In the new issue of Hot Press, available to pre-order below, we're bringing you a special dual-cover edition. On one cover, we feature the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins and Denise Chaila, with the Limerick rapper, wordsmith and performer interviewing the President. On the other cover, we feature rising Irish international stars, Picture This – who are in flying form for their interview with Hot Press deputy editor, Stuart Clark.

Denise Chaila has established herself not only as a ground-breaking and award-winning artist, but also a profoundly influential voice in modern Irish society – using her platform to address some of the most crucial issues facing black Irish people today. She sits down with President Michael D. Higgins in Áras an Uachtaráin following the recent publication of his widely acclaimed book, Reclaiming the European Street: Speeches on Europe and the European Union, 2016-20, for what is a truly remarkable conversation about life, politics and the power of words.

"Let me be candid," Denise Chaila states. "I knew how I didn’t want to write this piece: 'A rapper and the President of Ireland walk into a pub – what happens next will shock you!' A gag. Uninteresting caricatures. No ma’am. But I knew what I was hoping for it to be. A meeting that perhaps would be as edifying as it is interesting. My intention entering this was to encounter a person; not a meme. And it was to be present as a person, not a single song..."

This is a historic and wonderfully memorable occasion, which will go down in the annals of Irish popular culture...

Meanwhile, following the success of 2019's MDRN LV – which they celebrated with an astonishing, unprecedented five-night run at the 3Arena, Dublin – Picture This are back with Life In Colour (out June 25).

Determined to let their fans know that better times lie ahead, Picture This are releasing an album of edgy pop bangers, packed with hit songs that aren't afraid to cause offence. Famous friends, greedy TDs, drugs, Harry Styles, Hollywood and winding people up are all on the agenda as Hot Press's Stuart Clark gets to actually, physically meet the band...

Elsewhere in the issue, you can look forward to interviews with Wolf Alice, Lucy Dacus, Kojaque, Saint Sister, Bobby Gillespie and more. Plus – all the latest news, previews, and reviews...

So don't miss out on this special issue of Hot Press! Order your copy below now: