Katie Noonan's parents, opera singer Maggie Noonan and journalist and singer Brian Noonan, met on the set of the performance TV program Showcase (she won the judges' vote; he the viewers'). Accordingly, they raised their children surrounded by music. Her brother, Tyrone Noonan, was also strongly influenced by that upbringing, and the two of them formed the band george in 1996 to enter a talent competition. In 1997 she also formed a jazz group called Elixir with her future husband, Zac Hurren, releasing a self-titled album a year later.