Manchester-based artist, Tocha has released his new single, ‘The Light Of Day’. ‘The Light Of Day’ is a symbolic representation of a mid-life adult view and advice to younger humans about the power of love and positive emotions on humanity regardless of the adversities and roughness of the life path. Tocha is a Peruvian born musician living in the UK.
‘The Light Of Day’ uses a minimalist instrumental approach that allows the track’s heartwarming lyrics to take the limelight. Tocha croons “fly away and find the light of day” over twinkling guitar and warm rhythmic pulses to create a wholesome and soothing tune for listeners to enjoy. Filled with sweet harmonies and ethereal soundscapes ‘The Light Of Day’ is a charming and moving new tune from Tocha.
Wicklow based artist David Boland has released his new single, ‘I was just thinking of you’, which contemplates love, purpose and existentialism.
This tender tune boasts the emotive and delicate songwriting of Boland. With warm guitar softly flickering through ethereal soundscapes, Boland creates a heartwarming wall of sound while his smooth, rasped vocals caress the dreamy melody with ease. Boland uses eloquent, poetic lyrics to depict his thoughtful reminiscence “I was looking through old conversations to find some pictures of pages I’ve not seen in ages From a book that spoke of dreams”. His lyrics ooze themes of longing and melancholy while lush harmonies and building sonic flourishes provide a glimpse of hope through the sombre tones. The track is a satisfying ditty saturated in passion, emotion and cosy supple instrumentation marking Boland as a singer-songwriter of depth and rich musical prowess.
Chris Corey has released his new single, ‘Storms We Face’. Raised in a small city in Northern Ontario, Chris Corey now splits his time between Ontario and Western Canada, where he’s currently working on releasing his debut album, which is set for release in 2022.
‘Storms We Face’ is a vibrant tune laced in a rich fusion of indie rock, folk and subtle pop embellishments. Corey uses chiming guitars and driving rhythms to create a lofty and suspenseful backdrop for listeners to immerse themselves in while his passionate vocals croon atop a catchy melody. The track has an expansive and building soundscape filled with intricate layers of guitar and ethereal synths that exude a lamentful undertone throughout. Boasting dark rumbling drums, soaring melodies, and intense instrumental outbursts, ‘Storms We Face’ is a cinematic, musically lush tune to enjoy again and again.
Shammy Lafferty has released his debut EP ‘Changing Times & Looking Back’. Shammy Lafferty, Paul Hughes (both originally from Scotland), and Londoner George Nash, who were all members of 60’s and 70’s UK London-based groups, met up again, quite by chance, fifty plus years later in Asia and wrote ‘Changing Times’ and ‘Looking Back’. Later Shammy decided to re-arrange and re-record the two songs to be released in conjunction with Paul’s book ‘Chasing Dark Shadows’ released on December 16th. Shammy was originally a guitarist and backing vocalist with a Scottish group The Premiers, with whom Paul was a roadie, and they toured all over Scotland and the North of England. Eventually, The Premiers were no more, and three members formed 1-2-3 with Paul again being a roadie. They were almost immediately signed by Brian Epstein with The Beatles, Cream, The Bee Gees. They did go on to feature in a residency in the world-famous Marquee Club in Wardour Street and had the honour to support Jimi Hendrix at his UK debut in The Saville theatre. Later they had a jamming session with the legendary Jimi and Eric Burden of The Animals in London’s Speakeasy Club. During the Marquee residency they met an unknown David Bowie and played on his first demo records. They became lifelong friends and in David’s autobiographies, he has a full chapter devoted to 1-2-3.
‘Changing Times & Looking Back’ is a fine display of Shammy Lafferty’s tight and sleek musicianship. Shammy weaves blues-toned guitar through these tunes to create a satisfying listening experience. From the psychedelic-hued rock n roll of ‘Changing Times’ to the nostalgic ‘Looking Back’, Shammy takes an easy-going and effortless approach to his songwriting; the instrumentation is lavish yet not overdone with embellishments of sax and oodles of suave guitar moments throughout. Lyrically the tracks ruminate on how times for musicians have changed over the years, and Shammy presents the nostalgia in the lyrics perfectly through refined, expressive musicianship.
