Author: Breffni Banks

Singer-songwriter Annmarie Cullen has landed back on Irish shores, after enjoying a hugely successful songwriting career in LA with Disney and Warner Chappel, working on Nickelodeon shows like iCarly and Drake And Josh, CBS drama Blue Bloods and as a performer in her own right with band Saucy Monky. When a move to Barcelona, where she worked for a time outside the music industry, ended in a marriage breakup, Annmarie returned to her native country to reignite her passion for music.

Annmarie’s new single, the pared-back yet searingly powerful ‘What I Once Meant To You’ beautifully balances delicate vocals with silky smooth piano and symphonious strings as she bares her soul and reflects on a heart-breaking chapter in her life. This lovelorn offering, accompanied by a self-directed video, is the first of three singles Annmarie plans to release this year, with an album and live shows also in the pipeline.

With the allure of music and adventure calling to her, Annmarie left her native Dublin and moved to Los Angeles in the 90s, casting all her fear of the unknown aside. After an obligatory spell waitressing, she secured staff writing gigs with Disney and Warner Chappell. It kicked off a high-flying music career for Annmarie as she went on to help soundtrack some of the most popular TV shows in the last two decades, such as light-hearted Nickelodeon shows like iCarly and Drake And Josh and the high-octane, Tom Selleck led crime series Blue Bloods, as well as cult lesbian film and comedy-drama And Then Came Lola.

As exciting as that was, Annmarie truly felt at home performing on stage, which she first did under her stage name “Annmarie Montade” and then alongside New Yorker Cynthia Catania touring with their band, naughties indie darlings Saucy Monky, across America, the Czech Republic and Ireland. Along the way, there were encounters with Katy Perry and Sara Bareilles – and Annmarie has many other LA stories she’ll tell you about over a drink!

Annmarie moved to Barcelona in 2016 with her then-wife as her working-life took a new direction, with the offer of a tech role. Their marriage ended in late 2019 and fast-forward to 2021, Annmarie is back in Dublin and “making some of the most emotionally charged music you will hear this year”. As was the case for many musicians, Covid-19 posed certain challenges for Annmarie, but she was undeterred as she pledged to return to the thing that always served her most since a young age: music.

Annmarie has worked on her new material remotely, collaborating online with a host of musical friends including drummer Adam Marcello (Katy Perry), guitarist Meg Toohey (Sara Bareilles) and TV and film composer Gabriel Mann (Modern Family). This resulted in the emotive and expressive new track ‘What I Once Meant To You’ available for download and to stream everywhere now.

‘Ogham Scars’ is the new single from Dublin-based group Sun Collective, featuring contributions from Harpist Gemma Doherty, part of duo Saint Sister.

Produced by Ross Turner (Lisa Hannigan, Villagers), and recorded by Ber Quinn (John Grant, Divine Comedy), ‘Ogham Scars’ features artwork from visual artist and Aosdána member John Noel Smith, and a live video performance of the song from Other Voices Festival in December. Watch here: https://youtu.be/qTMKIYclzP0

Speaking about the song, the band’s front man Caimin Gilmore says:

“I robbed the title (& possibly the entire meaning) of ‘Ogham Scars’ from the work of painter, John Noel Smith. A number of his series use Ogham iconography, which simultaneously recalls and disassembles the early medieval Irish alphabet, re-purposing the linguistic symbols into motifs that are both aesthetically traditional and contemporary. His re-imagining and dismantling of this imagery, for me, asks questions of how people use old & contemporary iconography to communicate ideas, language and identity. It was only recently I realised that I wrote ‘Ogham Scars’ mirroring the ideas I formulated about the meaning of his work.

It features the beautiful playing of Gemma Doherty from Saint Sister. There’s a sense of mysticism that the harp in unison with the guitars lends & obviously suits the song title. I recorded on a few tracks off Saint Sisters upcoming second album & I’m writing a piece for Gemma and cellist Kate Ellis (Crash Ensemble) at the moment, so it just made sense to ask her to lend a hand to the work.“

‘Ogham Scars’ is the final of three singles shared in the run-up to, and in conjunction with, the groups’ appearance on award-winning and internationally acclaimed Irish music series, Other Voices, TONIGHT April  15^th on RTÉ 2 television, RTÉ Player worldwide & subsequently on Other Voices YouTube.

