The next generation of Irish RnB has arrived, as two of Ireland’s brightest artist collide bringing us a mesmerising RnB record immersed in indie-pop influences. The single touches on the topic of fear of lost memories as the complex title suggest, taking us through an emotional rollercoaster served harmoniously courtesy of honey glazed vocals from both singer/songwriters.
Matt Ó & Aik J melodically play on the metaphor of photography resembling it to capturing moments in time with someone they worry about losing. As they both request to “keep a picture in the back of my mind, so I can save it for life”, gripping the emotion of the listener every step of the way. The pair explained, “We wanted to use live instruments and plenty of panning to really immerse the listener in the track and draw as much emotion from the instrumental as possible. Wanted each part of the song to have its own identity rather than being a looped verse and chorus, each verse is personalised musically which would also make the listener inclined to find out what’s next.”
Having missed the golden opportunity of making music together while under the same management house 4 years ago. This exciting cross-genre collaboration between Matt Ó and Aik J arrives on the end of two introspective releases, with Aik J sharing ‘Replacement’ his first release under Dummy magazines record label DMY. And a rarely unaccompanied Matt Ó hot on the heels a successful release of his ‘Brackets’ EP as part of Hip Hop duo Tebi Rex. This gentle & melancholic approach from leaders in their respective genres in the Irish scene AikJ and Matt leaves us thirsty for another collaboration. Will it be fulfilled?
Following a series of releases this year Alica Raye has become one of the most impactful female artists in Ireland within a space of a few months she has made the cover of Spotify editorial playlist “The New Éire” alongside appearing on New Music Friday UK, Afro Bashment, Who We Be and Rap IE. With the help of Irish label Trust It Entertainment Alica Ray has since consistently released highly anticipated singles and collaborations that have positioned her as the future of the Urban sound in Ireland.
Alicia Raye’s debut project ‘Alphabet’ executively produced by Prod. Solo also known as Solomon Adesiyan, owner and founder of Youtube’s music platform DearfachTV and Irish label ‘Trust It Entertainment’. Excluding the pair, there are 40 Irish artists on the entire project names like Erica Cody, Evans Junior, Tolu Makay, Celaviedmai, Boyw1dr, Jordan Adentunji are just some of the names on the project. ‘ALPHA-bet’ features artists from all over the country including Northern Ireland. The message behind the tape is unity, coming together and doing something great. Like a string of letters coming together to create a word, a word with meaning.
‘Alphabet’ is a meaningful project filled with various musical sounds and expressions brought by each of the artists on the mixtape. The curation of this project re-emphasised the desperate need for collaboration and homegrown support in Ireland, particularly in the creative side of things such as the music industry. Alicia Raye and Prod.Solo “The aim of the collaboration is to showcase the diversity within the Irish Music Scene. Not one artist sounds the same. All 40 of us bring our own uniqueness and sauce to the project. A lot of hard work and dedication was put into this project, especially because it was curated throughout a pandemic. Making it that much special. ‘Alphabet’ can be called a cry of recognition. It’s time for Irish Artists to get the recognition they deserve. It is time the Irish Media have a fair and accurate representation of what Irish Music is in 2020. It’s not all horns and pipes anymore! It’s upbeat tempo, Afrobeat core progression, trap base and so much more. From smooth sexy ballads to dark rap and drill, this project has it all.“
Born Alice Esambe, Alicia Raye is an Afro-Irish singer-songwriter, model and rapper also known as “Alicia Taqueilla”. Originally from Cameroon, Alicia Raye began residing in Ireland in 2006. Alicia Raye grew up in a direct provision centre near Drogheda, where she attended both primary and secondary school. Alicia Raye’s love of music grew from an interest in English literature and rap. As she grew, Alicia’s love of rap transitioned to softer melodies and grooves. This artistic growth is what gave rise to her career as a musician. After years of teaching herself to sing, as well as writing songs for herself and others, Alicia Raye released her first single ‘Murda’ on SoundCloud in 2017. Since Alicia has gained thousands of followers and streams across her social media platforms.
