Songs From An Empty Room: Fia Moon on the Roisin Dubh and the future of live music

After participating in the Irish Women in Harmony cover of 'Dreams', alt-pop sensation Fia Moon is back with another event for a fantastic cause: Songs From An Empty Room, a live streamed concert series that aims to support Minding Creative Minds and the Association of Irish Stage Technicians.

The concerts will take place on Saturday, July 25th from 8.30pm, and acts are scheduled to perform across five venues in Ireland. Hot Press caught up with Fia Moon, who will be performing in Galway's Roisin Dubh.

"I had always dreamt of playing there, as it’s such an iconic venue," says the singer-songwriter. At the time, she was supporting Wild Youth on their tour. "Wild Youth has such an incredibly loyal fanbase, so it was cool to see how they interacted with their audience on stage. At the time, I played an acoustic stripped back set so it was really amazing to get back and perform with a band, despite the circumstances being so different.

"My most vivid memory is how friendly the owner and staff were to me. We just had the chats on my break and when I went on stage I felt really settled and supported."

Now, Fia feels like it's her turn to support the staff and crew who supported her. "Every industry has been hit, but ours particularly hard," she reflects. "With bans on gatherings, live gigs are just not an option. One of the most difficult things is that there is no end in sight, which is incredibly tough on finances but also on mental wellbeing. I’m so proud to be part of this night as we are shining a light on the work of event industry technicians who work tirelessly behind the scenes."

She's also hopeful that live gigs will return soon. "I think the best thing about a live gig is feeling like you’re giving something back. As a solo artist, it’s easy to go inward and get lost in your own little bubble, especially when the songs are so personal. But when you perform to an audience, it makes everything so much more real. Growing up, music has always been a kind of release and a source of happiness. To be able to share a night with a group of people who all have a mutual love of music is really special.

"I remember going to see Joss Stone in the RDS with my school friend and our mums. For about a week leading up to the show, there was so much planning going into the night – what I was going to wear, what restaurant we would go to first, getting our film camera ready. It felt like such a big deal! I was used to listening to the soul and jazz music my parents played but I really wanted to see her as she was the first female act I knew of that fused soul with pop."

If Fia Moon could do anything else in the industry, she says it would be on the production side. "Getting to be part of Irish Women in Harmony really opened up my eyes to how much we are capable of. If RuthAnne can produce 39 totally different female voices on one track, then surely I can make a start at it! Personally, I have a pretty clear idea of what I want so one day I’d like to be good enough to produce my own album and hopefully work with other artists."

• Fia Moon's latest single, 'XX' will be released tomorrow (July 24th).