Live Report: Eiza Murphy on the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions’ Y&E Series

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. Last night, she capped off the current edition of the Y&E Series in style, with Bill Maberly on keyboard - who also appeared in Lenii's Y&E Series performance. Lenii (Ellen Murphy) is actually Eiza's older sister, and did production on 'Black Hole'.

With twelve years of classical training to her name, Eiza clearly isn't afraid to push the boundaries in pop music. Launching her set with her debut single 'Black Hole', her harmonies with Bill are spine-tingling and display her rich, honey vocals. The song itself journeys beautifully into an hypothetical apocalyptic world, referencing a love so great that it will outlast the end of civilisation. A piano ballad at its core, Eiza's voice sounds gorgeous when the track is performed live.

Delivering a stunning cover of Jessie Reyez's soulful 2017 track 'Figures', it's clear that Reyez is a powerful inspiration for Eiza. Belting out the difficult chorus, the song speaks to a one-sided love where the narrator is giving her all only to receive mind games and dissatisfaction in return. Up next is 'Taxi', Eiza's latest single release. 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. With stylish and earnest delivery from herself and Bill, it's easy to see why the song has made waves.

The pair offer an unreleased rendition of a song written with Cian Sweeney (1000 Beasts - a fellow Cork act), titled 'October 25'. Written only six weeks ago, the song's chorus is infectiously catchy and speaks to the fear of letting your guard down and offering unfiltered honesty to someone who could hurt you. Eiza concludes her set with 'Big Boys Cry', a powerful song with clever wordplay about holding someone to account who can't express emotion. Eiza has positioned herself on course for stardom, and her unreleased tracks show off even more unharvested potential.

Watch Eiza's full Y&E Series performance below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hot Press (@hotpressmagazine)

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.

• 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!