Imelda May has secured her legendary status as a solo artist across five acclaimed albums – as well as through her work with a star-studded list of collaborators, including Jeff Beck, Lou Reed, Smokey Robinson and Tom Jones. Earlier this year, she explored a new side of her artistry with the release of her poetry EP, Slip Of The Tongue.

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“'Wild Night' is a great song. I’ve always been a fan of Van’s but more so as time goes on, I’m understanding his lyrics more. They are meaning more to me. He is a wonderfully soulful singer. Dear God, he is so soulful. But his writing has that beautiful mix of poetry and complexity but fools you into thinking they are simple so they connect with you. His songs are stories and they almost feel they could be your story. Everybody feels like that and that’s a magical talent."

Read more in the upcoming Van Morrison Special Issue of Hot Press, and watch Imelda May's performance below:

Take a look at the spectacular line-up for the next two weeks of 'Rave On, Van Morrison' below:

Fri Aug 14 Maverick Sabre Beautiful Vision (7pm)
Sat Aug 15 Una Healy Reminds Me of You (7pm)
Sun Aug 16 JC Stewart Bright Side of the Road (7pm)

Mon Aug 17 Duke Special Orangefield (7pm); Junior Brother Dweller on the Threshold (8pm)
Tue Aug 18 Damien Dempsey Tupelo Honey (7pm); Carrie Baxter Out In The Cold Again (8pm)
Wed Aug 19 Camille O'Sullivan Avalon Of The Heart (7pm); Joshua Burnside You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push The River (8pm)
Thu Aug 20 Gemma Hayes Comfort You (7pm); Little Hours Streets Of Arklow (8pm)
Fri Aug 21 Gemma Bradley Sometimes We Cry (7pm); Jess Kav Vanlose Stairway (8pm)
Sat Aug 22 Mick Flannery Linden Arden Stole the Highlights (7pm); The Henry Girls These Are The Days (8pm)
Sun Aug 23 Martin Hayes Moondance (7pm); Cara Dillon Memory Lane (8pm)

Each 'Rave On, Van Morrison' performance premieres every night on the Hot Press YouTube channel. To make sure you don't miss out on any of our upcoming videos, subscribe to our YouTube here!

Hot Press is also publishing a Van Morrison Special Issue, to coincide with ‘Rave On, Van Morrison’, featuring written contributions from the legendary likes of Sinéad O'Connor, Gary Lightbody, Tim Wheeler, Una Healy and David Keenan – who reflect on Van's music and influence. The issue will also look back at five decades of landmark Hot Press interviews with Van, in which he discusses everything from Ray Charles and his other musical heroes, to the inspiration behind the seminal Astral Weeks. Plus, you can expect exclusive photos from the archives, ten ways Van has changed the world, and much more. This historic publication is set to be a must-have for Van Morrison fans all over the world, and is available to pre-order now.