Shammy showcases his knack for earworm melodies, strut worthy soundscapes and emotion within these tracks. ‘Changing Times & Looking Back’ are infectious, enjoyable tunes to indulge in again and again.
Irish born singer-songwriter Megan O’Neill has released her stunning cover of ‘Fairytale of New York’. O’Neill takes this beloved Christmas song and strips it back to create a haunting and moving rendition that highlights the lyrics of the song.
I caught up with O’Neill to chat about the immaculate cover, her songwriting and her recently released album, ‘Getting Comfortable with Uncertainty’. O’Neill also gave some solid advice for aspiring musicians.
“I suppose, it’s a brave one to cover. It’s a really gorgeous song that a lot of people love, myself included and so I was thinking, is this a good idea? But it’s just one of those amazing songs that I feel the message of the song can be interpreted in loads of different ways. That’s what we tried to do with our version. We just tried to interpret the story of the song in a different way, in a different mood.”
“When you actually sit down and you read those lyrics without the revved up production that’s in The Pogues version. When you actually sit down and read the lyrics. It’s really sad. It’s a song about failed relationships and broken dreams and unfulfilled potential and it’s quite a sad message in the story. I felt there’s another way you could interpret the story sonically, and that’s really what I wanted to do. Also, I think, a lot of time if you are going to do a cover, it’s important to do it uniquely in your own way that’s not trying to just recreate the original but trying to do something that’s your own.”
O’Neill’s voice is the focal point that carries the song’s emotional tone and she achieves this perfectly without overdoing it – the result is a time stopping, and a unique listening experience.
“Yeah, I didn’t really feel pressure. I think I have an ability with my voice. It took me years to figure out that I had [the ability] to portray emotion quite well, and it was something that for years, and I think this is the thing with all singers, you’re not really entirely sure how to use your voice or where the best elements of it are and that was kind of it for me. It was only when I started to actually sing less and pull it back and allow the natural tones and the natural emotion to come out that I realized, oh, I can do something here. [with ‘Fairytale of New York] It wasn’t really a pressure that I felt. It was just I wanted that emotion of the lyrics to come out. So I worked quite hard for that to come through my voice rather than it be something that was over sung. I wanted it to be vulnerable and close and haunting and like you were in the room with me really”
“I’m such a lover of stories and all the way through when I’ve been writing and releasing my own songs, the story has to be really important, it has to be the central point of the song. So I really zone in on lyrical content, and the story, and the message that I’m trying to get across in that story. It’s funny because when you’re recording songs, you can be in the room and there can be a bit that’s a little bit out of tune or a little bit too fast or a little bit too slow or you’re a little bit off tempo with the music. But if the emotion is there, those are the takes that I always keep. Those are the parts of the song that I always keep because that’s more important to me. It’s more important that the emotion comes across than the song is absolutely perfect as a recording.”
O’Neill worked with producer Mark Caplice on the track. Caplice and O’Neill have worked together before, and she explained to me how their friendship made creating a moving and vulnerable rendition of the track more comfortable.
“ Mark and I are very dear friends and we’ve worked on a lot of stuff together. So when I wanted to do a Christmas cover, Mark and I had been discussingwhich ones that I might do and what could work and he’s just got such an amazing ear. He’s such an incredible musician that always working with him, particularly because we’re such good friends, is easy, I don’t mind being vulnerable in the room with him. I don’t mind messing things up to then get them right at the end. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere and it always ends up being a great product at the end of the day.”
O’Neill’s songs have received great attention over the past year – including her recent single ‘Ireland’, which hit over 400,000 views on social media during release month and her album ‘Getting Comfortable with Uncertainty’ hit #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts in the UK and Ireland. We discussed the whirlwind of a year and how 2021 brought a variety of ups and downs for the artist.
