The A New Local Hero winners will get to record their Rubyworks single in Camden Recordings, the celebrated Dublin studio whose client list includes Niall Horan, Hozier, The Coronas, Imelda May, Ed Sheeran, Leon Bridges, The Waterboys, Paul Brady, Young Thug, Lisa Hannigan, The Script, Snow Patrol, Maria McKee, Villagers, Shawn Mendes, Ella Henderson, Sigrid, Aloe Black, Sinéad O’Connor, Gavin James, Imelda May, 50 Cent, Jamie Lawson, Kodaline and Eurovision hopefuls Wild Youth. And that’s just for starters!

Taking care of production duties will be Camden’s Cian Boylan who enthuses that, “Irish Music Month is a fantastic idea. The likes of Spotify and TikTok are obviously important – but from the conversations I’ve had with them, radio is still what matters most to artists. For them to be recognised and supported in this way by 25 radio stations is so incredibly positive.”

There’s certainly no shortage of artists for those fine local radio stations to feature.

“Ireland is currently punching above its weight across all the art-forms – and music is at the forefront of that,” Cian reflects. “The quality of Irish music is off the scale and massively more diverse than it would have been ten years ago. We have a smaller studio upstairs which hip hop producers, like Lilo from Hare Squead, have done some really interesting things in.”

Hare Squead and Shauna Shadae.

Along with the previously mentioned heavy-hitters, Camden has also become a Mecca for young artists starting out.

“Actually, some of the most fun sessions are with people for whom it’s their first time in a commercial studio,” Cian notes. “Partly as a result of having BIMM College up the road, they’re already prepared and have their arrangements worked out. Musicianship-wise as well, they’ve really got their act together. If any young artist wants to have a chat and a look at the different spaces we have, we’re always happy to talk them through what we do here.”

Which includes post-production mixing and mastering, both of which are essential if you’re trying to generate airplay. In fact, the single will be mixed by the Grammy Award-winning Ruadhri Cushnan – who is also based in Camden.

“Again, it’s something we have a huge amount of experience in,” Cian concludes. “If you’re looking for daytime airplay, your song has to compare in every department with the Coldplays and Beyoncés of this world. Irish artists get that, and are constantly rising to the occasion.”

camdenrecordingstudios.com

Read the full Irish Music Month feature in the new issue of Hot Press, out now.