Arvo Party remixes track from NI Music Prize winner ROE, 'Hey Thomas'

Fresh from winning the ‘Oh Yeah Contender Award’ for best emerging act at the 2018 Northern Ireland Music Prize earlier this month, ROE has teamed up with fellow NIMP nominee Arvo Party, to produce a thumping remix of Irish radio favourite ‘Hey Thomas’.

'Hey Thomas', an empowering tale of rising above the weight of judgement and expectation, is the latest release from Derry-based, self-professed "grumpy electro-pop" merchant ROE. It was nominated for ‘Best Single’ at this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize.

The new remix comes from one of Northern Ireland's most original electronic acts ‘Arvo Party’ (Herb Magee), who received a nomination in the Best Single category at the NIMP with the acclaimed ‘Liberté’. His most recent album, II, was one the understated triumphs of 2018.

Speaking about her song, ROE said: “Hey Thomas is a call out to bullies everywhere. I wrote this song for anyone who has ever been picked on, pushed around, teased or made to feel small because they look or act or dress differently to what’s labelled as normal. You should be able to do what makes you feel good without feeling self-conscious because of other people’s small-minded judgements. Their opinions don’t matter, and as long as you’re happy then who cares what they think.”

The new release comes just as ROE enters a busy touring schedule with shows up and down Ireland, performances at festivals in Montreal and Mumbai, before capping it all off with an opening support slot with Snow Patrol on their UK arena tour this winter, at the personal request of Gary Lightbody.