“Yeah, it’s been a weird and wonderful year. It’s been odd to have all these things going on and have them all going on, still stuck at home for a lot of it. You know, usually, when you release an album and you’ve got stuff happening, you’re able to tour with it and I wasn’t really able to tour this album before its release. I was able to tour it in September, October, November this year, thank God. I just got in the window..it was fantastic. Throughout the past two years it’s been good to me and also been challenging on a lot of levels but it has been great that the songs have been reaching more people and I’m glad that the album is out there now because we’ve delayed the release with Covid. So there’s been a lot of great things I think, for everybody pluses and minuses of the last two years.”
Similar to many artists, O’Neill’s return to live shows was a fantastic source of joy and anxiety. The return to shows brought pressure on artists to just jump back on the horse when they hadn’t performed in over a year.
“Yeah, terrifying. My first run of shows were in Germany in September and I was absolutely riddled with anxiety and stress before I was due to go and I’m not that type of person. I’ve never really suffered from anxiety in my life. I’d always get a bit nervous before shows. But this was a totally different thing and the day before we were due to fly I was just a complete mess. Then once I got there and I got to perform, I was nervous but once I got in the swing of it, I was fine. But it’s been so long so there is an anxiety about getting back up and doing it again. There’s obviously the nerves with performing but there’s also a feeling of we all should have gotten better over the course of this pandemic, as in that’s the feeling. I’m not saying we should have. I’m saying people feel pressure to be coming out with better songs, being a better musician, being a better songwriter, like coming out of this pandemic almost as a new artist. That’s an awful lot of pressure. This has been a difficult time to be creative for a lot of people. It’s been a difficult time to be motivated. So I think there’s a lot of layers to what musicians are feeling going back into performing, myself included. I found it amazing to be playing in front of crowds again, but there was a lot of anxiety around it from my point of view and also from people in an audience not necessarily wanting to be in a crowded space. So it’s a difficult time and I don’t think it’s going to change very soon.”
‘Getting Comfortable with Uncertainty’ is a striking and impactful album. O’Neill packs a serious emotional punch with the album which is filled with glorious indie/country-toned songs and wonderful, meaningful ballads. I wondered if she found it daunting or exposing pouring so much of herself into her songs.
“Oh god yeah. I think it’s kind of a blessing and a curse because I am a songwriter that writes about my own life. I write about what I’m feeling at the time and you can write those songs and they end up being good songs that you fall in love with and then you’re like, oh no [ I ] have to release that, people are gonna know that side of me. So there is a vulnerability in it. But I think it’s important to be real and be true with what we do as artists because we’re all human beings. We’re all living similar lives obviously with differences, but, if I’ve felt heartbroken, if I felt lonely, if I’ve felt removed from my homeland, if I’ve felt frustrated with my career, the reality is that most other people have felt those emotions. So it’s important to be truthful with the stories that I tell because people will relate to them. They’ll relate to something that I’ve felt and that I go through because we’re all humans at the end of the day. It can be a bit daunting, particularly when people ask you about a very specific one. There’s some songs coming out in 2022 that will be pretty vulnerable for me so those might be challenging ones to discuss. But yeah, I think it’s important to be real with the messages you’re putting out.”
‘Time in a Bottle’, the bonus track off the new album featured on episode one of the hit Netflix TV Show Firefly Lane. One week later, O’Neill performed the song live on the RTE Late Late Show – reaching an audience of approximately two million and the single charted that same weekend in Ireland across all genres. ‘Time in a Bottle’ was the highest new entry on the Irish Homegrown Charts at the end of February and playlisted by RTE Radio 1. This was a crazy unexpected experience for O’Neill.
