Cathal O’ Reilly hailing from Clonmel, Tipperary, started his writing career as an author writing a book on his experiences with depression and ultimately becoming a prominent voice in the mental health space in Ireland.
His love for music however started from a young age after seeing Kanye West live at Vicar Street at a small show in 2006 which changed everything. Feeling like he must become the full version of his true self, his direction changed in 2019 – writing raps due to his Hip Hop influences and love for the genre and culture.
He released his debut EP ‘Potential’ in 2019 which was well received by Irish DJ’s and tastemakers alike including Red FM, Dublin City FM, Spin Southwest, KCLR 96FM and WLR FM particularly with the single ‘Posting’.
Cathal performed at the Limerick Summer Festival in 2022 where he opened the boutique Hip Hop festival at Limerick Racecourse in Ireland. The set was unique, fierce and authentic where he found his voice on stage, hoping to perform live, more in the future.
Releasing his second EP in 2023, ‘The Last Rapper’, Cathal O’Reilly returns with an ode to real music, exploring political and revolutionary themes as well as lifting the veil between the artist and the listener, hoping to provoke and inspire hope within the artistic craft and inspire audiences.
Cathals new single ‘To My Soul’ will be released Friday March 1st on all streaming platforms as the first single of his new album ‘The Magician’ which releases in April. His hopes are to perform live more frequently in 2024.
The first verse of the track ‘To My Soul’, was born out of the experience of sitting alone in the car late on a winter’s night as a single man in his thirties who is questioning life existentially. Cathal recalls looking at the midnight sky and ‘praying on a fallen star to bless these sins with a wish that these tears might dry’.
With the spiritual aspects of making mistakes and the guilt that comes with that as a man, Cathal prays on a fallen star so that he can wish his tears away without experiencing the heartbreak emotion he is feeling of life’s challenges. He alludes to them eloquently as ‘Wet prayers’. He then alludes to the experience of seeing his own ghost personified as a ‘hand in the fog of the night’ which he believes is his resilience to get him through any situation including the one he currently faces. The mental health themes throughout the song are not shunned away as he says he hopes he does not die from mental health issues like many men before him.
The chorus of the track is crafted on the same theme as the soul, with American vocalist Myles Joseph featuring on the song. The silky auto tune type flavour adds to the spiritual backdrop with a spacey vibe. The second verse , Cathal examines the experience of looking in the mirror and not liking his reflection.
Fans of hip hop artist Kid Cudi will gravitate towards this track as it has similar production values as well as lyrical themes of mental health with a spacey introspection vibe.
The track was produced by DevKeys and was recorded, mixed and mastered by Cathal himself at his studio in Clonmel, Tipperary. The track was inspired by the need to show our vulnerabilities as men in Ireland and to show the real struggles that we face on a daily basis with the pressures and societal expectations faced every day from work to relationships to family.
