Eiza Murphy to cap off current edition of the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' Y&E Series tonight

After a spectacular run of performances, we're thrilled to announce Eiza Murphy as our final act of the current edition of the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' Y&E Series – going live on the Hot Press Instagram at 7.30pm tonight, December 8!

Following the release of her debut single 'Black Hole' earlier this year, which charted at No.1 on iTunes Ireland, Cork's newest pop sensation Eiza Murphy returned last month with a stunning new single 'Taxi' – a Track of the Day on hotpress.com. Showcasing her witty lyrical style and infectiously unfiltered personality, 'Taxi' was written after Eiza left "a toxic party" – and explores themes of materialism, dishonesty and superficiality. The Cork artist draws influences from the likes of Lana Del Rey, Jessie Reyez and FINNEAS, while also bringing in a distinctly Irish gift for storytelling.

With twelve years of classical training to her name, Eiza clearly isn't afraid to push the boundaries in pop music – and with 'Taxi', she's positioned herself on course for stardom.

This edition of the Y&E Series has continued to shine a powerful light on some of the best new and emerging talent that Ireland has to offer in 2020 – with a brilliant selection of acts joining Hot Press on Instagram every night for special live-streamed performances.

You can revisit all of the performances on this edition of the Y&E Series on the Hot Press Instagram, as well as all the Live Reports on hotpress.com.

“We embarked on a mad adventure shortly after lockdown was announced,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes says. “There were no half measures. We set about running nightly gigs on the Hot Press Instagram platform, without any sense of just how long the impact of Covid-19 would last. It turned into a marathon – but thankfully a hugely enjoyable and rewarding one!

"The initial Lockdown Sessions became the Y&E Series, which has been brilliantly supported throughout by what is now called, since the formation of the new coalition Government, the Department of Tourism, Culture, the Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Under the Y&E banner, we have done a whopping 120 gigs in all – and it has been a revelation.

“We knew that there was – or rather that there is – an amazing number of really talented artists active all over Ireland. But the richness, the consistency and the quality of the performances has been stunning nonetheless. I’m sure that everyone will have their favourites, but I can say honestly that I was struck again and again by the extraordinary ability of rising young stars – more than a few of them in their teens – to hold a audience and sing and talk there way through 30 minutes, in a style that made me want to see and hear more.

“Some of those who featured early in the series have gone on to achieve considerable success and recognition, including Malaki, CMAT and Celaviedmai, to name just three. Others like Junior Brother, Lemoncello, Clare Sands, Laoise and Patricia Lalor added considerable lustre to already burgeoning reputations. But, really, there was a level of consistency and quality throughout that was at times genuinely awe-inspiring. If we can successfully bring this talent through, then the future for music in Ireland really does look very bright."

We're looking forward to continuing with further Y&E adventures in the New Year – and we'd like to extend a big thanks to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for all their support this year!

Watch Eiza Murphy tonight, December 8, as part of the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' The Y&E Series, supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media – live on the Hot Press Instagram (@hotpressmagazine) at 7.30pm.

• To mark the end this phase of the Y&E Series, every single one of the artists who performed in the series will feature in a wrap-up in the Hot Press Annual, which officially hits the streets on Monday, December 14. To be sure to secure your copy, you can pre-order it now! With the Irish Women in Harmony featuring on the cover, we’ve arranged that 20% of all of the revenue from pre-sales of the annual will go to Childline – so buy early and buy often, and encourage everyone you know to do the same!