“Yeah, it was. We were again, in the height of lockdown and it was February this year when it came out, and I didn’t at all know how it would be received orwhat kind of feedback there would be, but people loved it and again it was one of those brave songs to cover. It was a song loved by very many, and I grew up listening to that song. That’s one of my mam’s favourite songs. So it was an odd one to take on. But again, the story and the message of that song is so powerful and it’s so relatable. It’s so emotional when you listen to those lyrics. So I wanted the story to be at the forefront.”
“I was approached by Firefly Lane by the creators of the show, because theywanted a female version of Jim Croce’s ‘Time in a Bottle’. They didn’t really give too much direction or what way to do it or how it was going to go and I did my take on it, again, that was produced by Mark Caplice. We did our take on it, and they loved it and it ended up on the show. But it was one of those things, you know, February this year, it was the height of lockdown and everyone’s sitting down to watch this Netflix series and I’m just sitting down to watch it with everybody else and then listening to myself on it, so it was very surreal. I’m so glad that people really love that version and it was a wonderful thing to have happen, particularly again in a year where we weren’t leaving our houses.”
The singer-songwriter’s video for ‘Ireland’ got picked up and shared by none other than Olivia Newton-John. With such well-deserved recognition under her belt, I asked O’Neill what advice she would give to somebody starting a career in music.
“That’s a hard one. Be careful who you decide to work with, as in who you decide to be on your team, as a manager or an agent or whatever else. Thoserelationships are really hard to get right. But it’s really important to get them right. I know a lot of people, myself included who have had bad experiences on that front and it just, you know, it can destroy everything. We all get into music for the pure love of music, then all of a sudden it becomes a career and it becomes a business and it becomes a job and that can really challenge your love of it and challenge your attitude towards it which is hard. So I think being careful who you decide to work with, and also trust your gut because loads of people are going to tell you that you’re not good enough or you can’t do it or it’s too competitive or whatever. You’re going to hear “NO” way more than “YES” but your gut is usually right. Doing something that means a lot to you and that feels, like I was saying earlier authentically you, there will be people that will relate to that. Not everyone’s gonna like what you do but there will be people that will relate to what you do if it’s authentically you. So trusting your gut is important. Not even half the world is gonna like what you do. The whole point is having a niche market or having a select group of people that love what you do, and that can be a very sustainable career.”
O’Neill is an eloquent singer-songwriter who pours everything into her compelling tunes and her rendition of ‘Fairytale of New York’ is a fine example of this. Her moving vocals evoke a deep sense of loneliness and melancholy within the song and her sombre tones easily stir emotion with the listener. O’Neill is certainly an artist to keep an eye on. This singer has exciting plans ahead as she told me what next year has in store for her.
“Well, next year there is going to be a single coming out every eight weeks from January onwards. So next year will be a lot about releases and my music is going in a completely new direction, which I’m very, very excited about. It’s much more kind of into the pop realm. So I’m really excited for those new songs to come out and there’ll be two EPs. The first one will be in March-time. The second one will probably be in September/October. It’s not fully decided yet. So it’ll be mainly a year focused on releases because none of us really know where live is going to be next year, unfortunately. There are a few shows in the UK in February and then after that, we’re just gonna wait and see how the touring climate is. There’s going to be some songs I’ve written with other artists as well coming out which I’m really excited about. So just keeping creative. Keeping it going.”
Stream Megan O’Neill’s version of ‘Fairytale of NewYork’ below
Hailing from Co. Kerry, 22-Year Old Singer/Songwriter Nially has released his third single ’Four Years’. While originally written on acoustic guitar in May 2021, the song was quickly brought to life in the studio by top producer Brendan O’Connor. From the age of 16 Nially has gigged extensively across Kerry, Cork and as far afield as Augsburg, Germany. His debut single, ‘I Want It All’ released in January 2021, amassed over 10,000 streams in it’s first 4 weeks and received support across a number of radio stations in Ireland such as Spin South West, Radio Kerry, Red FM, Dublin City FM and FM104 and also reaching listeners across Europe, the UK and the US.
