Month: March 2020

ZALI returns with the highly anticipated debut music video to her latest single and female empowerment anthem, ‘That Girl’, produced by Blaise Beatz (previous credit: WizKid, Tekno, Tiwa Savage). The video, like the song, is as bold and honest as we’ve come to expect from ZALI and shows her in all her glory as the multi-hyphenated artist and woman we know her to be.

Directed by Ovie Etseyatse (previous credit: Yemi Alade, Aimée, Mark McCabe), the video features, head bumping choreography, exceptional style, and audacious female energy you can’t ignore. ZALI is forever championing women and with this video, shines the light on girls everywhere to claim their power back and be unapologetic in their confidence to own who you are and the parts of yourselves that deserve to be seen and loved.

The award-winning Irish Singer-songwriter continues to hypnotise Ireland and the UK with her powerful vocals and her distinct cross-genre sound of Pop-Soul. Music has been her passion since childhood, and her involvement as a lead vocalist in the church choir helped ZALI develop her powerful voice, dynamic vocal range, and signature sound of old- school R&B mixed with Pop-Soul.

Inspired by artists like Amy Winehouse, Toni Braxton, and Frank Ocean, ZALI uses her music to capture true emotions. The embodiment of a storyteller, weaving through life experiences and expertly transforming them through captivating lyrics and a combination of lively and soul-filled beats.

“‘That Girl’ is a bold reminder to girls everywhere to unapologetically own the unique and multifaceted nature of who they are, because, even when we don’t see it ourselves, there are people out there looking up to us and being inspired by us each and every day. If us girls, in solidarity, can claim our rights to be ‘That Girl’, there’s no limit to what we can achieve. I wanted to showcase with this video, that I can’t be defined or limited to anyone’s idea of who or what a woman should be, and artistically present all the parts of my life that make me who I am today.“

www.zalimusic.com
https://twitter.com/zalimusic
https://www.instagram.com/thisiszali/

‘Don’t Let Love Slip Away’, released 3rd April, is the second single from Ultan Conlon’s 4th Studio Album, ‘There’s a Waltz’.

The Radio Edit was mixed by Colin Elliot (Richard Hawley, Jarvis Cocker) in Yellow Arch Studios, Sheffield.

Conlon’s new record, ‘There’s a Waltz’ (Out on April 17th) was produced by acclaimed Bluegrass and Grammy winner Sean Watkins (Nicklecreek, the Watkins Family Hour) and was recorded in LA in just over two days to capture that timeless sound and classic album feel.

Ultan and Watkins recorded the album with some of the top session players in Los Angeles including Don Heffington – Drums (Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Ron Sexsmith, Percy Sledge), Sebastian Steinberg – Bass, Double Bass (Iron and Wine, Neil Diamond, Neil Finn, KD Lang), Gabe Witcher – Fiddle (Punch Brothers, Dave Rawlings Machine, Paul Simon, Beck), Rich Hinman – Pedal Steel. (KD Lang, St.Vincent), Sara Watkins -Backing Vocals (Nicklecreek, I’m With Her, Watkins Family Hour) and Tyler Chester – B3, Piano (Jackson Browne, Andrew Bird).

The album was mixed in Nashville by Collin Dupuis and mastered at RCA by John Baldwin.

The Alba Rosa Viëtor Foundation organizes its fourth Alba Rosa Viëtor Composition Competition. The Competition is named after the Italian composer, violinist and pianist Alba Rosa Viëtor (1889-1979).

The Alba Rosa Viëtor Composition Competition 2020/2021 invites composers to submit an original work upon an English text, not exceeding 9 minutes, for one singer (mezzo-soprano) and two, three or four instruments (viola, violoncello, clarinet and piano).

Composers 35 years of age and under, residing anywhere in the world, are invited to apply.

The winning composers will be awarded the Alba Rosa Viëtor Prize of €3,000, and/or the Audience Prize of €1,000.

The APPLICATION deadline is 1 November, 2020.

Visit website for more information:
albarosavietor.com

Hot on the heels of the release of Aimée’s debut EP, ‘CONFESSION’ that landed just last Friday, flew to the #1 spot in the iTunes Pop Album Chart and is currently sitting at #2 in the overall iTunes Album Chart, comes the official music video for her latest lead single ‘What My Mamma Gave Me’.