Website :: https://www.suncollective.ie

Facebook :: https://www.facebook.com/suncollectiveensemble/

Twitter :: https://twitter.com/suncollective_

Instagram :: https://www.instagram.com/suncollectiveband/

Renowned country star Johnny Brady and well known singer-songwriter and TV Judge Caitríona O’ Sullivan (Glór Tíre ar TG4) have teamed up to co-write and duet on their new single ‘This Country Girl’, a radio friendly crossover Country Pop style ballad. With both intimate and powerful vocals, catchy hooks and a feel good melody, it tells a story about chasing dreams and romance blossoming. A hint of Nashville in both song writing style and vocal performances from the native Antrim & Kerry songwriters.

Johnny and Caitríona met on the set of Glór Tíre where Johnny has performed and been a mentor to some amazing contestants on the programme over the years. Caitríona has been a judge on the show since it began 16 years ago alongside fellow judges -broadcasters John Creedon and Jo Ní Chéide. Brought together by their mutual love of song-writing and performing, Johnny and Caitriona wrote many songs together over the past year with the fruits of their labour evidenced in their new single ‘This Country Girl’. The accompanying video to ‘This Country Girl’ was shot in the beautiful town of Dingle and on the beautiful cliff tops of west Kerry Gaeltacht Dun Chaoin, where Caitríona began her journey learning the Irish language. ‘This Country Girl’ will be available for digital download on all platforms on Friday April 16th.

Caitríona hails from ‘The Munster Bar’ in Tralee Co. Kerry where she grew up listening to and performing a wide variety of music in her parents’ bar. Classically trained in voice and piano, she studied music at the Kerry School of Music and went on to study opera with renowned voice coach Dr.Veronica Dunne in the Royal Irish Academy of Music and holds a first class honours degree and masters in music and Irish. Johnny and Caitríona are both thrilled with the result from their first duet recording session recently and already their social media platforms are on fire with eager fans awaiting their new single!

Johnny Brady has one of the most distinctive voices in the modern country music. Known for his powerful vocals, energetic performances and charismatic personality, Johnny has a unique sound and it is no surprise that he is a multi-award winning artist. A prolific singer songwriter, he has recorded four albums to date which showcase his passion for songwriting and his ability to resurrect classic country songs and make them his own scoring big hits in recent years with songs like ‘Chicken Fried’ and ‘Hillbilly Rock’. Drawing on his many Rock and Pop influences, Johnny has been a man in demand on the festival circuit, regularly features on national television shows and has a busy touring and recording schedule. Scoring a publishing deal with ‘Bardis Music’ some years ago, he has made numerous trips to Nashville to write and record and many of his songs have been pitched to some of the world’s biggest country stars!

Johnny is delighted to see Caitríona back once again recording. Her cover of the duet ‘Summer Wine’ in summer 2020 was met with great enthusiasm and was played extensively on both national and regional radio stations nationwide. She had a very successful album of her original songs with the album ‘Fallen Angel’ a few years back, topping many radio and chart positions in both Ireland and the U.K with singles such as ‘I’ll Be There’ and ‘Let Yourself Go’ playlisted on 2FM, Radio One and regional stations nationwide. She also had much success as author of the Irish language lyrics when collaborating with John Walsh of Symphonic on his production of the Scots Gaelic tune ‘Fionnghuala’ which featured on the ‘Eir’ advert and was performed on ‘The Late Late Show. This tune reached no.1 in the iTunes World Music charts and many well renowned DJs including Vini Vici have since sampled and remixed the chart topping tune.