’Four Years’ is a rush of passionate indie as Nially takes a heartfelt melody and douses it with vibrant instrumentation to create an anthemic bopper for listeners to enjoy. With strident guitars pining between a steady beat and soaring soundscape, ‘Four Years’ has a dynamic indie rock wall of sound while raspy vocals exude emotion throughout. It’s an earnest and relatable tune that describes the experiences, relationships and events a person explores throughout their college years through suspenseful and compelling musicianship.
Irish born singer-songwriter Megan O’Neill has released her stunning cover of ‘Fairytale of New York’.Megan O’Neill’s songs have received great attention over the past year – including her recent single ‘Ireland’, which hit over 400,000 views on social media during release month. The video was also picked up and shared by none other than Olivia Newton-John as well as being added to the RTE Radio 1 playlist for three weeks running. O’Neill released her second full-length studio album this year, titled ‘Getting Comfortable with Uncertainty’. This much-anticipated album follows her last release, ‘Ghost of You’ which hit #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts in the UK and Ireland. ‘Time in a Bottle’, the bonus track off the new album, featured on episode one of hit Netflix TV Show Firefly Lane. One week later, she performed the song live on the RTE Late Late Show – reaching an audience of approximately 2 million and the single charted that same weekend in Ireland across all genres. Time in a Bottle was the highest new entry on the Irish Homegrown Charts at the end of February and playlisted by RTE Radio 1.
Megan O’Neill presents a beautiful, time-stopping rendition of ‘Fairytale of New York’. Her compelling voice gently coos the melody while an elegant piano provides a delicate accompaniment. She slows the pace of the song, allowing her striking, expressive vocals become the main focus of the track. With soft bell elements and delicate instrumental builds, O’Neill’s version of ‘Fairytale of New York’ is heartfelt, elegant and emotive – an utterly spectacular performance of this beloved classic.
Speaking of the single Megan O’Neill said “‘Fairytale of New York’ has always been my favourite Christmas song and a bold choice to cover, I will admit! I was really hesitant about covering such an iconic song but I knew that if I was going to go for it, it had to be so uniquely my own and a far cry from the original sonically. I think myself and Mark Caplice (producer) have managed to capture something special here. Our haunting version of this song really captures how heartbreakingly sad the story actually is”.
Cork native singer-songwriter Jen Ella has released her new single ‘Alien’.The song is a representation of enjoying youth, the risks we may take in life and how they make us grow as a person. Jen Ella is now based in Glasgow and has been writing music all her life. The song was produced and recorded by an artist called “Bad meditators” which was recorded in Jen Ella’s home in Glasgow over 5 months. Multi-talented musician and producer Ryan Bonnyman who represents himself under “Bad meditators” plays guitar, slide guitar, bass and piano on the track and talented Giampaolo Sudar plays drums.
‘Alien’ is a dreamy, laid-back tune that ventures into a 90’s indie-pop sound to express Jen Ella’s eloquent and refined musicianship. Her smooth vocals lull a dreamy melody while soft guitar exudes a psychedelic undertone. The track glows with an instant charm and soothing quality, with supple rhythms weaved between warm bass and slide guitar embellishments. Ella elevates the song with subtle layering and intricate melodies to create an ethereal soundscape that is glorious to listen to. Well crafted and masterfully produced, ‘Alien’ is an immaculate track to listen to again and again.
Cork native Lyra has recently released her new single ‘Lose My Mind’ via Rubyworks label. I caught up with the singer-songwriter to chat about the new single, the haunting events in the spooky Loftus Hall where she filmed the video and what we can expect from her upcoming, as-yet-untitled new body of work.
Lyra packages a song that is about losing all your inhibitions and being free in the most exhilarating manner. ‘Lose My Mind’ is a cinematic, dark pop dance tune that is sure to get people up to dance.
