Singer- songwriter Niamh Regan spoke to David Hennessy about her ‘difficult’ second album, learning not to overthink it and her upcoming show at London Irish Centre.
Galway songstress Niamh Regan comes to London Irish Centre this week.
Niamh rose to prominence in 2020 when her debut album Hemet started to make waves and led to nominations for both the RTE Folk Awards and the Choice Music Prize ‘Album of the Year’.
The release of her debut album brought her from open mics to headline tours around Ireland, UK, Australia, and more.
She has shared stages with the likes of CMAT, Villagers, John Grant, SOAK, Patrick Watson, Sam Amidon, Cormac Begley, Sorcha Richardson, Josh Ritter, and many more.
In May of this year, she released the follow up record entitled Come As You Are.
She describes the process as difficult as she was overthinking it at times. She completed album number two with the help of renowned producer Tommy McLaughlin of Attica Studios.
In fact, she is so over the difficulties she had, she now says work is well underway on writing a third album.
This week’s show will not be Niamh’s first time performing at the London Irish Centre but it will be her first as headline performer.
Are you looking forward to coming over to London?
“Yeah, I’m really excited to come over and play.”
You have played at the LIC before, haven’t you? Was it as support for Damien Dempsey, am I getting that wrong? “No, you’re getting that spot on.
“I’m going back this time to do a headline show.
“It feels like a very long time ago since I was there.
“It was a very different crowd.
“Damian Dempsey was just so kind to have me on board, that gig was so special.
“There was so many people crying.
“I was not expecting that kind of emotional outburst at his gigs, and it was one of those formative moments as a gig goer as well as a musician. Almost a healing quality he had on these people singing back songs.
“It’s a really memorable moment and also my first gig in London ever.
“They were just so kind and so encouraging to me there at the Irish Centre, so I can’t wait to come back now with a little bit more experience under my belt and present my work now a little bit more confidently with the second album and everything.
“It’s exciting.”
You’ve spoken before about taking something from each support slot and learning what you can from people like Glen Hansard and in this case Damien Dempsey.
Sounds like the Damien show had a massive impact on you..
“Yeah, and it was really exciting to be a part of.
“It’s the idea of when the crowd is so part of the actual performance.
“Damian Dempsey does that in such an intimate way without bells and whistles or lights and any of that, it’s just so inclusive.
“He’s like, ‘I can’t do this without you’.
“And sometimes I think it’s cheesy when you get the crowd to sing with you but with him, it was like anthems. They were just like roaring it back at him.
“Sometimes that might be seen as like, ‘Oh, that’s not great’, because you want to just listen to the singer but it was so magical when it was at that gig.
“I could harp on about him forever. I just think he’s a very special artist.
“We’re really lucky to have him, I think, representing Ireland.”
Did it change how you looked at the live thing then, less ‘I’m here and the audience is there’ and more ‘We’re all in it together’?
“Absolutely, that’s the best way of putting it.
“It takes two to tango in a live setting, and I think it just made me think about how I present the songs a little bit more.
“It was a great learning point for me, not that I’m going to be promising a gig like Damian Dempsey but it’s the way you share your song and just being mindful of why you’re singing.
“The songs might have been a very personal thing when you were doing them and writing them in your room but now that they’re out there, they’re for everyone else.”
This is a one off gig and not part of a broader tour but you did tour the UK in May when you came with Christof Van Der Van. How was that?
“It was gorgeous, actually
“I got to see a lot of the UK and venues that I had never been before.
“Then I got lucky again to join Memorial, they’re a UK duo. They’re really great.
“I met them at Sounds from a Safe Harbour as well.
“Yeah, I spent a good bit of time in the UK, but I’m really excited about this particular London show.
“This is just a one off. You can kind of taylor it in a way that you really want. You’ve lots of time to prepare. You’re not in the car all day going from Edinburgh to London so it will be nice and relaxed.
“Can’t wait for it.”
You have had a busy summer of festivals, how have you enjoyed getting the album out there?
“It’s been really fun: Lots of festivals, a lot of arts festivals which have been really nice because they’re in theatres, not in fields necessarily so that’s been lovely.
“The ones in the fields were great too.
“November is when I’m actually going to be doing kind of the final run of this album with the full band sound.
“I’m looking forward to just kind of finishing the year strong that way.
“It’s been great because since the second record has come out, I’ve actually been writing non stop.
“Once you’ve finished a project that’s been kind of with you for a long time, it’s kind of a new lease of life and especially when it’s not straight into the studio straight after and just actually enjoying writing in between gigs.
“It’s been a really nice time actually.”
And how does it feel to have your second album out? Is it a great sense of achievement having had the success of Hemet and now followed it up as well?
“Yeah, I think it is.
“The first album is always an exciting endeavour.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen and then you find a little audience and you build on it.
“This second record was really difficult.
“I put way too much pressure on it, but I feel really accomplished that I got it done and it’s out there. I’m really proud of it. I’m proud the way I did it. And it is that sense of convincing yourself, ‘I’m actually in this for the long haul and I’m going to enjoy it’.
“It’s not always going to be smooth sailing and you’re not always going to get it right but I feel really lucky and fortunate to be able to choose this as a career and path to follow.
“I’ve also learned to not take any of that for granted.
