Month: January 2021

Following his 2020 success of hitting Number 1 on the Ireland Top 100 Songs chart with “Dark Rosaleen” and being shortlisted on the ballot for the Grammy Awards for his critically acclaimed song “The Old Man On Patrick’s Street”, Cork singer/songwriter Roy Buckley is set to release another highly anticipated self-penned single called “Devil Rose” on January 26 th 2021.

Shifting artistically from songs highlighting social issues such as homelessness and emigration, this time we are offered a different side to Buckley’s song writing style with this tale of the drop dead gorgeous, heart stealing temptress known as “Devil Rose”… the narrative suggests she has a wicked soul cunningly hidden behind the mask of her pretty disguise causing many men to fall for her irresistible charm… usually not realising their ill-fated destiny until it is all too late… the piano bar / jazz club element almost makes the listener feel as though they have wandered into Buckley’s own personal modern-day speakeasy !!

In studio, Devil Rose came to life through the hard work of an incredible team of producers, engineers and session musicians… from starting the recording process at Wood Street Studios with Buckley’s late great friend Lawrence White to completing the final mix at Kitten Lane recording studio with Keith Clancy & Aidan O’ Mahony.

Like Buckley’s 2020 releases, Devil Rose was mastered by Grammy Award winning mastering legend Adam Ayan at the world class Gateway Mastering facility in Portland, Maine, USA. Adam Ayan’s diverse clients include superstar artists such as Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Taylor Swift, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, and the Foo Fighters to name a few…

Roy Buckley is a singer, songwriter, musician, entertainer and recording artist from Cork City, Ireland. Since childhood he has “collected” Irish music and song, and in 2012 established the hugely successful “Song Collector Sessions” concert series, with over fifty productions under his belt since then.

Among many of Ireland’s greatest artists, guests at the concerts have included Aslan’s Christy Dignam and Joe Jewell, the late great Liam Reilly of Bagatelle, The Black Donnellys, Leslie Dowdall, Stockton’s Wing frontman Mike Hanrahan, the maestro Phil Coulter, and many more…

The concerts also led to a podcast.. interviews with leading lights in Irish music such as Finbar Furey, Phil Coulter, John Spillane, Sean McGuinness, The High Kings, and more.. The “Song Collector Podcast” is available on all platforms..

Internationally, when not “grounded” by Covid-19, Roy Buckley spends several months of the year touring and performing at festivals and events all over the world. Audiences in Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Estonia, Holland, Norway, the UK and the USA have enjoyed this Corkman’s music, comprehensive knowledge of folk music, and unique storytelling voice.

Phil Coulter recently described Roy Buckley as “The Last of the Great Balladeers”, while iconic songwriter Pete St. John, who personally asked Roy to sing his songs “Tara Tansey” and “Waltzing On Borrowed Time” called him “The Voice of Munster”.

His Summer 2020 release about homelessness, “The Old Man on Patricks Street” reached No.2 on the Irish Download chart, and made it on the first round of shortlisted songs in the running for the 63rd Grammy awards in two categories – “Song of the Year” and “Record of the Year”.

During 2020, Buckley was invited by Phil Coulter to collaborate on a recording of the song for Coulter’s Lockdown Lounge series, as well as recording many of Phil Coulter’s other classic songs.

When asked about his Grammy consideration, Buckley said “I am thrilled to have a song I wrote make it on the ballot for the Grammy Awards, it has been a very exciting journey. I am very proud to see an Irish folk song go this far in the Grammy process.”

The follow up single, “Dark Rosaleen” won great acclaim in autumn, reaching Number 1 on the Ireland Top 100 Songs chart in less than 16 hours of being released and has resonated strongly among Irish emigrants around the world.

“Devil Rose” Roy Buckley’s latest single, will be released on Tuesday, January 26 th , 2021… It will be the first time this story of the alluring seductress will be available worldwide on all download and streaming platforms.

While Buckley has started archiving the songs of Ireland and beyond with video productions for the brand new Song Collector Sessions YouTube channel project, he already has plans in place to release more new singles throughout 2021.

Take it or leave it but when it comes to the topic of music in Ireland and the UK, Offica is a candidate worthy of a mention. Enlisted as ones to watch for 2021 by Complex, Irish Times, Nialler 9 and others, after a successful 2020 which comprised of breakthrough singles ‘Face Reveal, Opor and Where’s the Motive featuring drill royalty Blanco & rising star Reggie B. An appearance on Apple Music’s Fire in the booth with Charlie Sloth and unforgettable ‘Mad about bars’ session with Kenny Allstar via Mixtape Madness. Ending the year with collective A92 dropping an impressive Mixtape titled ‘92 Degrees’ and charting with ‘Plugged In Freestyle’ in the official Top 40 charting single in both the UK & Ireland.

