O Sister, Where Art Thou?

“I find studios can be daunting. You’re in a dark room looking at a red button that says you have to ‘go’ now,” admits Róisín O’Reilly, aka Róisín O. But in creating her debut LP The Secret Life Of Blue, she found a way to face down her misgivings. “We recorded in the Black Box studio in the middle of nowhere in France. There were barns, kittens in the roof, owls in the kitchen and a dog running around. It was a great environment!”

Aided by the expertise of acclaimed producer David Odlum (Gemma Hayes, Paloma Faith), Róisín and band have produced an impressive debut that flirts with uptempo folk-pop while reaching into something much deeper and slightly darker.
Despite her gently sloping success over the summer months, Róisín O’Reilly has her feet on the ground. She appears to possess the rare combination of being creatively interesting and practically minded. As well as having an incredible voice, Róisín knows how to play the business game.
“In this industry it’s so important to get radio play. I wanted my first two tracks (‘Here We Go’ and ‘How Long’) as an unknown artist to be something accessible that DJs would play – so that people could hear it. Which is so important. Hopefully when I make a name for myself, I can start bringing out the more serious stuff down the line.”
This tactic seemed to have worked. Along with travelling the country performing acoustic sessions on a number of regional radio stations, her tracks have been playlisted on Today FM.
Róisín began playing the guitar when she was 16 but it is singing that is her true love. She grew up listening to Joan Baez and Crosby, Stills & Nash — but having heard the tone and versatility of her voice, I have to ask was she also a Joni Mitchell fan by any chance?
“Oh god yes I love her,” she gushes. Her love for the ‘60s legend, it transpires, goes beyond just the musical. Her dog was christened Blue after Mitchell’s iconic album.
Having released singles with big choruses, so far the mass appeal box has been checked, but it’s the songsmith’s ventures off the beaten track that reveal a darker, more intriguing side.
The title track on the album The Secret Life Of Blue is a simple, raw, emotional affair. How did she go about delving into darker moments?
“I just started writing a silly song about Blue, just to get words flowing before I started writing something special. I was writing something stupid like, “Blue loves to chase a ball”. It just sort of came out. It became a story itself about a girl. It became something else basically. I started off messing about the dog and it just turned into something about me and my struggles with writing music.
Róisín Ó’s self-doubt appears somewhat understandable when considering her impressive musical lineage: her mother is Mary Black, her brother Danny from The Coronas. She is proud of what her family have achieved and appreciates that they are a valuable resource for her career. Does the constant talk about her family connection get on her nerves?
“It doesn’t piss me off. I’d never deny it. But I don’t like to broadcast it. I want to do this on my own. I don’t want people to be influenced by who they think I am. I don’t want fans to like me because they like them or the opposite.”

Róisín O launches The Secret Life Of Blue will on September 21 in Whelan’s.