Where next after Galway?

In the short term we play in Limerick, Kilkenny, Waterford and Dublin and in the long term we have a very important show in Madrid on 26 October at the Sala Latinarte, in case anyone reading this is in Madrid that weekend. In fact there's a good reason already for going! We are the only foreign act to have been selected this year to play at the prestigious series of concerts in Latinarte, so we're quite proud of the achievement. We hope to film the concert for a DVD and will present the new album to industry and public alike. Future plans for touring include the States in the New Year.

How did you get involved in the business?

I've always loved singing and playing piano or guitar and, even in school, I was involved in musicals from a very young age. I got my first break when I was 16 and got a song into the finals of the then Poparama song contest.  Colm Wilkinson of Les Miserables fame sang my song with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. It was the biggest thrill of my life up to then and after that I was hooked! I went on to play in piano bars around Dublin while playing in various bands and was invited to sing backing vocals for Linda Martin and Niamh Kavanagh when they won the Eurovision. Two in a row wasn't bad! Although the Euro experience also had negative connotations, since it's very much a taboo in the industry. I was just trying to make a living as a musician and it, in fact, led to the recording of my first album in Slovenia, which was received very well both here and there and was released in Korea too. From there, it has been a steady progress of writing, recording, session work and gigging. You never know where the breaks come from, so you just have to do as much as you can.

To keep writing the best songs I can. I accepted a long time ago that this was the right road for me and I've been lucky to count on the support of my family too, who have always been there for me and lived somewhat vicariously through me, I think. I'm inspired by the fact that from a very young age I've known what I wanted to do and that's a privilege I've never given up on.

Out of all the countries in the world what was the best place you performed?

I've had some great experiences playing abroad and some of them stick out more than others, like in Indonesia and Romania, for example, where I played for several thousand people. I guess I would have to say Spain though, since I've had some wonderful concerts there and the Spanish are a great audience when they're not stuffing themselves with tapas! I'm hoping to top that with this tour of Ireland though. Playing to your home audience is tough, but I think it's definitely the most satisfying.

What is the best/worst thing about the entertainment industry?

The worst thing is that there are lots of cowboys and people willing to tell you anything except the truth to please you. You have to have the BS radar on constantly, since these people can waste a lot of your time and money and do absolutely nothing for you except massage your ego. There are too many people unfairly living off artists and taking advantage of young impressionable bands who are just looking for someone to tell them they're great.
On the other hand, there are some genuinely great people in the business and, when you find one of these, it makes up for all the wasters. It can be an incredibly rewarding and heartening world when things go right and the most important thing is to be able to make music the right way. Most people would say it’s not about the money and in a way it isn't, most would be happy to play as long as they don't lose anything and, if they make something, well, that's just the icing on the cake, isn't it?