Cork singer- songwriter Meadhbh Walsh told David Hennessy about her first ever London show coming up and after struggling with self- doubt gaining the confidence to be a performer.
23-year-old Meadhbh Walsh’s music career started at the age of 14 when she started busking in Killarney which progressed on to gigging in the pubs.
During lockdown, she posted her videos and live streamed her music on social media building up an online following of 200,000+ people.
She has toured and collaborated with Irish acts such as Dan McCabe, the Whistlin Donkeys and Sina Theil.
From Meelin in Co. Cork, she has travelled as far as Dubai, Boston, Michigan and New York but this weekend she plays her first show in London at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith.
It was last year that Meadhbh released her debut album, On My Own which shot to number one in the charts.
This show will be one of the final dates on the album’s Irish/ UK tour.
You must be looking forward to bringing your tour over here…
“Absolutely. I really can’t wait because it’s my first time gigging in London which is really exciting.
“I’ve wanted to do it since the lockdown and I suppose the right time never came up until this year.
“I’m just delighted. I have loads of friends over in London.
“It’s a new place to go and there’s so much Irish over there.
“There’s been big demand.
“I’ve been getting messages and messages coming in with a few years now so it’s about time.”
Are you enjoying the tour?
“I am.
“I’ve been really enjoying it.
“I was doing some gigs last year but this is my first time giving my own proper tour a go.
“I suppose getting into it, I was quite nervous because I wasn’t sure like, ‘How will it go?’
“You’re kind of going to the unknown.
“You’re trying to sell your own tickets at gigs and not doing support slots.
“You’re just trying new places, so I gave it a go and I am just so delighted.
“My confidence has just gone up so much.
“We’ve had so many sell out gigs and most of them have had just a wonderful crowd and it really, really, has done really well.
“I’m delighted that I gave it a go and tried it because I know now that I can keep going with this and the support is there and people will come to see me live.
“Online and gigs are kind of two different things really, aren’t they?
“You can’t guarantee just because you’re getting good views on your social media that people will actually come to see you, the fact that that has happened now and I’ve done it, I’m gonna put out more dates before the end of the year in Ireland and I plan on going back to Glasgow and London.”
Has this tour felt different for being your own tour?
“It definitely does feel a bit different.
“It’s been a long time coming in the sense that I started gigging when I was 14.
“I started busking in Killarney and when I was 15, I started doing a few more pubs.
“When I was in my teenage years, I really loved being in the pubs and when the lockdown happened, I was just stuck to singing on a screen for a few years.
“And then after that, I started doing support acts and working with other musicians and collaborating and I think because of that, it was so gradual and it happened so naturally.
“I took it easy and I didn’t rush it and I’m delighted because I feel ready now.
“I’m nearly 24 and I feel so ready to do this.
“It’s an amazing feeling.
“I am proud of myself because I have put in a lot of time and effort and energy and work into this over the years and it is my passion.
“It’s everything I think about and do.
“Every day it’s music since I was a small child.
“I feel like it’s what I wanted my whole life and I’m only a fraction of the way there and there’s a long way to go but I’m enjoying every moment.
“I just can’t wait to see where it goes as the years go on.”
You say it’s done good for your confidence. Self-doubt is something that you have struggled with, isn’t it?
“Yeah, definitely.
“I’ve always loved songwriting.
“Songwriting is something I was very nervous to delve into because you’re being quite vulnerable, people mightn’t like it and it’s very much your own thing.
“I’m after releasing three originals now and I’ve a lot more to release.
“They’ve all done really well.
“The support around the songs has been incredible.
“I think anyone that creates, whether its apps or whether it’s music, you’re always going to be your worst critic.
“I think that I’m definitely my worst critic at times.
“I’ve always loved music and I did it for the enjoyment but I never understood how other people can get so much enjoyment out of my music.
“I saw the support in the numbers coming through but there was an element of, ‘Why me? Why is this happening?’
“But as the time has gone on and I have done touring, it has just made my confidence come up so much because people just like the stories and they love Irish music.
“Just like myself, I love going to Irish music gigs.
“I’m still young, I’m still learning and I’m figuring it out.
“As I’m getting older, I find my confidence is just growing and growing and I don’t care as much what people think, I don’t have things holding me back that maybe I would have had when I was a bit younger and I wasn’t as confident.
“I feel I’m at a point now that I’m just ready to do anything, to do everything.
“I want to tour as much as I can.
“I want to release as much original music as I can.
“I want to do as much collaborations as I can.
“The word no, I don’t want it being in my dictionary.”
Where do you think your confidence came from?
“I think the confidence can only come from within.
“I feel like every bit of confidence that I have gained has come with just performing and dipping my toe into the water and releasing songs.
“But I don’t think at any stage, anything anyone could ever say to me would have given me the confidence that I get from just performing.
“My confidence comes from the fact that I’m sharing Irish music and sharing my culture.
“That is literally where my confidence comes from because I know, no matter what, people are connecting with the music and it’s making a bit of a difference.
“You’re keeping Irish culture alive and you’re sharing the songs of Irish history.
“At the end of the day, my job is done if a song means something to somebody.”
Let’s talk about the song On My Own, title track of the album and tour, it’s been a huge song for you…
“Yeah the song in itself is a funny one.
“I often refer back to it.
“I wrote it so quickly in the moment.
“It was just me being myself, ignoring all my phone calls, trying to go on a walk, be in the present, just wanting to be on my own basically.
“I wrote that song very quickly and then I think it was the following few days, I went into the studio and I got it down and we ended up using that exact version as the song.
“We didn’t even change anything.
“And at the time, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind that I would have named the tour after the song or an album but it’s funny how it all unfolded.