When first released last year, Hudson Taylor’s ‘How I Know It’s Christmas’ announced itself as that very rare thing: a brand new Christmas song that could hold its own against the old seasonal evergreens. The song was heavily supported at Irish radio, at both a national and regional level. Only five old favourites enjoyed more plays in December – Mariah, Pogues & Kirsty, Wham!, Band Aid and Chris Rea. ‘How I Know It’s Christmas’ was the most-Shazamed song in Ireland on Christmas day itself last year.
For 2020, Harry and Alfie Hudson Taylor are bringing back ‘How I Know It’s Christmas’ together with two special new versions. First off, a thrilling, previously-unreleased orchestral arrangement featuring the RTE Concert Orchestra, recorded last year at Kilkenny Castle and shown on TV on RTE 1 last Christmas Eve. In contrast, a gorgeous, plaintive acoustic piano version, recorded by Harry and Alfie in lockdown last month, is also featured.
In a normal year, Hudson Taylor and their fans would be getting ready around now for the band’s now legendary sold-out week of gigs at Whelan’s in Dublin. It can’t happen this year, but ‘How I Know It’s Christmas’ will long ring out and resonate with Hudson Taylor fans both old and new.
‘How I Know It’s Christmas’ is re-released on Friday 27th November on Rubyworks.
The seeds for this album Hidden Gems were sown when The Zombies were inducted to the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in March 2019 in New York City. Due to this achievement widespread interest has grown in the band members individual projects which include ARGENT, Colin Blunstone and The Chris White Experience.
Francie and Chris have a longstanding musical relationship since the 80’s and Francie is featured on three of the albums from The Chris White Experience; these songs are also included on Hidden Gems.
Hidden Gems is a feelgood rock album with some outstanding performances from many iconic musicians, including:
Tim Renwick (Pink Floyd), Russ Ballard (ARGENT), Russ also wrote many classic songs including God Gave Rock’n’Roll To You, Since You’ve Been Gone, plus so many more… John Verity (ARGENT), Jim Rodford (ARGENT/The Kinks), Bob Henrit (ARGENT) , Vivienne Boucherat & Chris White (The Zombies), Jan Akkerman (FOCUS), Christy Dignam (Aslan), Finbar Furey (The Fureys), Gerry O’Connor (Joe Bonamassa/The Dublin Legends), Keith Donald & Matt Kelleghan (Moving Hearts) plus many more..
One of the hidden gems is a first recording of a new song written by Paul Williams, Oscar and Grammy award winning songwriter, with Keith Donald and arranged by Fiachra Trench.
A hidden gem from the archives, a live recording from a TV show in RTÉ Dublin 1974, when Francie was just a kid!!
Zimbabwe-born, Kildare-raised singer-songwriter Shiv today shares the lyric video for her recently released single ‘Letting You Know’, the third to be taken from her debut EP ‘Me 2 Me’, out December 4th. The track is available on all platforms to watch and buy now.
The lyric video is a lo-fi visual storyboard shot in Paris, where Shiv recently relocated to continue exploring her creative process. Writing, producing and recording her six-track debut EP during a year of self-discovery, Shiv was able to reach into her soul to figure out who she really is. With hypnotic dreamy vocals over lush R&B and neo-soul sonics, ‘Letting You Know’ is a personal note to release the overwhelming grip of deep-rooted anxiety. “It’s about the moment I finally realised that holding onto whatever was inside me wasn’t helping, that in releasing my deepest self and being comfortable with what that meant, I could finally let go of the fear that had embedded itself in my relationship with myself and my creative process.”
Shiv has incorporated all the influences from her upbringing to bring her inner feelings to life. Having established herself as a house DJ in Dublin, she soon realised her true passion was in songwriting and story-telling, whilst learning her craft as a producer alongside. Her debut EP is an intimate diary entry of work that shows just why she is being tipped as a voice of the future. Prepare to enter into the inner world of Shiv.
‘Letting You Know’ the brand new single from Shiv is out now, her debut EP ‘Me 2 Me’ is released on the 4th December 2020.
Social Connections is a series of 16 recorded live performances by a wonderful multi genre collection of Irish based artists. The Grand Social is delighted to open it’s doors with this fresh mixture of showcases by some of Ireland’s most iconic artists and a chance to explore the new breed of songwriters who are taking the scene by storm. The Grand Social has teamed up with collectives, booking agents, other venues and a multiple of friends to create Social Connections.