“I had an idea, a vague picture of sonically how I wanted the song to sound while I was writing it. This song came very simply because it is more of a stripped-back, I suppose, more pop song than I usually write, which is the bigger, hard-hitting, anthemic, quite high choruses. So for this one, the sound was easier to come up with. I knew that I wanted to keep my drums which I always reference Riverdance for because I love that big Celtic feel. But in this one, I wanted to also put the electronic sounds in. So, a lot of drum samples I went through. I don’t know how many, oh my god ! if I heard another drum that day, I think I was gonna drum my own head off. I knew that I wanted to have this pulsing beat and I knew that I wanted to have that intro that, like you said, kind of grabs you. That’s why I decided to put the chorus at the start because then, it kind of gets locked in their minds before they realize that it is the chorus, but without giving it away too much. I said “you know, I think we need to pitch this down a bit and make it sound a bit weird” or I was like “kind of Kanye West vibes”. The producers were like are you referencing Kanye West?. I know it sounds strange coming out of my mouth, but I did I just dropped that bomb. So I always had that vision in my mind when the song was being created that these were the rules, the bass notes of the song was something cool, beating drum, a kind of a weird vocal effect and putting the chorus first. And that’s how I made my baby.”
The singer-songwriter has a knack with catchy melodies, and the chorus in ‘Lose My Mind’ is a glorious earworm that just keeps on giving.
“I actually wrote the verses first, because they’re quite conversational kind of talkie you know. It was after this night out that I had and it was very fresh in my mind and I wanted to relay the story as natural as I could for people when they listened to the song, that they really got a sense of what I was talking about. So I started with the, “ I can see you looking,From across the room, you want me”, and it is like I’m talking in a singing voice. So that actually came first and normally I like to, in my choruses go a lot higher than the verses so it’s a bit more impactful. Then I was like, you know what, actually this one, I’m gonna keep it simple and I just randomly started singing “I keep losing my mind”. I kept repeating it and I was like, is this too simple? to have this just repeating in the chorus and then I tried out other things and I just kept going back to it. The chorus just came very naturally after I had sung the verse.”
Lyra’s voice is a recognisable factor in her music. She has impressive control, expressive depth and power in her vocals. Lyra explained to me that finding her voice and being comfortable with it wasn’t easy initially.
“It definitely took a lot of time for me to be confident in my voice. I suppose because – I call it a Marmite voice. You either love it or you hate it kind of vibe. Which I always say is fine by me. I don’t expect to be loved by everyone. It’s not how life naturally goes. But I suppose when I was starting out I was told a lot that my voice was too loud or that it was too brash, or I was told my diction was shocking and you know, I just went through this a lot. Anytime I got my demos back I’d almost be scared pressing play – what’s this gonna sound like now? because they would have as they will call it, polished up my voice a lot or there will be, a lot of autotune on it, a lot of reverbs, a lot of delays. A lot of the diction would have been cut into place and stuff like that so I always felt my voice wasn’t good enough if they had to change it so much. It took me ages to be actually ‘eff this, this is how I sound. I can’t have a CD and then get up on stage and then sing naturally the way [ I ] naturally do. It just doesn’t work. So when I wrote ‘Emerald’ I was very true to myself because I did it very much by myself. I took that time out of the music institute to find myself, I was like, this is who I have to be. Whether it works or not. I just have to be myself because I can’t be anyone else or I’ll be absolutely miserable and I won’t enjoy the time in the music industry anyway. So that was my big changing point where I was like, just sing how you actually sing and if people like it, they like it. If they don’t, then they don’t. And I’m okay with that.”
Anyone who sees Lyra live is blown away by how impressive her performance is and how her songs come to life in the live setting. She takes the passion in her music to new heights while still maintaining a fun and charming stage presence. We discussed the Kilmainham pilot music festival during the summer this year as that was my first time seeing Lyra perform live.
“I loved that. That was so scary. It’s so nice to hear that because you know a lot of people do say to me, “I follow you on Spotify and I came to my first show of yours and, it’s actually better in real life than on Spotify because you go for it” and I’m really singing and I suppose I can really get that passion out of the song, what it means to me and what it means to be in front of an audience. It’s just in that moment factor. So it’s always so nice when people say that because that’s why I want to be in the music industry, for the audience more than anything else. So thank you for saying that.”