“As time went on, it really seemed to come together and I really like it because it’s a really simple song with a simple message, but I think it is really personal to me and it is an experience that I go through.
“Just every now and again I just like to be on my own.
“Yeah, the song means a great deal to me.
“I sing it at every concert and I’m looking forward to putting out more songs.”
The album went to number one, that must have been a very proud moment…
“It was.
“It was a great feeling.
“I was delighted because it just showed me that, ‘You’re going to keep doing this’.
“Seeing things like that and seeing that other people are listening and connecting, you can’t beat that.
“That is the best feeling in the world and it just makes me want to run straight back into the studio and record more songs.”
The album also includes several covers as well.
You love going to the canon, don’t you? Whether it’s Summer in Dublin, you put your own stamp on them..
“Yeah, I always like to add my own little touch on a song.
“I like to do my own little version of them.
“I think it’s really fun because I’m still being creative even though I’m singing covers. I still get to have a lot of fun and be creative with the song because I try a different instrument, sing it a bit differently.
“The whole idea is just to keep Irish music alive and to share Irish music for young people, older people.
“There seems to be a new wave of interest in Irish music, I found, especially this year.
“There’s an incredible array of ages that have been coming to the concerts and listening to the music.
“We’ve had kids come when they’re allowed and the venues support it.
“A lot of young people seem to really love Irish music which is great.
“We have a wide range of ages which means a lot because it just shows that it’s not dying out and it’s still relevant and it’s still going to stay alive for a long, long time.”
Speaking about the touring you’ve already played as far away as the United States and on numerous occasions. Wasn’t that a massive part of your journey?
“Well, it has 100% given me, as I said one time, a new lease of life.
“It kind of has.
“It has given me the opportunity to discover the kind of person that I want to be as an artist, the fact that I want to actually pursue this career for the rest of my life.
“It kind of gave me that realisation that this is what I’m meant to do, I’m meant to be on a stage and there is an incredible support there.
“I love it when people are telling you about their personal stories and what music means to them and how it got them through the lockdown.
“When they come to gigs and tell me these things, it really showed me that I am not doing nothing here.
“I look forward to every single gig I do.
“I literally can’t wait to go back to the stage.
“I actually can’t describe how much I love my job and it’s because of the people that come to the gigs and talking to people after the gigs as well.
“I love having a chat with the people saying hi and taking a few photos.
“I think it’s a very small world.
“You’ll always meet people you know from where you’re from at home, It’s such a small, tiny world.
“There’s a bit of Irish everywhere in the world so that makes me more excited because I know I’ll get to see a lot of the world with the Irish music which is great.
“I don’t think there’s any other music genre like Irish music that connects people in every single corner of the world.
“It’s a genre of music that no matter where you are in the world, it will connect people, people want to listen to Irish music: Young people in Australia, they have it on all the time. They go for Irish music gigs.
“There’s the Irish in America. There’s people who moved over 50 years ago or there could be people whose grandparents emigrated years and years ago but they still feel connected and they’re proud to be Irish and coming into these concerts and listening to this music connects them.
“It’s more than just listening to a song and enjoying it, you feel connected to your heritage and your culture.”
What would be a highlight for you of the stages you have got to play so far?
“Well I played to 20,000 people last year at the Farmers Bash in Belfast.
“That was a really nice gig but I was in the Olympia a couple of years ago and that was a beautiful venue as well.
“I really, really liked that but to me the most amazing venues are often smaller, intimate style ones.
“One of my all time favourite venues is Sea Church in Ballycotton in Cork.
“It is a tiny church and it fits about 120 people.
“Any time I’ve ever played there, it has been an incredible night.
“I come home smiling because you’re so close to the audience, you can talk to them.
“You feel like you’re at home.
“Those venues to me are the ones that I see myself playing for the rest of my life because people listen.
“They’re beautiful because they’re churches and the sound travels, you don’t need much volume on the speakers or anything. it just feels really nice.
“I do love my small intimate gigs.”
The last time I spoke to you you were with Sina Theil and you were combining on your female version of Grace.
That was important because you’re both young women in the industry and it’s important that young women do their thing, isn’t it?
“Absolutely, I feel like my biggest thing actually is to encourage women to take on Irish music.
“Obviously there’s a lot of men in the industry.
“It’s predominantly male performers, I feel anyway, when you’re talking the big stages but I want to see more women get involved and I want to collaborate with more women.
“I just love seeing women do well, and I want to see more women writing songs.
“It’s just because I feel like a lot of the songs I sing, I’ll even say it straight out myself, are written by men.
“And although it might be by chance, I think there could be a bit of work done to encourage more women to enter the music scene.
“But I see nowadays, it seems to be there’s more heads popping up every day and that is great.
“I definitely want to work with more women, working with Sina was lovely.
“I’d love to encourage young female musicians to just go for it.
“Don’t hold back.
“Don’t feel like you’re not good enough.
“Don’t let things hold you back, just go for it and put everything to the side and just do it.”
What’s next for you? I know you just released your debut album last year, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re already thinking about album number two…
“I’m already working on it.
“I’ve recorded three songs already.
“I’m not sure what I’m calling it yet but it is going to have plenty of originals on it.
“I’m just looking forward to getting this new album out.
“I hope to God it’s out before the end of the year because I’m working quite hard on getting into the studio every week so I’m really looking forward to this new album.
“I think it’ll be a little bit different.
“Every album I do is quite different and I’m playing with different sound for this album and I have some different inspiration when it comes to this album as well.
“I’m looking forward to releasing a different kind of a sound for myself.”
Meadhbh Walsh plays The Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith on Saturday 22 March.
For more information and to book, click here.
For more information on Meadhbh, click here.