The Grand Social is also delighted to be a part of the Live Music Venue Collective which has created numerous days of work for the live entertainment industry during the pandemic by working together across the country. Find out more here.https://www.livevenuecollective.ie/who-we-are
Please join this December for any or even all of these amazing performances that will embrace you in the magic of music. Invite your friends and families from anywhere to the Grand Social. All tickets are free of charge and a live link will be mailed to you once you have registered. www.thegrandsocial.ie
Line up and date is here.
Dec 15th N.C. Lawlor 9pm Dec 16th Jem Mitchel 9pm Dec 17th Oliver Cole + Friends Dec 18th Aoife Nessa Frances 9pm Dec 19th Leila Jane 9pm Dec 20th A.Smyth 9pm Dec 21st The X Collective w/ Toshin, Shiv, Shy Mascot 9pm Dec 22nd The Young Folk ( Elgin) 9pm Dec 23rd Mongoose 9pm Dec 24th Lemoncello 9pm Dec 25th Liam Ó Maonlaí 9pm Dec 26th MUNDY 9pm Dec 27th SACK 9pm Dec 28th SON 9pm Dec 29th The Zen Arcade (former members from the Strypes) 9pm Dec 30th Ryan O’Shaughnessy 9pm
Each performance will be accompanied by the work of Douglas O’Connor, a Dublin based photojournalist, who has spent a life time walking the streets of Dublin, camera in hand. Since the lockdowns began in 2020 he has continued to document the city in all of it’s nakedness, shy of people. Walk the quiet streets of Dublin through the eyes of O’Connor.
The Grand Social presents: “Social Connections” A series of 16 live performances, recorded and broadcast on the internet. December 15th- December 30th Tickets are all FREE – Available from Tuesday, Dec 1st Please Register www.thegrandsocial.ie
This project has been part-funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht Sport and Media from the Live Performance Support Scheme.
Today, Aimée shares the candid video for her latest release ’Bulletproof’, a track written by Aimée in response to her experience with cyber bullying. This home shot video is an eye opening insight into the impact that online abuse has on those that receive it.
Working with Ollie Green (Gavin James, Freya Ridings, Becky Hill, Tiesto) and long-time collaborator Richey McCourt, Aimée worked hard to ensure every single lyric was reflective of her experience.
“I wrote the song after a rough few weeks of feeling really low. I was getting a lot of hurtful online messages and comments – people were attacking my character and shaming me for my weight and my appearance. I was getting tired of having to pretend like it didn’t bother me, because it did! So I sat down in my studio on a Sunday morning in my PJs and just poured my heart out onto a page. That’s how ‘Bulletproof’ came to life.”
The video, minimal and intimate, compliments the production of the track in its efforts to allow the lyrics be heard and understood. Shot and edited at home by Aimée and her boyfriend Ryan (Glass Half Full Productions), the video seeks to remind viewers that Aimée is a normal person with normal, human feelings and is not impervious to insult or hurtful comments by virtue of being a performer.
“I wanted to give people a look into my life when I’m having a rough day. I wanted to show myself as something other than the “performer”. To show that I’m a normal person with feelings, in hopes that that would resonate with people and encourage them to think before they type.”
A snippet of ‘Bulletproof’, was initially posted online to Aimée’s Instagram in direct response to a bout of online bullying. After the overwhelming response to the clip, the track was later released as a fan track for followers who may be experiencing similar traumas as a result of cyber bullying.
“My only goal with the release of this song was to try and explain the viewpoint of someone on the receiving end of online abuse or hate. It’s not about numbers – it’s just about the song. I’m really delighted to have put a visual to this song that might further help those who need it most. I’m overwhelmed by the supportive messages I’ve received since the track was released and hope that those people enjoy what we’ve done with the video.”
