"Do you know what's mad? I've had so many people being like 'Jesus, are you not with your label anymore?' and 'Oh, you're managing yourself!'.
"They kind of look at it like it's a negative. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing, being in full control has given me so much freedom in my life," she said.
"It was risky completely stepping out on my own. I'm naturally a people pleaser and I think if I went to someone and said, 'What do you think of this' and if they in any way said 'Yeah, it's okay!' I feel like I'd end up agreeing with them," she added.
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Aimée, who is also part of the Irish Women In Harmony collective, whose first single Dreams received over 5 million streams on Spotify and made history as the first female act to hold the number one spot on the Official Homegrown Irish Chart, said she's "doing everything on my own".
"I mean photos, music videos, artwork, recording - everything myself. I have to trust my gut. So far, it's been leading me in the absolute right direction," she said.
"I've no intentions of changing that anytime soon. I know some people think that's really strange to manage every aspect yourself but I'm really, really enjoying it," she continued.
A heartfelt tribute
The singer-songwriter lost her mum, Tina, to cancer in 2018 at the age of 56, and admits not featuring her late mother on her newly-released summer EP would have left "a big hole" in her story.
Discussing Passenger Seat, a heartfelt tribute to her mum and their precious chats while out driving together, she said: "I'll be honest, it's not something I planned on doing.
"For me, it wouldn't have been authentic to create a summer memory album without including the person who made all of my summer memories so special.
"It just wouldn't have been authentic. It would have been a big hole in my story," she said.
"It wasn't something that I thought too hard about including, it just happened naturally. I felt like if I want to be my true authentic self, I needed to include this," she continued.
No radio silence - but continued support needed
While critics describe Aimée's music as being "very ambitious", she insists her success to date is based off the support from Irish radio stations - which she hopes continues.
"A lot of people would say my music is very American and Swedish sounding. My work has previously been described as being very ambitious, which I felt was almost putting me in a box.
"Thankfully, Irish radio have always been very supportive of that. I'm very, very lucky and hope it continues," she said.
PR consultant and Why Not Her? activist, Linda Coogan Byrne, has hailed Aimée's decision to take control as an independent artist as "incredibly inspiring" and says "it is a powerful testament to her talent".
"This shift mirrors a broader, albeit slow, change we're witnessing in the Irish music industry. I worked with her when she was just 17! She was always such a pleasant and professional person to deal with. I'll always root for her.
"Taking control of your music and career as an Irish female artist in a time where it has been proven that women don't get a look in is inspiring. As an independent artist is a powerful testament to her talent, determination, and vision," she said.
"Artists like Aimée are not just creating music; they're paving the way for future generations of female artists to have their voices heard. I say keep shining and breaking barriers to her — she is an incredible force in the Irish music scene, and I can't wait to see what she achieves next."
Lack of airtime for female artists on radio continues
In 2021, a report released by Coogan Byrne's Why Not Her? campaign revealed the large disparity between the number of female singers and musicians played on Irish radio, and the number of men.
Coogan Byrne said that while the Irish music landscape has seen some "noteworthy progress" over the last three years, "there's still more ground to cover".
"The disparity in radio airtime remains a significant hurdle.
"For instance, in 2023, only 3% of the Top 100 Songs on Irish radio featured solo or lead female artists, a slight improvement from 0% in 2022. This year, despite a thriving pool of talent, Irish women artists only make up 2% of the top 100 most played songs by domestic artists on Irish radio.
"However, despite these challenges, the resilience and talent of Irish female artists continue to shine brightly. Artists like CMAT, Lyra, and Orla Gartland are making significant strides, both domestically and internationally," she said.
She added: "For example, CMAT and Jazzy were nominated for International Artist of the Year at the 2024 BRIT Awards and for an IVOR Award, showcasing the global recognition of Irish female talent. Moreover, the number of homegrown female artists achieving number one albums is slowly increasing."
While some significant advances have been made by Irish female artists in recent years, most notably Jazzy becoming the first Irish female artist to hit No 1 on the Official Irish Singles Chart in 14 years with her debut single 2023's Giving Me and the success of Irish Women in Harmony, Coogan Byrne wishes there were more accolades given to Irish female artists.
"In recent years moving on from our 20-year chart report data, not a massive amount of changes I am afraid.
"Some significant advances have been made by Irish female artists, but I genuinely wish it was more," she said.
Another Christmas hit?
Last year, Aimée's festive track, Grafton Street Lights, hit home with many Irish folk abroad and went on to be crowned Ireland's Christmas Song of the Year in 2023 by Christmas FM. So can we expect another festive hit towards the end of 2024?
"I was in LA when I released Grafton Street Lights last year, so I didn't really get to enjoy it fully.
"This year, I think I'm going to give the track another life. I've got some exciting plans. I'm really, really hoping, and manifesting, that we get a Christmas advert with it," she said.
Aimée's new six-track album, Daisy Chains – The Summer EP, is out now.
Tickets for her upcoming summer show on 4 August in the Green Room at The Academy are available on Ticketmaster.
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