The single was added to New Music Friday UK, upon release and has already seen national radio airplay support.

Of this single, Aimée says:

“Saving my favourite till last on the EP! A song dedicated to every Mam out there who dedicated their life to make their children feel loved, safe & inspired. My Mam was my soulmate, my biggest inspiration. I try every single day to make her proud. I just know that she will be singing and dancing to this one in heaven…”

With this sentiment in mind, the vision behind the video was to portray a touching tale about the support a mother provides for her child while encouraging them to follow their dreams.  Aimée teamed up with Bold Puppy Productions and Luna to help create a quirky, colourful world that was fun, light-hearted and sentimental. With the help of a great team they managed to really bring this to life.  The Dublin singer wanted to keep things relatable and local with the use of the Axis in Ballymun and The Stella Cinema in Rathmines, Dublin. If you pay close attention, you may even spot Aimée and members of her family playing small cameos.

Prior to ‘What My Mamma Gave Me’, Aimée released the stunningly emotive fan track ‘I’m Ok’ that was a teaser of what the EP would deliver. Also featuring on ‘CONFESSION’ is the top 30 Irish radio hit, ‘Don’t Call Me Pretty’. The pop anthem received global radio support with numerous stations including The Dominican Republic, Italy, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Nambia, Spain, Switzerland, and 125 stations across the UK.

Aimée has over two million combined streams, to date.

Live Dates

19^th – 21st June 2020
Sea Sessions, Bundoran, Donegal
19^th – 21st June 2020
Body & Soul, Westmeath
31^st July – 2^nd August 2020
Indie20, Cork
31^st July – 2^nd August 2020
No Where We’d Rather Be, Kilruddery House & Gardens, Bray
10^th – 12^th July 2020
Sult Festival, Gweedore
7^th October 2020
*Whelan’s Dublin (RESCHEDULED)

*All existing tickets for Aimée’s show on 27^th March will remain valid and fans should hold onto them for use in October

VIDEOS

Watch ‘What My Mamma Gave Me’ Here!
Watch ‘I’m Ok’ Here!
Watch ‘Don’t Call Me Pretty’ Here!
Watch ‘Break Me’ Here!
Watch ‘Don’t Bother’ Here!

Get ‘CONFESSION’ Here!

Order Limited Edition ‘CONFESSION’ Vinyl Here!

Follow Aimée on
AiméeMusicOfficial.com // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // Youtube // Spotify

The Central European String Quartet has announced its 2nd International Composition Competition. The entire selection process is anonymous, and the competition is open to composers of all ages and nationalities. In addition to monetary prizes, the 1st prize winning piece will be premiered and performed three times by the Central European String Quartet in the 2020/21 season, including at the renowned New Millennium International Chamber Music Festival.

Other performance opportunities, scholarships, and special prizes will be offered.

The application deadline is on 10 April 2020 (with a late application deadline on 10 May 2020).

Information and application:

https://www.centraleuropeanstringquartet.com/international-composition-competition.html

Aimée’s highly anticipated debut EP, ‘Confession’, has finally landed and is available now, via Universal Music Ireland. 

When writing the EP, Aimée says:

“I wrote it with only one goal in mind, to make people feel something. Considering this is my very first EP and my very first body of work, I had a choice of creating something cool & expected or creating something honest & real. I chose to be honest & real because that’s who I am as a person. So, this kind of feels like sharing my diary with the world. Hello World! This is my confession…”

The powerful anthem, ‘What My Mamma Gave Me’ also lands today and is the Dublin singers latest single to be taken from the EP, with its official music video set for release this coming Monday, 30^th March.

Of this single, Aimée says:

 “Saving my favourite till last on the EP! A song dedicated to every Mam out there who dedicated their life to make their children feel loved, safe & inspired. My Mam was my soulmate, my biggest inspiration. I try every single day to make her proud. I just know that she will be singing and dancing to this one in heaven…”

Aimée recently released the highly personal fan track, ‘I’m Ok’, along with an emotive lyric video that hosts a nostalgic montage of family photos that include Aimée’s Mam, who the song beautifully pays tribute to.

