and Universal lead to mainstream chart success for Def FX.
One of Australia’s hardest working live bands, in the band’s seven-year career, they headlined to thousands and toured with international acts like the Smashing Pumpkins and No Doubt and performed every Big Day Out (Australia’s Lollapalooza) including opening the international main stage.
The band had significant success in the USA, signed to RCA/BMG in New York, two national tours, Top 20 Billboard chart positions and high rotation on MTV. Def FX also charted in Asia in 1996, touring Japan with No Doubt.
Fiona demonstrated unique songwriting abilities in Def FX, and her strong, wild stage performances captivated audiences in Australia, Asia, and the USA.
She inspired a generation of young women in the 90’s to be creative, confident, to rock hard and believe in themselves.
After Def FX, Fiona worked successfully in television and radio, hosting her own shows and with regular guest appearances on the networks Nine, Ten, Seven, and ABC, plus hosting Radio MMM’s “Homegrown” and “Planet Rock” countdown. She also released a single with ABC’s Paul McDermott, the ARIA charting, “Shut Up and Kiss Me,” and two solo music projects.
Coinciding with her work in television, Fiona commenced a writing career as the author of sixteen bestselling books on modern Witchcraft and two oracle decks, first published in 1997 ongoing. She is now one of the world’s most respected Witches, her work having a generational impact on the evolution of the Modern Witch. Her tireless devotion to dispelling negative myths and stereotypes contributes to the freedom of Modern Witches to practice their Craft today without fearing vilification and persecution.
In 2000, Fiona moved to the USA and continued working in television and radio, scoring a starring role in the Syfy Channel TV hit series, Mad Mad House, which saw her face on billboards in Times Square and an audience of 1.6 million tuning in every week.
After a successful 10 years in Hollywood, in 2011 Fiona changed her life’s direction and became a commercial pilot flying humanitarian aid in the Caribbean, which included two missions to Haiti in the wake of 2016’s Hurricane Matthew that she coordinated, raised funds for and flew herself, partnering with the Good Samaritan Foundation of Haiti, plus working as captain for a private on-demand air charter company. She was the most requested captain when the lockdowns of 2020 saw the aviation industry grounded.
With so much uncertainty in the world, she returned to Australia, basing herself in Western Australia.
In 2021, Fiona returned to the Australian stage, songwriting, playing guitar, and singing in two projects: an acoustic duo Spiff & Fifi (which hit Number 1 in the Australian Country Radio Charts in July that year) and original rock band, SEAWITCH (whose debut album entered the independent charts at Number 2 in November 2022).
Once again, Fiona was inspiring women of all ages and backgrounds to be confident and free to express themselves musically.
In addition to mentoring young female musicians, Fiona volunteered at her local community radio station, Radio Margaret River, producing and hosting “Sistars.” Every fortnight she interviewed local female artists and showcased their music and art.
Throughout flying and playing music again, Fiona returned to the laptop, when in 2017 Australian publisher, Rockpool Publishing/Simon & Schuster, invited her to write again, leading to three internationally published books and bestsellers in their genre: 2017’s autobiography, The Naked Witch, 2019’s manifesto, The Art of Witch, and 2021’s Teen Magick-Witchcraft for a New Generation. Fiona also released a debut Oracle deck, The Magick of You, to acclaim in 2019.
In August 2023, Dark Magick Oracle—Reveal the Light Within (Rockpool Publishing) continued Fiona’s shining presence in the oracle world.
She has another upcoming oracle deck, The Lost Oracle, due for release in 2024, and more publishing projects on the horizon.
In 2023 she announced her spiritual adventure experiences for women, leading with “Meet Yourself in Egypt” to a very positive response—her first trip selling out in just 72 hours. She will be offering regular: “Meet Yourself in…” experiences in amazing locations around the world. Keep an eye on www.fionahorne.com to stay updated.
She plans to offer experiences for the LGBTQIA community also.
Fiona’s personal passions include being a 100 ft+ freediver, world record-holding skydiver, professional firedancer, and world traveler.
