Interview: Irish singer KOLETTE talks about growing up surrounded by music, performing with Bob Wootton, and new single and video for ‘Change My Life’

Previously known as Colette Kavanagh, Irish singer KOLETTE, has experimented with a variety of music genres, and her voice suits them well. Adapting to an array of musical genres is not a difficult feat, as KOLETTE was surrounded by a creative circle with her parents; her dad played the piano while her mom sang, along with her aunt, a singer in the Dublin Opera Society. Her influences range from her Roy Orbison to Julie London, among others. Her career catapulted in 2007 when she was a guest singer on Bob Wootton’s (Johnny Cash’s guitarist) ten-day tour, which motivated her to write and record her own music. She’s a staple in her home country of Ireland, performing regularly, and her song “Rebekah’s Lullaby,” was featured in the award-winning short film Skunky Dog.

KOLETTE’s latest single and music video for her EDM-infused, “Change My Life,” features KOLETTE and her friends cascading into a magical forest, unbeknownst of the outcome. They each get led away, being studied by a couple of “droids,” and after the trio are thoroughly studied, allowed to leave, then running into replicas of themselves; the clip ending shows them embracing their clones and each of their friendships (clones and all) lead them out of the forest. KOLETTE chatted with us about her interest in sci-fi for the video and single for “Change My Life,” her inspiration behind the video, what’s next for her, and her fun music favorites.

Growing up with creatives in Ireland, you were surrounded by music and performing. How did that influence/shape who you are as a singer today?

KOLETTE: Ireland has a rich history of songwriting and storytelling; it’s almost as if it’s in our blood. My father’s family was made up of musicians and my mother too loved to sing. Part of everyday school
life was preparing for the next big show in well known Dublin theatres. The nuns were great teachers as well as beautiful singers, so I suppose they too had a great influence on me.

Your career was kickstarted on a 10-day tour with Johnny Cash’s guitarist Bob Wootton. How did that experience encourage you to pursue your desire of singing and performing?

KOLETTE: Before the Bob Wootton tour, the industry seemed exclusive and expensive for young singer-songwriters to create and record their music. With such a positive response from the many audiences of the tour, it gave me the confidence and encouragement I needed to get myself out into the industry.

Your latest single and music video for “Change My Life” finds you in the EDM world. What draws you to that genre?

KOLETTE: It’s definitely the beats. I want to be able to make music that gets people up and dancing without thinking too much and just having fun.

The video for “Change My Life” features you and your friends in a whimsical forest, not knowing the outcome. Then you all get led away by two “droids,” returning near the end as replicas of yourselves. What was the filming and collaborative effort like for it? Did you have a lot of input with ideas for the video?

KOLETTE: I really love Sci-fi and always wanted to include it in my work and the EDM scene is great for creating a video however abstract you want. I came up with the concept with my videographer and we
filmed it in a day. I mainly handled casting and costumes while my videographer directed and edited the piece.

Is an album, EP and/or more singles in the works soon?

KOLETTE: Yes, of course. I’m currently working with my London based producer (Grammy-Award winner) Philip Larsen and hope to be releasing a single in the next coming months. It may take a little bit longer than normal due to the pandemic but it’s in the pipeline.

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Fionn Regan’s new album Cala out now on Abbey Records

Acclaimed Irish musician Fionn Regan’s sixth album, Cala, is out now on Abbey Records. Listen/share the record here: https://orcd.co/fionnregancala. Additionally, his song “Riverside Heights” premiered on FLOOD Magazine yesterday who said, “Over sparse Spanish guitar, Regan’s voice gently sets the scene of a warm summer night. With hardly more than backing harmonies and twinkling keys gracing each chorus, the song is quite peaceful…”

Cala, named after the Spanish word for creek, continues to receive widespread acclaim—The Times proclaims, “The Irish singer returns to the spectral soundscapes and vivid, impressionistic lyrics that made his debut so haunting and beautiful,” while MOJO adds, “Regan’s typically poetic sixth album conjures a singular, almost meditative mood via fingerpicked guitars and subtle cinematic textures. His honorary membership of the Trinity College Literary Society is fully justified throughout.”

The ten-song album was performed entirely by Regan and was written at his home in Bray, on Dublin’s coastal outskirts, which might partly explain Cala’s recurring imagery: stars, moon, ocean and sun. “The album does have fundamentally elemental, visual components,” he notes. “I wouldn’t mind knowing why! It’s a mystery to me, how songs evolve. Thankfully, they do. But I’ve never got anywhere when I’ve tried to work it out.” Regan concedes, “the place you’re from continues to resonate.”

Cala is similarly drawn from intuition, rooted in acoustic guitar as well as piano, and atmospherics. As Regan hears it, “[Atmospherics are] sparse cinematic moments, like a super-eight movie.” He furthers, “A kickdrum here, a footstamp there, some slight modern twists influenced by the time period we’re in. I’ve not overthought it much. I hope the songs can shine in that way. The song comes first, then the sonic palate, then the words give a sense of place, or landscape.”

Born in Bray, Ireland, Regan rose to prominence with the release of his 2006 debut album, The End of History, which was followed by the release of his 2017 album, The Meetings of the Waters. Over the course of his career, Regan has been nominated for the Choice Music Prize in Ireland, the Mercury Prize in the U.K., the Shortlist Music Prize in the U.S. and is an honorary member of the Trinity College Literary Society. Additionally, his song “Abacus” was sampled by Justin Vernon on “00000 Million” from Bon Iver’s 22, A Million. The pair have since met and worked together in Berlin.

Source: Press Release