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https://www.facebook.com/caitrionaosullivanmusic

Drawing heavy influence from 90s grunge combined with a bass heavy trap-esque beat and unapologetic lyrics, ‘Dangerous’ marks the biggest shift to date in DAY_S sound toward a moodier, punk meets rap world. It tells a story of giving in to socially driven ideals of living a life of perfection. With an attitude of no remorse, DAY_S is telling us that he is what he is, virtues and flaws, and he will live his life as he wants to.

DAY_S is a Dublin based solo artist who straddles the lines between rock, punk & hip-hop. Having discovered the craft of songwriting at an early age, DAY_S enjoyed a phenomenal start to his career with just under 1.5 million streams on his debut release ‘Last Night’, and fast established himself as an exciting rising star on the Irish scene. He followed up with a slew of equally successful singles including ‘Elbows’, ‘Honest’, ‘F*#king With My Friends’, each marking an organic evolution and maturing of his unique sound.

The music video for ‘Dangerous’ filmed by Lost Film studios is scheduled for release April 21st.

Cat Dowling makes her highly anticipated return with a brand new track, ‘Trouble’. This will be her first release taken from her upcoming album due out in 2021, Supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media. Trouble is due for release, 23rd April 2021.

Speaking about ‘Trouble’, Cat explains “Trouble is a song with a big swagger about finding a voice. It’s a song of freedom and redemption. I write songs with no plan. I like the words and the song to land on me first. ‘Trouble’ is a song with a big swagger about refusing to apologise for oneself anymore. It’s about finding a voice. It’s a song of freedom and redemption.”

The voice of Cat Dowling has always been lauded as one of the most wonderful and evocative in Irish contemporary music.

Her beautifully dark pop songs and those husky and achingly intimate vocals will draw you in and grip you from the outset.

Dowling has fronted numerous music projects, the last of which was babelfish which quickly morphed into the more successful electro/dream-pop band, Alphastates.

As the front woman and main songwriter with Alphastates, she gained many admirers for her energy on the live stage and for her hushed and raw deliveries. Comparisons to Liz Frazer, Beth Gibbons, Karen O, Amanda Palmer, Feist and Kristen Hersh have regularly appeared.

In 2013, her debut solo album ‘The Believer’ was released to critical acclaim and featured in many ‘Best of 2013’ polls including The Sunday Times amongst others. The opening track ‘The Believer’ featured as a closing track on the groundbreaking second series of Banshee produced by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, American Beauty, True Blood). It also appeared on the TV Series “Witches of East End” featuring Julia Ormond.

‘Somebody Else’ was featured in the highly received ‘My name is Emily’ alongside Lisa Hannigan, Jake Bugg and James Vincent McMorrow.

Cat has lent her vocals on many collaborative projects, the most recent of which, was selected for a closing track on ABC’s How to get away with Murder with Emmy-winning actress Viola Davis.

Following a sell-out headline show at The Irish Arts Centre NYC and a very successful East Coast US Tour in April 2017 Dowling completed her follow-up album in the interim.

Her new album is both simultaneously stark and lush with an innate authenticity and rawness at its heart. The beautiful ambient and eclectic soundscapes shine throughout however it’s always her compelling and arresting vocals that truly and consistently resonate.

Her first single ‘Trouble’ will be released on 23 April 2021, taken from her upcoming album due out in 2021.

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KK Lewis is set to release dreamlike new single ‘First Bus Home’. Following her first offering of 2021 ‘Good Enough’, which is centered around negative body image and gender stereotypes, ‘First Bus Home’ is a reflection on teenage pursuits of love with all the subdued angst that entails. KK’s delicate vocals wrap around dreamy guitarwork and a minimalist beat, set against a carefully crafted, sparse production style. The result is a bedroom-pop triumph.

