BRÍDÍN, West Co. Sligo native, carries on the tradition of Irish music into the fourth generation of her family. BRÍDÍN sings, plays the harp, flute and piano. BRÍDÍN’s musical talent emerged at a very early age. Over the years she has achieved many accolades for her musical ability. Her love of music led her to pursue a musical career, having studied music at University College Cork achieving a degree in Music and Irish and Masters in Music and Performance. BRÍDÍN’s recent performances include ‘The Late Late Show’, ‘The Tommy Tiernan Show’, ‘Ireland AM’, ‘Today with Maura and Daithí’, ‘Claire Byrne Live’, ‘The Mainstage’, ‘Extra.ie’ and national radio.
Over the past number of years, BRÍDÍN has developed her own style influenced by her natural surroundings and rooted in her background in traditional Irish music. BRÍDÍN uses her loop and effect pedals to create her musical pieces. Her layered melodies on harp and voice blend beautifully with contrapuntal fiddle, keyboard, electric guitar and bass, woven together with pulsating drums.
BRÍDÍN grew up in a funeral home and is a full-time funeral director and embalmer at her dad’s funeral home and has always found from a young age she has been fascinated by life and death. ‘I’m fascinated by the constant flow of nature and the beginning and ending of life.’ This has helped her form a great appreciation of life and says she is so grateful for the people she has in her life and all the work unknowingly our bodies do to keep us alive.
Since becoming a full-time funeral director and embalmer, BRÍDÍN has also found that writing and playing music is a great healing process for the pain of people’s grief that she deals with on a daily basis. ‘In an unexpected way, I need one to have the other. Music is my love and emotional outlet and acts as my healer, while on the other hand, the funeral industry reminds me every day how lucky I am to be alive and to still have my loved ones with me. I think in general we need to appreciate the “little” things we have and come back to nature’.
‘This album is my best work yet, I’m so proud of every last note and the musicians who have joined me. I can feel a real honest journey throughout of grief and healing, and I hope it helps people as much as it’s helped me.’
BRÍDÍN’s second single and opening track from her debut album ‘Hideaway’ is out now.
With a similar theme to her first single ‘Empty Room’, it welcomes you into a state in which you find yourself when writing music in your safe space. Single notes strung on the harp open up the track, layered with beautiful broken chords on the harp. BRÍDÍN layers her soprano style, contrapuntal vocals which create a feeling that you’re entering her world of creativity, being both dramatic and heavenly.
She feels like she’s bringing you along with her on her creative writing process to her hideaway, which she refers to as her safe, creative space, hidden away from everyone where you can’t be seen or heard. The band then join in collectively when the lyrics ‘I slip away’ come in. The harp instrumental moves closely with the flow of the song, with close interaction with the electric guitar (Jake Curran) and fiddle (Clare Sands). The final section of the song is brought back to a simpler form, played out by the sharp rhythm of the harp, electric guitar and fiddle.
Her debut album ‘BRÍDÍN’ is out Tuesday 20th September.
TOUR DATES:
Friday 29th July – All Together Now
Sunday 31st July – All Together Now with Denise Chaila
Wednesday 3rd August – Céilí Picnic at the Fleadh in Mullingar
Thursday 11th August – Whelan’s, Dublin
18th-21st August – Milwaukee Irish Festival, USA
17th September – Fuinneamh Festival
27th-30th – Creative Connections, Sitges, Spain
Twitter: @bridin_music
Facebook: @BridinMusic | Instagram: @BridinMusic
Photo: Steve Rogers