As A92 begin the year holding on the #2 Irish Homegrown Charts. Offica kick starts the new year with his first hit ‘Take It (Yuke)’ featuring DBO Funds. A 2 mins 56 second certified drill classic produced by Charley Manson & Kid Spyals, packed with rapid-fire rhymes and cocky bravado from Offica using his native pidgin and Irish slang as his sleight of hand. On the other hand, DBO supplying us with a memorable hook and his new motto for the new year “Take it, Take it, anything want’s man takes it ”.

Accompanying the single is a fast and furious movie starring Offica and DBO produced by Varidium Pictures and directed by Ovie Etseyatse (Davido, Kizz Daniel Yemi Alade). Premiering via Grm Daily on the 17th of Jan, buckle up for a journey into the world of Offica. Catch offica on the big screen before his Headline show this May, ahead of a Longitude set this July.

Offica – https://www.instagram.com/a9offica/

DBO – https://www.instagram.com/dbo.a9/

Moves Recordings: https://www.instagram.com/movesrecordings/

Athlone based artist D.Lewis is a pop artist who has just released his latest single ‘Birthday Vibes’. Raised in Ireland from the age of 16, D.Lewis originally comes from West Africa and has drawn on all aspects of his rich cultural background to create a distinct sound often amalgamating the cultures together.

D.Lewis gives some insight into the creation of the track by detailing “When I listened to the beat I thought it had a great vibe. I wanted it to be something everyone can relate to, and despite birthdays being a bit boring during the pandemic, I thought something like this track will help lighten up their day.”

It has been a groundbreaking year for his fellow peers such as Denise Chaila, Tebi Rex and JyellowL, and the scene continues to grow with D.Lewis offering something different to the current talent on show.

D.Lewis loves to mix it up, both in his music and his studies, with a degree in bioscience and chemistry from Athlone Institute of Technology, he has also gone on to complete a business degree alongside his musical pursuits. 

Drawing influences from Tinie Tempah, G.R.L to Demi Lovato and Lil Nas X, he has amassed over 450,000 streams on his Spotify channel already with an exciting year planned for 2021.

To listen to D.Lewis’ latest single ‘Birthday Vibes’ or hear more of his music, make sure to follow him on Spotify here.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUVYj1MRVDbzPvJZA-pBzQA
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VvoR1Edf9632IGlHYJV1M?si=1iSQzLttT1eCUNizHPnMFQ
https://www.instagram.com/lilshady10/
https://www.facebook.com/D.Lewis.X.Music

Recent Jawdropper Management signing, the incredibly gifted 18 year old Irish singer songwriter/producer Crybabyamy has signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG. 

Crybabyamy joins a roster that includes David Bowie, FKA Twigs, Frank Ocean, St. Vincent and has found a musical home at one of the most respected music publishers in the world. 

On signing Crybabyamy says;

 “Really proud to have bagged myself this worldwide publishing deal with BMG. This is an industry with no guarantees but I plan to make the most of it. I’m just glad to be able to show people that emotions are certainly not useless, and can get you a lot further in life than people like to tell you.” Crybabyamy

Crybabyamy is an 18 year old crybaby, as she describes herself, with the ambition to normalize emotional breakdowns through her pop-based music.

She is writing, producing and singing her way to removing the shame that comes with being somebody who spontaneously bursts into tears on the train home from work, or somebody who feels overwhelmed in the middle of a college lecture— and we’ve all been there. From being vocally influenced by Adele, to being lyrically inspired by the likes of Julia Michaels,

Crybabyamy is ready to portray the rawest of emotions in her music. Her last release, ‘nobody hears from me anymore’, the second release from the singer, details the ugly realization that you may have outgrown the people around you, and now all of your friendships are nothing more than a mutually beneficial advice-hub. 

“I knew the melody was special when I wrote it,” The songwriter admits, “I didn’t force myself to write something to it immediately, I waited. And I think something had been brewing within me, because the first two lines of the song came instantaneously. I like this song because it’s a stream of thoughts, and thoughts are always honest.”

With two tracks previously self released, ‘Process’ and ‘Nobody Hears From Me Anymore’, both of which garnered radio support here from Cork 96FM’s Michael Carr, Jenny Greene 2FM,  Beat 102103’s Rob O’Connor, WLR FM’s Ray Colclough, 2FM’s Dan Hegarty and Tara Stewart. 

“We’re delighted and excited to see Amy’s musical journey continue with BMG now joining her musical team.” – Jawdropper Management

Instagram here

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Spotify here.

As we stay at home and respect public health advice, the National Concert Hall (NCH) is encouraging the public to stay connected through culture while staying apart. This January, this NCH is offering selected highlights from its Livestream programme of 2020 by leading Irish artists, namely master fiddler Martin Hayes with special guests, celebrated Irish pianist Barry Douglas, award-winning singer songwriter Lisa O’Neill and the remarkable Chamber Choir Ireland.  

