Off the back of two stellar summer singles and a plethora of press support, Nuala is delighted to announce the release of her EP Me & Me, out now.
Set free and unbound by genre, Nuala’s versatility as an artist is her true strength. From the upbeat, yet lyrically pointed, opening single Split Down The Middle to the politically charged ode to power-hungry, obnoxious men polluting the world on Cry F**king Loud, Nuala has impressively illustrated her chameleonic talents, her powerful vocal and a witty world view.
Me & Me is the perfect illustration of Nuala’s multifaceted approach to music as she playfully injects a hint of pop on ‘Had Enough’, and a smattering of singer songwriter on ‘Away’, while hints of ska pepper the EP throughout. Me & Me is a bold, mature record that highlights Nuala’s potential as an artist both in the here and now and the not-too-distant future.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Nuala about the newest music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
I wouldn’t say my music fits within one genre. I’m influenced by so many different styles of music from pop, soul, rock and reggae. I guess what attracted me to play music in the style I do is my influences and the way in which i’m able to express myself using the guitar and my voice.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
My passion for singing and performing. Coming from a family that are really into music and who also play instruments must have helped to fuel this passion and to realise my talent. From an early age I always knew this is what I wanted to do so the drive to perform and get my music out there has always been strong.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
I think I’m as much influenced by music as I am the people around me and my life experiences. My music tastes have definitely changed over time but I still come back to the first music I really got into when I was about 10. A lot of rock music like Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nirvana, System of a Down etc I also remember listening to Black Eyed Peas ‘Elephunk’ album on repeat. Also the big female artists at the time like Joss Stone and Christina Aguilera. As I got older my music tastes expanded and I started listening to a lot of old school reggae like the legend Bob Marley, Barrington Levy, Desmond Dekker, Black Uhuru etc And i’m being opened up to new musical styles all the time. Im exploring a lot more world music and afro beats stuff at the moment.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
No not really. I wrote all the songs on the EP without thinking about whether they would potentially be on it. It wasn’t until I was thinking about releasing music that I then went through my library of songs and decided on the ones that worked cohesively together. The 5 songs on the EP show my journey and me at my rawest form musically before management came on board and before I started writing with others.
What was the last song you listened to?
We Shall Overcome- Toots & Maytals
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Like most of the world I stream my music now although I did used to have a pretty cool CD collection.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify is my choice. I like that it helps me to find new music however I love how Apple have brought artists in to host their own radio shows as it’s a great way to hear what they are listening to.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
I think that being consistent is key and sometimes it can be hard to continuously put out content. You cant be too precious about what you post on social media but at the same you don’t want to post just for the sake of it. It can be hard to strike that balance. Also as someone that likes to just live in the moment, having to think about capturing these moments to post and keep up engagement has not come naturally.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
You can find me on social media @nualasmusic and all streaming platforms by searching ‘Nuala’.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
I hope that whoever reads this knows that they are special and has the best day! 🙂 Lots of love x