“I’m definitely in a good place.
“I feel just very grateful for it all.
“I think that will help when you are playing live gigs and you’re feeling good, it’s really hard not to share that.”
I bet back in 2017 when you were sharing your music at open mic nights, you did not think you would be sitting here now with two albums and award nominations as well..
“Yeah. We change so much in such a short amount of time, I think.
“I wouldn’t have ever pictured myself here so I’m really glad for going with the flow and having people to keep me going with the flow as well.
“It’s been a wild ride.”
You have told us before about not believing the news when you first got it that your album Hemet was in contention for the RTE Choice Music Prize. Looking back now, was that a life changing moment?
“Yeah, it is.
“You’re being acknowledged in a different way.
“It’s just encouragement.
“It’s more internal encouragement where you’re like, ‘Okay, people other than your family are saying this is worth a listen’, you know?
“It’s a motivator and it gave me the permission to kind of believe in myself a little bit more, not that awards or anything like that should be the reason why you believe in yourself, but you can’t help it.
“If somebody gives you a compliment, it’s hard not to kind of smile.
“So yeah, I’d be thankful for it.”
It probably gave you some validation at that part of your career. Perhaps validation is a bad word actually..
“I think validation is almost a thing.
“I think the problem is trying to get the balance right of seeking validation for the right reasons and just making sure that it’s not something you depend on: You enjoy it but it’s not something that you need to keep going when it comes to writing songs. Because you kind of have great months and then you have months that are quite quiet and you’re like, ‘Oh dear, what am I doing?’
“But it’s that unpredictable journey that is so addictive in this music industry.
“You have such great months that you’re on top of the world and then the next few months, you’re kind of in a panic mode.
“I’m beginning to kind of think I can’t imagine my life any other way right now.
“I love that.
“It’s almost like gambling.”
Why was this most recent album difficult? There was four years and a pandemic between your two albums, were you overthinking it or getting bogged down in details?
“It was difficult in the sense I wanted it to be a step up from my first one, and I wanted a different approach.
“I didn’t want to be seen as a one trick pony.
“I wrote a big list of what I didn’t want to do.
“It’s easy to write lists, that’s what I learned.
“I think I started strong throwing out so many different songs and drafts, but then I started doubting myself halfway through the process and that slowed it all down.
“As you said, just overthinking it, getting into your head.
“It was a whole new career on top of trying to write new music with the vision of sharing it and trying to make money off it.
“That was a whole new ingredient into the recipe that I didn’t know what I was making, it was like cooking blind.
“I’m really glad that the final hurdle, I kind of took a deep breath and worked it all out with Tommy McLaughlin and put out exactly what I wanted to put out.
“The album dealt with all the stuff that I wanted to deal with in it and it’s quite dense, and I got to touch on production that I would have never dreamed of doing in my first album.
“That, in itself, is growth.
“The reviews and stuff, it seems really interesting to me because it seems to be kind of a tiny bit of marmite.
“My first album seemed like, ‘It’s lovely’, ‘that’s nice’.
“This one seems to be a bit more marmite and I think, for a second record, I’m actually kind of excited about that, because it’s a whole new step to spring off of for my next record.”
That’s interesting you say the reviews are more mixed. Do you feel you are finding your sound more and finding the kind of artist you are and that’s the reason for that? As in people will either take or leave what you present but be more emphatic in their response..
“That’s like a learning curve for me as well.
“It’s like you’re growing up through music and it’s interesting that way.
“It’s just like in the second album, albeit difficult, I definitely grew a lot of confidence from it, and especially now that we’re out on the other side of it.”
Is the album title Come As You Are from the process of it? You were overthinking and then to overcome that, was a it a case of come as you are, take me as you find me, etc..
“That’s exactly what it means.
“When we came to selecting the songs in the studio it was essentially just like, ‘It is how it is. This is where we’re at. It doesn’t mean we’re there forever..’
“But it’s embracing yourself even if it’s not the most beautiful moment in your life or perfect or anything like that.
“So yeah, come as you are.”
You have mentioned Sounds From A Safe Harbour a couple of times. It is where you met Christof and Memorial who you have gone on to do gigs with.
Being involved in that has been really beneficial, hasn’t it?
“Yeah, the whole ethos of it is really great.
“And everyone that attended the week of writing has stayed in touch, I think that’s a crazy thing: To stay in touch and connect and network on that level in this industry is just really beautiful. It’s nice to be around people who are at all different stages in this industry.
“You can team up and support each other like how I did with Memorial and Christof, but also just having people to kind of give advice on structures and songs and stuff like that. It was so great.
“Mary Hickson just kind of knows what she’s at when it comes to curating a positive musical culture.”
What’s next? By the sounds of it you have already started on material for album 3 and I take it we won’t have to wait as long now that you have cracked the ‘overthinking’ difficulties of the last one..
“Yeah, enjoying this third album process a lot more, I think.
“I don’t want to give you a date but I have a lot of the songs done and just need to bring them to the studio now with the band.
“It shouldn’t be too long, and it’s already proving to be a lot of fun.”
Niamh Regan plays London Irish Centre on Tuesday 24 September.
For tickets, click here.
Come As You Are is out now.
For more information about Niamh, click here.