The music video for ‘Lose My Mind’ was filmed on location within the infamous haunted corridors of Loftus Hall, situated at Hook peninsula County Wexford. It’s an impressive, fun and powerful video that makes use of the grand venue with rich lighting and multiple wonderful costume changes.
“ I knew with this song that I wanted a simple music video, I didn’t want to overcomplicate this and then I went working with this amazing girl called Debbie Scanlon. We worked together and we went back and forth and you know [to see] how we could develop [it]. Then it was actually my manager Caroline Downey who said “oh my god Loftus Hall would be amazing for this”. It’s a really big grand open space and I wanted somewhere where I could really show off my outfits as well, because originally the music video was going to be in a nightclub. Then we were kind of like, you know this space isn’t letting me artistically express myself and these outfits, I need a bigger space. So it’s actually my manager who came up with Loftus Hall.”
“Debbie was the director of the whole thing and she was amazing. She made me feel so comfortable on set and allowed me to be myself which I think always brings out the best in an artistic person and we went into the room and she was like, “well, we’re just gonna play the song and you, just do you and you know, this can be a test run and it’s fine”. And it’s actually the scene where I’m wearing the black outfit and we literally just put the music on and I just went crazy. I was just living in the moment of the song. It’s about losing your mind, being free, having no inhibitions in life. The song is about just living in that moment and just really enjoying yourself and that’s exactly what I did and she was like, okay, there it is. The music video is done. I just stopped and I was like wow, I just lost myself in that song for that moment”
“I call them my different colour characters in there where you start off with the lady in green, who has been left in the shadows and is this shy person that kind of meek person. Then she starts finding herself through the music video, and then you meet the girl in the blue tulle dress and the tulle dress is pretty but then you have like this diamante bra underneath it. That’s sexiness, like her transition from becoming this kind of meek little person who’s a bit shy and a bit timid and maybe a bit scared to express herself. This is the transition into the black outfit who was this badass b**ch who is like, this is my domain and I’m f**king living life how I want to f**king live it. Then you go into the Red Room, which is the final scene. She is the goddess sprawled across the bed with her diamante eyebrows on and, she’s like, I’ve arrived and you know, this is my domain and its that kind of full circle.”
“It was really good fun because I decided actually to style that myself. So I was literally arriving in Ryanair and there were like Fifteen thousand bags and theywere like, where are you going your flight is for a week and I was like, it’s just clothes. Customs everywhere stopped me and they pulled me aside and tried to open my bags thinking I’m smuggling something. I was like I swear this is just massive tulle dresses in here that’s all. They were like who is this bloody girl?”
Loftus Hall is a famously haunted mansion located along the Hook Peninsula, County Wexford. It is said by locals to have been haunted by the devil and the ghost of a young woman. I wondered whether Lyra had experienced any spooky incidents.
“Sandra [Gillen] on makeup and Katrina [Kelly] on hair said that they heard banging on the wall like somebody was knocking on the other side of the wall, but it wasn’t a wall that was dividing anything and they said they kept hearing stuff. I was like “you need to stop saying this to me because I’m the scarediest scaredy cat ever, you can’t say that to me cuz I’m going to shit myself”. But the thing is, I [ spent ] the whole day concentrating on doing a performance, getting out of the outfits, changing the entire look and going back in. I could have been standing next to a ghost the whole day and I wouldn’t have even noticed. I genuinely wouldn’t have had a clue. I was just – next outfit, next look, next this, next that. The ghosts are there like “who is this spooky b**ch she’s scarier than us” and there’s me with my ass out walking up and down, Jesus Christ, oh mortified.”
‘Lose My Mind’ is the first new single to come from the artist’s as-yet-untitled new body of work due for release later this year. Lyra explained to me that the song teases the sound to come from this collection of work.