Despite Aimée’s goals, the track has seen incredible success: debuting Top 3 in iTunes where it battled for the top spot with Billie Eilish, scoring the highest new entry in the Official Irish Homegrown Chart as well as reaching Aimée’s best chart position to date at #13. It marks the end to a prosperous year for the singer/songwriter, having released her debut EP ‘Confession’ in March which jumped to the #1 spot in the iTunes Pop Album Chart while also reaching #1 in the overall iTunes Album Chart. 2020 also saw Aimée’s involvement in Irish Women In Harmony, a movement of Irish female musicians who together released an unbelievably successful cover of ‘Dreams’ by the Cranberries in aid of Safe Ireland. The track has raised over €300,000 for Safe Ireland, accumulated over3.3 million streams on Spotify and the video has over 3.5 million views combined. The release hit #1 on the Official Homegrown Chart in its first week – making them the first female act ever to do so. IWIH are now also the first female act to break into The Official Top 20 in over 10 years. Their original track ‘Together At Christmas’ released just last week, in support of the ISPCC, is surely set for paralleled success, having already hit the #1 spot on iTunes in its first week of release.
LIVE
Aimée’s February 2021Irish Tour dates below:
February 5th Roísín Dubh, Galway Tickets HERE February 6th Dolan’s, Limerick Tickets HERE February 7th Winthrop Avenue, Cork Tickets HERE February 11th Voodoo, Belfast Tickets HERE
When three extremely well-regarded folk musicians came together to form The Raines, great things were bound to happen. Next up is the new song ‘Barefeet On Grass’ that showcases their infectious sound.
Formed after a meeting on Inis Oírr, off the West coast of Ireland, Yvonne Tiernan, Ruth Dillon and Juliana Erkkonen, all talented musicians with eye-opening resumes, the idea to form The Raines was born. The chemistry was instant and fans are going wild over the mix of vocal harmonies, rhythmic strings, honest lyrics with a bit of unexpected Americana added to the mix.
‘Bare Feet On Grass’ was recorded in the Black Gate Studio, Galway engineered by Liam King. The award winning producer Brian Masterson famous for his work with The Chieftains, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson and The Bothy band, to name just a few mixed and mastered the track.
One look at the background of the women of The Raines and it’s hard not to be impressed. Yvonne (vocals/banjolele) also sings and has toured with The Chieftains, Ruth (vocals, guitar, ukulele) toured and recorded with the legendary vocalist Dolores Keane, is a former member of The Molly Hicks, and has three solo albums of her own, and Juliana, also a former member of The Molly Hicks (fiddle and vocals) has been at the fore front of the Americana musical scene in Ireland, where her fiddle playing has won over many a fan.
Written on a gloriously sunny morning during lockdown while swaying barefoot on a hammock in Connemara, this song focuses on some of the brighter moments that the band spent with their respective families, and the beauty they experienced in the world around them. It offers a glimpse of optimism and hope in the continuing uncertainty throughout Ireland. As is true of all songs by The Raines, ‘Bare Feet On Grass’ is awash with beautiful strings and harmonies, underpinned with lyrics will make you stop in your tracks.
“We are excited to release this song as introduction to The Raines sound but also as an uplifting reminder of the moments that have meant most during lockdown” commented Yvonne Tiernan from The Raines.
Barry Egan, from the Independent.ie, said in a recent review, “The Raines put me in mind of something from Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue from 1975 – particularly with the parts with Scarlet Rivera on violin opposite Bob – meets an edgy Emmylou Harris…”
‘Bare Feet on Grass’ is out now across all of the major digital platforms.
Dublin based band Battle Skies are about to release their new four track EP. The ‘Atoms’ EP was recorded in the second half of this year, during an extremely challenging period for the band as they navigated various lockdowns and restrictions to ensure the band finished the year on a high with its release.
The new EP sees the band experiment with different music styles and deals with a broad range of themes such loss, regret, despair and hope which were all heavy on the bands mind during the writing/recording process. The ‘Atoms’ release is produced / mixed / mastered by Berlin based regular collaborator Colm Rutledge (ex Humanzi / Mighty Stef) who has been at the helm of all the bands releases so far.
Speaking prior to the release of ‘Atoms’ release, guitarist Vinny Duggan said:
“We are really proud of all the tracks on our new EP. We feel it is our best work to date, we put our heart and soul into the writing and recording process and we can’t wait to have it out there. It was really important for us for the tracks to be released in 2020, because the four tracks provided the soundtrack of our lockdown this year and and also gave us the focus to get through it and make something new and exciting. Looking back at it it was a miracle we got its finished with the amount of obstacles thrown our way since March (no gigs, rehearsals studios closed and band members contracting Corona!)”
Public streaming links will be live from Friday 27th November HERE on all major sites (Spotify, AppleMusic, GooglePlay etc.)
After the storming success of their recently released studio album ‘One Day At A Time’, which has now been streamed more than 84 million times and seen them garner another 10 million monthly Spotify listeners, Kodaline have now unveiled the official video for their festive offering ‘This Must Be Christmas’.
Originally released on the same day as the deluxe edition of their latest album, which features a collaboration with Gabrielle Aplinon their track ‘Everyone Changes’, two covers – ‘Teenage Kicks’ and ‘The Rare Auld Times’, and of course the previously released singles ‘Wherever You Are’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘Saving Grace’and ‘Say Something’; the new video for ‘This Must Be Christmas’ sees the band deliver a heartfelt tale for the festive season.
Marking their very first Christmas single, the new visuals sees them blend the magical world of Santa’s Workshop with a sombre message about the difficulties many are facing after the year we have all had.
Speaking about the new video, director Lee Holmes said, “The track is essentially about drowning your sorrows in a pub at Christmas and I loved how the band had put their own stamp on the traditional Christmas song. So for the video I wanted to create that Christmas feel but with a twist, playing on the idea that Santa’s elves are like seasonal workers who live amongst normal people during the year, until Christmas comes. And in these uncertain times it makes sense that their job security is in the balance, just like the rest of us. Kodaline have such a great track record for music videos so it was a privilege to get to work with them and create a video for their alternative Christmas vision.“
The band have also released the deluxe version of ‘One Day At A Time’ on 20th November both physically and digitally, making it the first opportunity for fans to own the record in a physical format. Stream the new album HERE.
In August this year, Kodaline performed their smash-hit album ‘In A Perfect World’ back to back for the first time since its recording, and will be heading back to the stage with the showcase live across the UK and Ireland in 2021. Tickets on sale now from https://kodaline.com/live/
‘One Day At A Time’ is the band’s fourth album, and adds a new chapter to a career that has already encompassed three #1 albums in Ireland, two Top 5 albums in the UK, and more than a billion streams at Spotify.
Kodaline approached the album with a streamlined process that took them back to their roots. The majority of the sessions revolved around the four band members alone in their modest recording space in Dublin, with bassist Jason Boland leading the production side of things.
The band’s primary objective was to focus on the emotion that has informed many Kodaline fan favourites. As we’ve seen from the two recent singles, they’re playing to their strengths: insistent melodies and captivating hooks exploring stories that are revealing, unguarded and immediately relatable.
“The main thing this time was to capture those emotions through everything,” says frontman Steve Garrigan. “We also wanted to use a lot of harmonies and play to our strengths.”
In 2019, Kodaline played some of the biggest shows of their career. At home in Dublin they sold-out two huge outdoor shows at St. Anne’s Park, while a ten-date UK tour culminated with a packed show at London’s historic Roundhouse. Further afield, they hit festivals including Lollapalooza, Benicàssim and Open’er before becoming the first Irish band to headline the massive NH7 Weekender in Pune, India. Their extensive touring throughout Asia also included a headline set at Monsoon Music Festival in Vietnam plus dates in China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and Singapore.
Kodaline Live dates:
May
17 – Oxford – Academy 18 – Cambridge – Corn Exchange 19 – Bexhill – De La Warr Pavilion 21- Birmingham – Academy 22 – Nottingham – Rock City 23 – Manchester – Albert Hall 25 – Newcastle – Academy 26 – Glasgow – The Barrowland Ballroom 27 – Leeds – Academy 29 – Norwich – UEA 30 – Bristol – Academy
June
1 – Southampton – Guildhall 2 – London – Shepherd’s Bush Empire 27 – Dublin – Malahide Castle
July
2 – Lytham Festival with Snow Patrol
August
20 – Belfast Custom House Square
‘One Day At A Time’ tracklist
1. ‘Wherever You Are’ 2. ‘Sometimes’ 3. ‘Saving Grace’ 4. ‘Say Something’ 5. ‘The Evening’ 6. ‘Spend It With You’ 7. ‘Care’ 8. ‘Heart Open’ 9. ‘Everyone Changes’ 10. ‘In The End’ 11. ‘This must be Christmas’ 12. ‘Everyone Changes’ featuring Gabrielle Aplin 13. ‘The Rare Auld Times’ 14. ‘Teenage Kicks’