Influenced by the likes of Amy Winehouse, Arlo Parks and Celeste, the sincerity in KK’s deeply personal lyrics always remains at the forefront of her music. ‘First Bus Home’ is taken from the forthcoming EP where each track will explore a different version of the artist, revealing a new story and a new sound. KK’s music exhibits an overall multiplicity in the artist’s character and a fluidity between her various personas. Having already seen support from leading tastemakers such as Notion Magazine, this Dublin-hailing pop prodigy is certainly one-to-watch for 2021. Discussing the new single, KK explains:

“The song captures a memory in Dublin City in the early hours of the morning waiting for the buses to start running again after a night out. It depicts my later teenage years and explores how isolating love can feel and how quickly these emotions can overtake you and leave you feeling completely lost. Listening to this song now, is like reading an excerpt from my diary, I can visualise the memory in my head so clearly and even though it was such a confusing and lonely time in my life, I can look back now with some clarity.”

Synth-pop grooves and memorable tune are what KinetiX are all about. Recent interviews on iRadio, Irelands well-known youth focused music station, their latest single is another cracker that will get people talking. Its a difficult adventure when you have a message and a talent that needs to be noticed. ‘isaidhey’ is all about the journey.

Described as, “a remarkably talented band” by iRadio’s Louise Clarke and featured on the RTÉ blog, KinetiX are quickly becoming a household name in their local area. The success of the
previous single has seen them played on several stations and make a host of new fans in Ireland and beyond. Now as the world prepares to hear ‘isaidhey’, the band and the fans are genuinely excited about the near future.

This new single, ‘isaidhey’ is the part of a series of singles to be released this year which the band wrote, produced and recorded in their studio, during the multiple lockdowns!  “We were so lucky to have the studio to give us a creative outlet while in lockdown, we are all in the same house hold so there was never a fear of not being able to work in close proximity to each other!”

Their debut single ‘Remember Days’ amassed overt 50,000 Spotify streams, and 130,000 YouTube streams. The band were thrilled to have this song featured on iRadio’s First Play.

Their last single ‘Strive’ secured airplay across several stations including RTÉ 2FM, Cork’s 96FM, PLAYIRISH Radio and DublinCity FM, and is continuously growing on Spotify.

KinetiX is comprised of 3 brothers, Arthur (drums), Ademar (keys/synths), and Theodore (vocals). They amalgamate a variety of elements from differing genres into their music, to create their unique style of pop music.

Arthur, Theodore and Ademar Stonesbegan learning traditional Irish music, on the banjo, fiddle and button accordion. They enjoyed success in the traditional Irish music scene, collectively winning 23 All-Ireland solo medals at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann competitions. In 2010, they played on the Late Late Toy Show, playing the accordion, banjo and bouzouki – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhGekMz-HDk

Arthur went on to form Irish band ‘Ruaile Buaile’, which he toured with for 7 years, playing festivals across America, Canada, New Zealand, UAE, Europe and Ireland. Arthur also enjoyed seeing their single ‘Maniac’ go viral in 2017, gaining millions of Spotify and Youtube streams.

In 2017 the 3 brothers began work on KinetiX, a project they are determined to see succeed. They put their heads together, writing, producing and recording demos until they came up with their own unique sound. In 2019, they were confident they had a catalogue of songs ready to release. They began work in ‘Diffusion Lab’ studios, with renowned producers, Chris Bubenzer and Marcin Ciszczon. They now work out of their own studio in Offaly, but they say they owe a lot of their learning to these two producers!

KinetiX – Spotify

KinetiX – YouTube

KinetiX – Instagram

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KinetiX – Soundcloud

‘Better Than This’ is Tracy Bruen’s first new music since the 2020 radio hit ‘Dream Away’

A song about love and loss, ‘Better Than This’, captures the songwriter’s realisation that life’s challenges and heartaches make us who we are and strengthen the bonds of love in the relationships that matter the most.  Galway’s Tracy Bruen is back with a song to soothe the soul and shine a big shiny light of hope on the future. Recorded and mixed by Ray Diamond, ‘Better Than This’ was written by Tracy and arranged collaboratively by the whole band.

The song is accompanied by a heartwarming video directed by filmmaker AMW Visual, who has directed many of Tracy’s previous releases, including ‘Dream Away’. Galway photographer EMJ Camera, has lent a selection of her stunning series of lockdown photos to the video.  She explains… “All of the photos for this independent ‘Self Isolation Portrait’ project were taken during the first lockdown in 2020, the time when people couldn’t see many other faces or leave their houses. People posed at their safe place-at their doorstep, introducing one of the new hobbies they took up since the world went into a shutdown. The agenda was very simple- to show some positive and uplifting news, as well as to link and support each other during the doom and gloom times.”