“Yes, it definitely is. This is me developing. All my music has been a development from something. l started with ‘Emerald’ which is really Celtic. It was very much inspired by Enya [ and ] it was you know quite Kate Bush. They were all my influences back then when I was writing and I suppose I’ve just developed as a songwriter. I’ve developed my tastes and developed what I’m like singing on stage and you know, how I see the audience interacting with different types of songs. Then, I went on to ‘Falling’, which has that more commercial sound but still being very true to me as an artist with my drums and stuff like that and I feel ‘Lose My Mind’ is a very nice step up from ‘Falling’. So they all have [ been ] stepping stones to where I’m going. ‘Lose My Mind’ very much is a taster of what’s to come. I’m so excited, I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised.”
Lyra is set to perform at this year’s New Year’s Festival, Countdown Concert in Dublin Castle. She told me what else she has planned for the year and how much she is looking forward to the festival.
“ My Christmas EP, that I produced myself in lockdown last year. I’m going to bring that back out for Christmas. Just because everyone loves an old Christmas song and then in New Year’s, I’m playing at Dublin Castle with Picture This and Ryan Sheridan and that’s going to be amazing because I did Dublin Castle last year on my own, literally in the middle of Dublin Castle on a podium by myself singing ‘New Day’ ringing in the new year. So it’s amazing to go back. I’m really looking forward to that it’s going to be quite an emotional event for me, just from comparing it to last year. That’s what I have planned for this year, obviously a lot of mulled wine drinking. I’m going to my very first bingo loco which I’m so excited about because I’ve heard so much about it so I need a Christmas outfit for that.”
“Then next year I’m going bloody nuts you will find me everywhere. I’m going to be touring, releasing loads of new music and new stage setup. I’m just ready to take that extra step towards where my dream goals are so big bloody year. There’s no bloody stopping me. Nobody will be able to stop me next year. I’m working my ass off as we speak just to make sure that everything’s ready for next year. I missed out on a year and a half already. I’m making up for lost time and I can’t wait. I just can’t wait.”
‘Lose My Mind’ surges forward with an effervescent sonic wall of sound that is filled with elements of dark electronic and pulsing Celtic drums. Lyra’s incomparable vocals remain at the helm, strong and evocative as always. It’s a tantalising and exciting glimpse into what the singer-songwriter has planned for her next collection of work. Fuelled by ambitious vision, Lyra is an artist forging her own path and the result is engaging and exhilarating tunes that exude passion, lyrical depth and impressive musicianship.
Ste Kelly is set to release his new single, ‘SIMPATICO’. The track will be on Spotify on November 20th preceded by a live-action lyric video available now. ‘SIMPATICO’ is the latest track from Kelly’s new album ‘Bad News Best Forgotten’ which is set for release in March 2022. Ste Kelly is an IMRO award-nominated songwriter hailing from Dublin, Ireland – known for his previous work as founder and lead vocalist of Irish Indie Rock favourites RAGLANS whose self-titled album debuted at no. 5 on the Irish album charts. Stephen has toured alongside; The Libertines, Haim, The Fray and Twin Atlantic and The Pogues, to name a few. Ste’s songs have been used in partnership with major brands including Mitsubishi, Coors Light, BBC, Subotica Entertainment and Irish Ferries.
‘SIMPATICO’ showcases Kelly’s dynamic brand of indie rock in all its glory. With his notoriously catchy melodies in tow, Kelly presents a swaggered new single laced in tight grooves and rich instrumentation. The track glides upon intricate guitar lines and punchy drums that create a vibrant foundation for Kelly’s expressive vocals to bounce off. His fast delivery of the lyrics creates a sense of suspense and intrigue and complements the undertones within the lyrics perfectly, “been robbed by omnipotent’s, sullied by rings of power in the midst of enlightenment. Why do new things frighten us”. Boasting tight production and expressive musicianship ‘SIMPATICO’ is a proper bop to indulge in.
Watch the lyric video for ‘SIMPATICO’ below
Author: Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
