Tell us about:

Your latest single you have released:

‘Dancer’ which was released in February deals with the challenge of artistic creation, set against the background of a memory of a dance, and the first fires of romantic encounter. It is part love song, part artistic reflection. It began as a small acoustic guitar song but has evolved into something much bigger, with a much fuller sound and wide range of instruments featured, including piano, strings, percussion, slide guitar and drum and bass. It was recorded at Dublin’s legendary Windmill Lane Studios and produced by award-winning producer Larry Hogan, with final engineering and mastering by acclaimed Mix Engineer Braddon Williams, who has previously worked with some of the top artists in the world including Beyonce, Snoop Dogg, Mark Ronson, Il Divo, Wyclef Jean, Billy Joel, Kelly Clarkson, P Diddy, and The Script.

Your first single and how you felt when it was released:

The release of my first single, “The Climb,” in January 2022 was a special moment – songs of mine had been released previously on some indie compilations albums, but getting my first single out there was particularly important, and I’ve been hugely encouraged by the reaction to that single and subsequent releases since.

Your favourite song that you have created that is an album track:

So my debut album – ‘If Not Now, When?’ – will be coming out later in the Spring. It’s really hard to pick a favourite track from it but perhaps “Feel Love” – it’s a song that came from somewhere very deep and tries to articulate the importance of connecting with a crucial part of who we are as human beings, our ability to feel love and compassion. I was fortunate through collaborating with producer Larry Hogan and his Dublin studio hub initiative (which I have been working with for the entire album) to be able to bring in great session musicians on bass, hammond organ, guitar and drums and I’m really happy with how the track turned out. It has been released as a single and you can find it wherever you get your music and on bandcamp.

Your favourite song to play live:

I love playing all my tracks live – perhaps ‘Sing Out Loud’ because it is about the importance of performing and singing and finding your voice.

Your most emotional track:

I pour a lot of emotion into all my tracks but perhaps ‘CircleWalk’ – it’s a song about communication breakdown in a relationship and I think it captures the emotional frustration that goes with that happening. 

The best lyric you have ever written:

Hard question – there’s a lyric in my forthcoming single ‘Dancer’ I really like about the challenges of trying to write songs so I’ll choose that because it’s fresh right now: “writing words /It’s like throwing darts / When you’re drunk / So I drink on”

Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:

I’m usually quite nervous to begin with but once I start singing, things are usually fine from there and I love been able to connect with an audience and hearing that sing along to the songs I’ve written.

The hardest track to play live:

Probably ‘The Climb’  – I used a lot of effects on that song in recording and it’s hard to recreate that in the live setting – but I try to take that song and all my others in a slightly different direction when playing live a I find audiences usually appreciate that too.

Essential items you always take on tour with you?

My Taylor 214ce Plus semi-acoustic guitar which is my main instrument – I love the tone I get from this instrument. I use a Graphic Equalizer Pedal, Compressor Micro Guitar Pedal and Digital Reverb Pedal for live performances – so I’ll need all those too!

Describe your fans in three words:

Great Music Taste

A song by another artist or band you wish you had written:

Probably the song that brought home to me first the power and possibility of music and songwriting was Van Morrison’s “Madame George” – an extraordinary coming together of music, lyric and vocal, all functioning at a heightened level beyond what could easily be described in words. Transcendent.

What we can look forward to from your band this year:

My debut album – ‘If Not Now, When?’ – to be released later in the Spring.