The NCH Livestream series highlights, approximately 30 minutes each in duration, are available to view from NCH.ie and NCH YouTube and Facebook pages until 31 January 2021.    

Livestream Series Highlights  

Lisa O’Neill’s livestream  – ‘Reflections: A Solo Concert by Lisa O’Neill’ – is a performance filled with all her idiosyncratic wit and insight. A songwriter like no other, her roots may be sourced in folk and traditional music but her work opens up a landscape beyond any settled sense of genre. Addressing an empty NCH, she takes the listeners on a musical journey from Raglan Road to songs on the work of Mother Jones in a powerful concert that displays her powerful yet tender voice and storytelling through song. (Original Livestream 12th June 2020). The concert was supported by Davy, as Innovation Partner, Culture Ireland, RTE.ie and The Irish Times, as part of the NCH Livestream Series. 

Click here to watch Lisa O’Neill

Arguably Ireland’s finest classical pianist, Barry Douglas who celebrates his Irish heritage while expanding his global presence through performance, plays the classic Carrickfergus and Mussorgksy’s much-loved Pictures at an Exhibition in a spell-binding recital that showcases Barry’s virtuosity and musicality. (Original Livestream 19th June 2020.) The concert was supported by Davy, as Innovation Partner, Culture Ireland, RTE.ie and The Irish Times, as part of the NCH Livestream Series.  

Click here to watch Barry Douglas

The country’s national chamber choir and flagship choral ensemble, Chamber Choir Ireland offers a mesmerising performance of the works of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, with whom they have a long-standing relationship, in their concert titled “A Sad Song for these Distracted Times”. (Original Livestream 8th November, 2020). This concert was part of the NCH Classical Livestream Series, supported by The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.    

Click here to watch Chamber Choir Ireland

A master of traditional music, fiddler Martin Hayes is said to have ‘sought and found a balance between the deep internal exploration of the local and the adventurous exploration of the global’. For this livestream Hayes, joined by new collaborators, pianist Cormac McCarthy and concertina, harmonium and bouzouki player Brian Donnellan, led an evening of authentic Irish music and virtuoso interplay. This was their first concert together showcasing a range of well-known tunes in unique arrangements which resulted in a new EP by Hayes Live at the NCH 2020 (Original Livestream December 8, 2020). This concert was presented as part of the NCH Imagining Ireland Series in partnership with Davy as Innovation Partner, Culture Ireland, and Serious UK.   

Click here to watch Martin Hayes

The NCH Livestreams: Series Highlights are available to view now on NCH.ie and NCH YouTube and Facebook channels until 31st January 2021.   

All livestream activity at National Concert Hall in 2020 was supported by The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. 

Critically acclaimed electro-pop artist Caz9 returns after a hiatus with her highly anticipated latest single ‘Ok’. 

Caz9’s latest single ‘Ok’ is a breakup letter to bad habits. It figuratively explores one’s relationship with taking substances, drinking and overeating, which are all coping mechanisms for someone dealing with difficult times. 

The video for ‘Ok’ is a mystical allegory for a night out, following a trio of disco witches on a hallucinatory trip through nature and the cosmos. Filmed in several locations around Wicklow, the witches dance their way through forests and stunning mountainscapes, drink psychedelic tea before shedding their white capes to reveal dazzling disco dresses. “Chasing the high from a party to alleviate your worries is cathartic, but too much of a good thing can leave you empty and eventually I realised I couldn’t keep “doing this to myself” – which is the last line of the song.”

Caz9 wrote and directed the video herself, working with two professional choreographers, Vicky Andreanska and Clodagh Smullen, who also star in the video. “I was very lucky to have such a talented team to help me bring my vision to life. This is the first time I’ve danced in one of my videos which is just a dream come true. I’ve always loved dancing but it wasn’t until lockdown that I started to take it seriously again. It’s become a huge part of my life in the last year and has been one of the major reasons I’ve been able to kick some of those old ways of being. That – and lockdown of course!”

A brilliant advocate for change, Caz9 has previously helped raise awareness for gender equality in the arts when she was handpicked for the Smirnoff equalising Campaign in collaboration with American DJ The Blessed Madonna and Irish collective ‘This Greedy Pig’ to help elevate female and female-identifying electronic music makers.

She states “I wrote this song at a stage in my life when I was doing far too many things that weren’t good for me and I was feeling sort of out of control… Habits can keep us feeling stuck and unable to move forward.” 

Providing an honest insight into her work, Caz9 candidly goes on to state “I have been self-medicating for anxiety since I was a teenager – which is a long time. Habits like that become part of who you are, become part of your identity, just like a relationship where you know the other person is bad for you but you can’t help going back to them.”

