Irish singer-songwriter has released her new single, You Would Have Let Me Down, with her debut EP, Rise And Run, to follow on 8 November. She plays Whelan's Upstairs on 12 November with support from RVE and Foinse. We asked her the BIG questions . . .
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Speaking about Rise and Run, she says, "It’s a song about generational trauma. It’s about giving yourself permission to detach yourself from a broken parent and find your own happiness, without needing their approval or a closure-providing conversation.
"I’ve been writing it all my life. The chorus is a poem I wrote when I was eight years old. I wrote the song around the poem when I was 19 and had just started to write songs.
"I’m 24 now, and I rewrote it this year before recording it, examining the situation from a fresh perspective, walking up and down hills in the May sunshine, letting the lyrics bounce around in my head."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I have a physics degree, I moved to Amsterdam when I was 18 and lived there for three years, and I don't know the lyrics of Zombie (I recently got slated for Googling them at a house party)
How would you describe your music?
I would say that my music is a blend of folk, r&b, and pop. Lyrically, my songs are mostly about love and heartbreak, but sometimes I write about other things, like generational trauma and alienation. I write my songs on guitar and perform them live with my band, but my studio sound is more of a pop production with basslines and beats and samples and the works. It took me a while to find my studio sound - I wanted to build a dynamic, electro-acoustic soundscape and I didn't know how to. I eventually found the right producers to work with and found that sound.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Adele, Pip Millet, Olivia Deane, and Jorja Smith are probably my biggest influences. Their music helped me to find a middle ground between r&b and folk, a sort of soulful singer-songwriter sound with r&b undertones.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
It was Miley Cyrus in the 3Arena, or the O2 as it was called back then. I was eight years old, it was 2008, and she was my icon. My Dad had queued outside HMV at 4am to get the tickets. It was magical.
What was the first record you ever bought?
I spent most of my pocket money on Disney CDs when I was a young child, so it was probably a Hannah Montana or High School Musical CD. I'd listen to them on repeat on my little Walkman until I knew the lyrics off by heart and could sing them at the talent shows my cousins and I would put on for our parents. As I got a bit older, I remember buying Adele, Hozier, and Gabrielle Aplin's debut albums and falling in love with songwriting. They're all albums that I cherish now.
What’s your favourite song right now?
I've been obsessed with Lola Young's debut album lately, so I'd say Big Brown Eyes from that album - it's such a mood and ridiculously catchy.
Favourite lyric of all time?
There was a point in my life as a young teenager when I had no idea what music I really liked. I didn't like the mainstream pop my friends were listening to, but I hadn't found the indie artists and alternative genres I love now. Still, I knew that I loved Hozier, and I had his first album on repeat. I learned to play To Be Alone on guitar and would cover it. The lyrics 'never feel too good in crowds/with folks around/when they're playing/ the anthems of rape culture loud/crude and proud/ creatures baying' are so powerful; I still cover this live sometimes and love singing them.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I'm going to go with Adele’s Crazy For You, because her voice is endlessly mesmerizing and would keep me entertained and happy forevermore.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Here. It's Miranda Faul on Spotify and @miranda_faul on Instagram!
Alan Corr
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