Ireland: New music from Aimée Fitzpatrick, Brendan Murray, Molly Sterling and Linda Martin

The world’s media spotlight is currently focused on Ireland for the visit of Pope Francis. But while a pontiff can be expected to call by the island every 40 years or so, Ireland produces new Eurovision stars annually. And even though it might be quite some time since the last of the Emerald Isle’s seven wins, it’s still producing memorable acts.

Here’s a quick round up of some recent releases from within the Irish song contest bubble.

Mark McCabe feat. Ovie, Aimée “Over Me”

She came second to Ryan Dolan at Eurosong 2013. But 2018 might just be the year Aimée Fitzpatrick breaks into the mainstream. After a brief stint on The Voice UK, the “Crashing Down” songstress has joined forces with singer Ovie and DJ Mark McCabe – he of “Maniac 2000” fame.

The result is “Over Me”, a catchy floor filler which has already become a modest summer hit on Irish radio. Set to a heavy dance beat, the track revolves around a warring couple with both claiming the other is “never getting over me”.

Brendan Murray “Way Too Fast”

He rose to prominence as a member of the now defunct boyband Hometown, before going on to represent Ireland at Eurovision 2017. Now, if rumours are to be believed, Brendan Murray is set to feature as a contestant on the upcoming season of The X Factor UK. However, the Galway native has been doing more than simply prepping for his moment before Simon Cowell & Co.

He released “Way Too Fast” in June, the follow-up single to “Dying To Try”. It’s a marked shift away from the high-pitched balladry of his Kyiv effort. Instead, Brendan strums a guitar as he reflects on the speed of a blossoming new romance. His envious falsetto remains present, although some restraint is shown – making “Way Too Fast” instantly more accessible than its Eurovision precursor.

Molly Sterling “Stripped Down”

As a teenager at Eurovision 2015, she displayed a knack for lyricism that was beyond her years. Now aged 20, Molly Sterling continues to enchant. She’s become a darling of Irish music critics and it’s not hard to see hear why.

The dark and intimate “Stripped Down” tells an autobiographical tale in which “The Playing With Numbers” singer tackles the demons within her relationships with both her sexuality and other people. “He liked to divide my spine into three / Then make me talk about how brave I felt / Now that I’ve been stripped down” she sings, “My psychedelic nomad with a hairband made of thieves / You stole me”.

Linda Martin “Up In A Puff Of Smoke”

She’s one of a select group to have both silver and gold Eurovision titles to her name. And while Linda Martin’s song contest heyday may be over 25 years ago, she’s remained a prominent figure within both the Irish and Eurovision media scenes. In recent times, that’s mostly been down to her willingness to speak her mind but occasionally it’s because of her music.

Back in January, the “Why Me” chanteuse released “Up In A Puff Of Smoke”. A delightfully camp confection of old-school pop, it concerns a player who takes Linda’s affection for granted — more fool him! The song is completely unlike Martin’s previous hits, although fans of 1981 Eurovision winners The Fizz’s new retro sound should lap this right up

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