And just like a real relationship, there are good times and bad times, and feelings change over time. She warns that “dependence on any habitual behaviour for managing anxiety is a hard relationship to break out of.” 

To date, Caz9 has toured venues including Whelans, Sin É & The Button Factory, as well as appearances on the festival circuit with Electric Picnic, Body & Soul, and We’ve Only Just Begun Festival, amongst many others.

Caz9 wrote and produced the song in her home studio, employing the talents of Conan Brophy to add some finishing production touches and have it mixed and mastered. The video was edited by her husband, filmmaker Nicholas Whelan of Camoberg Productions.

If you would like to stream ‘Ok’ and keep up with Caz9’s latest releases you can do so here.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4qrTYeXcfZ4Vp7T8GxekVm?si=j9rqgAUTRiqWI8M2GDbhDQ
https://www.instagram.com/iamcaz9/
https://twitter.com/iamcaz9
https://www.facebook.com/IamCaz9/
https://soundcloud.com/iamcaz9

After a stellar 2020, Wild Youth kick off 2021 with their massive pop banger ‘Champagne Butterflies’.  

With ‘Champagne Butterflies’ mixing funk grooves, slick synth production and euphoric 80s flavours, the track’s utterly transcendent, soaring chorus once again showcases Wild Youth’s knack for immense, unforgettable pop hooks which has leaves listeners clamouring.

‘Champagne Butterflies’ is the latest in a string of new singles from the band, following on from the well-received ‘Next To You’ and ‘Through The Phone’, both helping to move the band towards global domination after conquering the Irish pop scene. Wild Youth’s kaleidoscopic ‘Next To You’ video received key support from WONDERLAND and huge hype across the blogosphere, alongside a performance slot on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show. Racking up over 1.2 million streams on Spotify alone, ‘Next To You’ also received vital playlist additions from Spotify’s New Music Friday UK, The Pop List and New Pop Revolution while also making the cover of New Pop UK and Apple Music’s A-List Pop.

With millions of plays to their name, Wild Youth’s blood-pounding choruses, catchy melodies and deft lyricism have resulted in the band dominating both Irish airwaves and charts, as well as landing them high-profile supports for the likes of Mumford and Sons and Zara Larsson alongside co-signs from Niall Horan and The Script.

Homegrown, humble fun is the main preoccupation of the Irish quartet – comprised of lead vocalist David Whelan, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Conor O’Donohoe, lead guitarist Ed Porter and drummer Callum McAdam – whose collective self-assured swagger has caught eyes and ears everywhere, as well as critical attention from broadsheets THE INDEPENDENT and THE TELEGRAPH.

Leading a scene of exciting new acts, Wild Youth’s penchant for sonic risk-taking means they are constantly evolving – expect huge things from the band this year as they continue captivating music fans across the world.

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Following the success of his E.P:  ‘Mediterranean Feel’ (which so far has generated over 400k plays on Spotify and Apple Music), as well as a feature on the prestigious Spotify editorial playlist “Jazz Vibes”. Nicolas Kluzek releases his first 2021 single: ‘Staying Put’.

Nicolas is a Paris born, Dublin based, songwriter/composer/producer. Let’s hear what Mark Stock says about this single:

“Nicolas Kluzek is currently having a lot of fun with Mediterranean sounds and also combines summery guitar rhythms with relaxed lofi vibes and jazzy melodies on his new single ‘Staying Put’. the French producer from Dublin manages to bring some positive and colorful feelings into the currently gray winter time with his steady high-quality releases, making him one of the most underrated and interesting artists in the international beat scene.“

‘Staying Put by Nicolas Kluzek is available across all digital platforms now.

Sun Mahshene weave a perfect storm of shoegaze guitars, memorable melodies, and insightful lyrics and over the past three years the Dublin quintet have become one of the most talked aboutpsych/shoegaze band.

On Friday 29^th January they release ‘The Righteous One’, a glorious swirling epic of whirling guitars bedding down a commentary on the phenomenon of cancel culture .

You can’t find the peace that you so crave, 
Staring down from your pedestal,
It’s insane, you’re in vain,
Yeah you’re the one, the righteous one!

Recorded at Darklands and produced by Daniel Doherty, it’s a four minute long psychedelic foot stomper that will make you nostalgic for late nights in sweaty rooms in front of big speakers!  

Sun Mahshene’s collective years of experience have helped them deliver some incredible live shows including appearances at Whelan’s Once to Watch 2018 and 2019, Ireland Music Week 2019 and high-profile support slots including Black Doldrums (UK) Magic Shoppe (US), Stony Sugarskull (DE) and Wand (US). 

​Releases to date include three self-published EP’s, followed by three critically acclaimed singles on Reckless Records IE. These singles were supported with playlisting by Spotify and extensive national and international airplay on BBC and RTÉ radio.

Pre Save it here https://ffm.to/therighteousone