McDonald's first involvement with music came through singing jingles for Auckland student radio station bFM.
In the early '90s she teamed up with former bFM producers Mark Tierney and Paul Casserly who were looking for a singer for their new studio-only group, Strawpeople.
[citation needed] McDonald also briefly sang live with NRA, and provided guest vocals on the Headless Chickens on "Cruise Control".
Three successful years of recording and touring followed, including number one single "George", but McDonald eventually left the band in 1995.
In 2005 McDonald was also one of the three judges in the first series of NZ Idol and presented the New Zealand version of 10 Years Younger.