Prior to her current focus track, ‘What My Mamma Gave Me’, Aimée released her top 30 Irish radio hit, ‘Don’t Call Me Pretty’, the first track to be taken from this stunning EP. The pop anthem received global radio support with numerous stations including The Dominican Republic, Italy, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Nambia, Spain, Switzerland, and 125 stations across the UK.

Aimée has over two million combined streams, to date.

Live Dates

19^th – 21st June 2020
Sea Sessions, Bundoran, Donegal
19^th – 21st June 2020
Body & Soul, Westmeath
31^st July – 2^nd August 2020
Indie20, Cork
31^st July – 2^nd August 2020
No Where We’d Rather Be, Kilruddery House & Gardens, Bray
10^th – 12^th July 2020
Sult Festival, Gweedore
7^th October 2020
*Whelan’s Dublin (RESCHEDULED)

*All existing tickets for Aimée’s show on 27^th March will remain valid and fans should hold onto them for use in October

Follow Aimée on
AiméeMusicOfficial.com // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // Youtube // Spotify

Multi-instrumentalist performer and songwriter James Cramer has been co-writing with some of Ireland’s chart toppers for many years, including Hermitage Green, Luan Parle and Eleanor McEvoy. 

James also fronts the alt-folk band Tupelo. With three albums of original music written entirely by James, Tupelo have played sold out tours in Denmark and Holland, played festivals and shows in Ireland, UK, France, Belgium, Norway, Russia and the USA. 

As diverse a musician as he is talented, James’ solo music has already captured attention including ‘My World Again’, with it’s impacting honest recital and piano led refrain, which featured in Canadian reality TV series ‘Hello Goodbye’. Another of James’ songs, ‘The Road To Kinawley’, will feature in the BBC television adaptation of Irish author Sally Rooney’s Man Booker Prize-shortlisted book, ‘Normal People’, directed by Lenny Abrahamson.  

‘Simple Man’, the first single to be taken from James’ debut solo album (to be released later this year) sees him channel all of his skills into this big, bold, soulful pop song. 

After teaming up with Norwegian producer Eirik Molnes Husabø, James flew to his studio in Norway to record ‘Simple Man’. 

James Cramer says: “I wrote this song on the piano and then we finalised it in the studio. Between myself and Eirik we played all the parts because I wanted his musical input too. We got into the studio in Norway and we were just jumping at it! He played bass and piano, then I played guitar, then he played drums and I played percussion… we’re two very like-minded musicians and it was a great way to work.”

James’ prowess on multiple instruments is perhaps even more impressive considering he is almost entirely self-taught. In his own words he ‘never took to teachers’ and ‘just found his way around the instruments’. 

James says: “I’ve been navigating my whole life this way. I grew up in Cabra (Dublin) and my grandmother bought me an old upright piano when I was a kid. My parents didn’t have any money so my Nana had been working as a cleaner and chipping money off this piano every week to buy it for me.  I took a few piano lessons but never really liked being told what to do so I found my way around it and taught myself. Then I moved on to other instruments.” 

‘Simple Man’ by James Cramer is out now on Bohemia Records. 

https://www.jamescramer.eu/

‘Slow Creature’ marks Perlee’s first body of work. The songs dig deep into the reality of our ever-present emotional lives. ‘Conditions To Thrive’, ‘Chain Of Coral’, ‘Charlie’s Song’ and ‘Feelings of Plenty’; connection, pain, longing and gratitude. The bones of this E.P. were recorded to tape at Analogue Catalogue studios in Newry early 2019 with renowned engineer Julie McLarnon (New Order, Lankum, The Vaselines). Perlee met Julie at a Dublin gig in 2018. She invited them to her studio and straight away it was a good fit. They recorded several tracks to tape and these releases are the fruits of that week. 

Stereogum had this to say of Perlee’s first single off the EP, ‘Chain Of Coral’: ‘The duo’s melody weaves in and out of focus initially, like tips of flames moving in unpredictable yet still natural arcs. The song becomes entrancing…drawing you in with one flare, one faded hook, before encouraging you to get lost in its currents. It’s a sighing, beautiful composition.’ Read the full article here. (The duo recently changed the spelling of their name from Pearly to Perlee.) There are guest appearances on ‘Chain Of Coral’ from A.S. Fanning on bass and O Emperor’s Brendan Fennessy on drums. The track was mixed by A.S. Fanning in a studio in East Berlin which once served as a Stasi HQ before the wall came down. 