“As a photographer, I wanted to document that current situation through my own angle that had no negativity and give a bit of a bright spark to the community. The whole process ended up being incredibly fulfilling and heartwarming, revisiting some old friends and even making new ones.”

“This project taught me that every bad situation can be turned into something positive.”

‘Better Than This’ is available on all digital platforms now.

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Bright Falls is the project of Thurles singer-songwriter Eddie McCormack. Typically blending Americana with alternative rock and drawing inspiration from Bruce Springsteen to The War On Drugs, Bright Falls has teamed up with Carlow producer FĒNIX to give a Synthwave dimension to ‘The Widows Homes’.

FĒNIX is the new solo project of former Exiles multi-instrumentalist Darragh O’Connor. Having had initial success with their debut EP ‘Red Lights’ and follow-up single ‘Rearview Mirror’, Darragh has gone solo with his latest project.

“As soon as I heard this track from Bright Falls, the vocal style and melody grabbed me straight away, and I could already hear the remix ideas. I dropped Eddie a mail and asked if I could have a shot at it, and he was nice enough to send me on the vocal track, and it just developed from there.”

With the growth in popularity in Synthwave and retro sounds lately, now seemed like the right time to launch FĒNIX.

“Synthwave is a genre I’ve been immersed in for years, and even with our early success with Exiles, it just felt like people didn’t know what to do with us! With artists like The Weeknd , Miley Cyrus, Muse, etc. now ‘borrowing’ from the sound and aesthetic, and the likes of The Midnight starting to get mainstream recognition, the retro-revolution has well and truly begun!”

‘The Widows Homes (FĒNIX Remix)’ is available on all platforms now.

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The second release by singer/songwriter and musician Martin Leahy is ‘The Wolves In The Valley’. It is a co-write with the great songwriter Mary Greene who is part of the very successful folk group Greenshine. The song is about addiction, metal health struggle and trauma.

In December of 2020 Martin released his debut single as a singer songwriter called ’Song for Kirsty MacColl’. It received great local and national airplay and featured on all of the biggest music shows on RTÉ Radio One (Lillian Smith, Ronan Collins, John Creedon etc) It was very well received in many areas which included coverage on RTÉ Online, Hot Press as well as been shared on many large social media pages.

In the short time since releasing his debut single Martin’s songwriting has been receiving lots of attention. A song of his has reached the final stages of the International Songwriting Competition in the US. It is in the final 16 in the lyrics category out of an overall number of 26,000 entries. The entries that reach the final 16 in their categories are put before the celebrity judges that include Tom Waits, Coldplay and Dua Lipa! The winners are to be announced in May 2021.

Martin has worked as a session musician with some of Irelands greatest songwriters and musicians in the past including John Spillane, Christy Moore (on his No.1 selling album ‘Listen’), Cormac O Caoimh, Ger Wolfe, Jimmy McCarthy, Greenshine, Noel Brazil, Declan Sinnott among many others.

An accomplished multi instrumentalist, he has produced many albums including the most recent very successful album by Cormac O Caoimh called ‘Swim Crawl Walk Run’ which was awarded album of the week by many radio stations including RTE Radio One, RTE Lyric and BBC Radio Ulster. He also produced Ger Wolfe’s well received album ‘I Have Been Loved’. Other productions include Leah Sohotra, Some Rise Some Fall, John Neville and Tim O Riordan.As a member of the traditional Irish group North Cregg he has toured the world playing many major festivals including Glastonbury, Cambridge and Milwaukee. As a songwriter he has collaborated with a number of writers including Leah Sohotra, Mary Greene and more recently with Cormac O Caoimh on his successful single ‘Building My Ark’ which received substantial airplay around the country reaching over 1 million listeners nationwide!

Follow Martin Leahy on Facebook