Muireann Bradley: "It’s crazy to me that I’m signed to a major, historical label"

It might seem anachronistic, in a time where Eras tours, elaborate music videos and McDonald’s collaborations reign supreme, that one of the most magnetic artists to emerge over the last 12 months would be so – to use a word that enjoyed a similar surge in popularity – demure.

Yet, when Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, Paul Jones, Raye, Sugababes and the Mary Wallopers were wheeled out for Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny to ring in 2024, they would all be upstaged by an unassuming 17-teen-year-old from the outskirts of Ballybofey, Co. Donegal.

“Everything just blew up after that,” says Muireann Bradley.  “I performed ‘Candyman’ and everything took off really quickly.”

An appearance on RTÉ’s Late Late Show soon followed, where actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott had the honour of sharing a couch with the young star. Having wowed with a rendition of ‘When The Levee Breaks’, her stunning vocals and virtuosic finger-picking were now at the forefront of the mainstream, attracting the attention of movers and shakers from the music industry. It was, Muireann says, important to stay grounded.

“I was getting loads of offers to do big gigs,” she notes. “At the time, I’d only played three or four shows before the Hootenanny. So I was really inexperienced when it came to performing. I think I would have panicked onstage if I went in front of thousands of people straight away. I wasn’t ready at all to do anything like that, so my dad decided we should take it slowly throughout the year, and build it up.”

The prudence paid off. One of Muireann’s first gigs to be announced at the start of 2024 was a set in the comparatively modest surrounds of Whelan’s Upstairs in Dublin. By November, she was headlining Vicar Street.

“That was definitely a highlight,” she says. “It was a really great gig, and the audience were just amazing. It was class to be able to play there because so many big names have been up on that stage. I wouldn’t have been able to play in Vicar Street this time last year, so I suppose I’ve come a long way.”

In December, a week before her 18th birthday, the folk-blues singer penned a deal with Decca and Verve Forecast to re-release her debut album, I Kept These Old Blues.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Muireann says. “It’s crazy to me that I’m signed to a major, historical label.”

What makes Muireann so unique, aside from her obvious musical abilities, is that she plies her trade by performing old blues numbers from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s. Some of the tunes, like ‘Candyman’, are so old that no one knows their exact origins (it’s estimated to date back to the turn of the 20th century, and was first recorded by Sleepy John Estes in 1928).

“It’s definitely not something that people from my generation would listen to,” Muireann says. “I got into it through my dad. He was always obsessed with old blues and country blues. I remember from a young age he’d be playing Mississipi John Hurt and Blind Blake, all those blues guys from the ‘20s and ‘30s. I always try to make my versions a little bit different to the originals and make up my own parts. My voice also sounds so different to what the old blues guys would have sounded like.”

I Kept These Old Blues breathes a new lease of life into those classics, not least thanks to Muireann’s enviable guitar playing. Her secret? “Lots of practice.”

“I started when I was nine and I’d stopped for a little while,” Muireann reveals. “I was really into sports for a few years and started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with my brother. I did a number of competitions and was a national champion in my age and weight groups. I also trained in boxing for a few years; I wasn’t a champion but made it to the national final. I really loved it too, but all that stuff was cut out during lockdown. I couldn’t train, so I decided to go back to playing guitar.

“I went to my dad with a list of songs I wanted to learn, mainly from the ‘20s and ‘30s. He started teaching me and I had all the free time in the world to practise, so I suppose I just used that time very well.”

Does Muireann have a favourite tune from the album?

“‘Probably ‘Candyman’,” she says. “It’s always been one of my favourite songs since I was really young, and I have really strong memories of my dad playing it to me when I was small. There’s a call-and-response section in the song that’s supposed to be done by a male and female voice, and when I was younger, I used to sing the female part and he’d sing the other one while playing guitar.”

It’s telling of her close relationship with her dad, who’s now acting as her manager.

“I’d say he’s a good manager,” Muireann laughs. “He’s managing it anyway.”

Until now, the budding folkster has cut her teeth, and evidently found success, by performing covers. Looking forward, Muireann says that some original music is in the pipeline too.

“I’m just beginning to write,” she explains. “Nothing that’s going to be played live or anything any time soon. But they’ll probably be on the next album that goes out. I’m at the stage where I haven’t written any lyrics, but I’ve been coming up with loads of guitar parts. It’s pretty different, coming up with your own stuff. It’s definitely fun, and there’s a lot of experimentation.”

Whether she’s playing renditions of 100-year-old songs or treating audiences to something new, 2025 promises to be a busy period for the young singer. An appearance at MerleFest in North Carolina, and a tour of Australia await, as does a voyage on revered blues man Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea cruise.

How is someone, who only became old enough to vote a few months ago, coping with the hectic demands of touring the world?

“I should be doing my Leaving Cert this year,” Muireann says. “I started back in September and was going to give it a go, but it was too much to try and balance all the shows and practising with studying at the same time, so I took a year off. I’m managing it pretty well I think. My dad’s always there for me, as well as my mam and the rest of my family. It’s been fun so far. Hopefully it doesn’t get super crazy!”

I Kept These Old Blues is out now