‘Conditions To Thrive’, the third release from the ‘Slow Creature’ E.P’, is the last to be released but the first track on the EP. Like ‘Chain Of Coral’ it was mixed by A.S. Fanning in Berlin. Matt Ingram lent his incredible drumming skills to it (as he did for ‘Charlie’s Song’) and the overall effect is a drone led, Velvet Underground red-wine reverie, about life, love and loss.

‘Feelings Of Plenty’, in contrast the the rest of the tracks, was captured in a one-take live recording and is minimal in it’s production with one electric guitar and two voices and was mixed by Julie in the foothills of the Mourne Mountains. Saramai recalls, ‘We started playing ‘Feelings of Plenty’ in the live room, just warming up really and getting our sounds. The amp was in the room and everything. Suddenly the light on the mountains turned purple and there was a certain magic glow in the room. Julie quickly set up six mics around us, kind of like a photographer. That’s the recording you hear.’

In 2017 Cormac O’Keeffe and Saramai Leech moved to Berlin from the remote Irish countryside of Co. Meath. The fruits of gigging frequently and embedding themselves into the Berlin music scene are evidenced in their honed and unique songwriting. “Though we moved to Berlin with a trove of songs, the bulk of the EP was written after we arrived in Germany. The Berlin scene has pushed us in ways we don’t even fully realise yet. There’s been a great freedom in living in such a big city. Mostly it’s the space and time to experiment and the fact that you can gig often to different audiences.” says Cormac.

Live Dates postponed due to Covid 19 – Rescheduling – TBC

Slyrydes are a four piece band from Galway city, Co Galway. In 2019 Slyrydes released their first four singles from March to October (‘Mental Health’, ‘Point Of View’, ‘Out Patience’ and ‘Dangerous Animals’) The singles collected much critical acclaim nationwide and in the UK. Paul McLoone (Today FM/The Undertones) has championed the band since the first single ‘Mental Health’. 

Slyrydes are known for touching on the subject of mental health and the HSE.  

They have worked with Daniel Doherty in Darklands studio Dublin city (Fontaines DC/ Vulpynes/ Damien Dempsey) on every single so far.  

Slyrydes are currently working on their debut album while playing select shows around Ireland.  

‘I Claim To Be Intelligent’ is the first single of 2020. 

“With this new single I think we show off a side to us the listener hasn’t heard before. The way we write songs is ever evolving, to us this sounded more like an REM song the first time we played it together…”

Slyrydes are set to play Sunstroke 2020 alongside bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Faith No More and Refused. 

https://slyrydes.com/
https://www.facebook.com/slyrydes/
https://www.instagram.com/slyrydes/?hl=en

The team of K-FEST have issued a statement regarding the difficult decision to cancel K-Fest 20/20.

“It is with deep regret that we must announce the cancellation of K-FEST 20/20.

Clearly this was not the course of action we hoped to take for this year’s event, and we held off as long as we could, hoping the situation would improve. However, following the new government measures announced earlier this week and our own belief that everyone’s health, safety, and well-being should be at the forefront of our festival, this is the appropriate decision.

The cancellation of K-FEST 20/20 will no doubt come as a blow to all our committee members, volunteers, artists and performers who have already worked so hard to make the event happen. The festival and our artists are hugely disappointed, and we are sorry that some audiences will miss out on seeing these fantastic works.

There will also inevitably be financial implications as a result of this cancellation, locally as well as for artists and performers, so we ask you to please continue to support the arts during this time. Commission works, buy works, purchase albums, show tickets and gift vouchers. When your town reopens, buy from and support local businesses.

We hope to see you all back for K-FEST 2021, where we plan to come back stronger than ever, showcasing many of this year’s missed performances, plus lots of new artists and acts.

We very much hope that the situation in Ireland will significantly improve in the coming weeks. Until then, we send our love and support to all of you and your families.

Stay safe, stay separate, stay creative.” — The K-FEST Team