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We've   interviewed   a   lot   of   people   at  Essentially   Pop   this   year,   and   we'll   be  talking  to  a  lot  more.    Most  of  our  interviews  have  been  via  email  question  and  answers,  but  some  have  been  face   to   face.     We've   been   to   a   lot   of  concerts,   listened   to   a   lot   of   music,   and  discovered  a  lot  of  very  interesting  people  from   all   over   the   world,   who   are  passionate   about   their   craft,   and   deserve  to  be  heard.        

Back  in  September  we  hooked  up  with  Kitty  Brucknell,  who  was  the  catalyst  for  a  lot  more   interviews.    What   we've   discovered   is   that   the  music   industry   is   very  complex,  and  there  are  a  lot  of  artists  who  make  very  fine  music,  but  through  no  fault  of  their  own,  encounter  a  lot  of  difficulties  along  the  way.        One   such   person  we   spoke   to  was   Teddy  Michaels,   a   singer   from   Chicago,   USA.    Teddy  is  a  23  year  old  unsigned  independent  pop  artist.        His   musical   influences   include   Madonna,   Michael   Jackson   and   Britney   Spears.    Let's  revisit  some  of  our  interview  with  Teddy.    EP:     You   describe   yourself   as   an   “independent   pop   artist,   singer,   songwriter  dancer,  actor,  phone  case  designer”  which  one  of  those,  if  any,  is  your  first  love?    Yes  I’m  a  man  of  many  trades  lol.  Well  my  first  real  true  love  is  music  and  singing.  So  I  have  to  say  being  a  singer.  Either  if  I’m  performing  at  Madison  Square  Garden  or  singing  at  a  small  bar  in  Ohio  or  even  singing  in  my  shower,  I  will  be  singing  no  matter  what.    EP:     Like   so   many   people   in   the   industry,   you   were   bullied   as   a   child,   how   does   this   influence   your   song  writing/performing,  and  do  you  feel  it  has  given  you  an  extra  determination  to  succeed?    Being  bullied  as  a  child  and  as  a  teenager  was  one  of  the  hardest  times  of  my  life.  I  used  to  hate  waking  up  everyday  to  go  to  school  because  someone  was  going  to  call  me  the  f  word  when  I  walked  past  them  in  the  hallway.  I  had  a  constant  fear  of  being   called   the   n  word   everyday   at   school.   Being   bullied   has   influenced  my  music   in   so  many  ways.   All   the   pain   and  aggression  that  built  up  in  those  years  I  use  to  my  advantage  when  I’m  recording  at  the  studio.  I  let  it  all  out.  It  also  gives  me  a  extra  boost  to  want  to  pursue  my  dreams  even  more  to  prove  my  haters  and  bullies  wrong.    

 In   November   Lisa   went   to   Dublin   to   catch   up   on   the   thriving  music   scene   over   there.     She   checked   out   the  buskers   on   Grafton   Street,   went   to   the   Childline   Cheerios   Concert,   and   checked   out   a   gig   by   up   and   coming  psychedelic  pop  act,  Fanlights.    Lisa  got  to  chat  with  lead  singer,  Unamae  Cahill,  before  the  show.    Let's  revisit  their  interview:    EP:    Give  us  the  potted  Fanlights  story.    Are  you  a  democracy  or  does  one  person  do  more  than  the  others  (and  if  so  what)?  How  did  Fanlights  come  together?    U:    When  I  was  growing  up  I  was  always  involved  in  music  and  I  loved  it.    For  example  my  first  gig  was  in  the  National  Concert  Hall  when  I  was  around  8  years  of  age.     I  was   involved   in  orchestras,   Irish  traditional  Grupa  Ceoils  and  choirs.      By  the  age  of  ten  I  could  play  piano,  violin,  viola,  mandolin  and  concertina.    I  knew  as  a   teenager   that   I  was  going   to   form  a  band.  At  around   fifteen   I  started   to  compose  melodies  on   the  piano  and  then  I  added  lyrics.    I  met  a  lot  of  great  musicians  whilst  studying  music  in  college.    I  formed  the  band  

 

 

8  in  the  summer  of  2013.    We  played  gigs  all  over  Ireland,  London  and  some  festivals  in  2014  such  as  Youbloom  and  Indie  week.  Some  members  have  come  and  gone.    They  have  other  projects  in  their  lives  that  they  have  to  focus  on.  Once  in  Fanlights  your  time  is  very  well  documented.    There  is  a  bit  of  history  behind  each  member  just  like  behind  all   the  doors  which  have  Georgian   fanlights  above   them   in  Dublin.  Everyone  who  has  been   in   the  band   has   contributed   and   that’s   really   important.     I   write   the   songs   but   everyone   has   an   input…even   if   that  means  booking  a  gig!     It   is  very   important   to   recognise  everyone’s  efforts.  For  a  band   to   succeed   it’s  better   if  everyone  has  the  same  vision.    EP:    How  would  you  describe  your  music?  What  genre?  

 U:    I  listen  to  a  lot  of  piano  based  musicians  such  as  Rufus  Wainwright,  Tori  Amos,  Tom  Waits  and  Fiona  Apple.     I  suppose  the  song  structures  are  influenced  by  those  artists.    The  genre  is  very  pop  based.    The  chorus  has  catchy  lyrics  and  the  theme  is  usually  universal.     I   love  music  from  all  genres  so  the  music  is  a  bit  of  a  mix  really.    I  have  a  soft  spot  for  60s  psychedelia  bands.    You  can  make  up  your  own  mind  about  the  genre.    I  think  its  good  to  keep  changing  and  pushing  the  envelope  for  the  style.  The  genre  is  Fanlights.    EP:    Who  do   you   take   your   inspiration   from  and  would   you  most  like  to  collaborate  with?    

U:    I  love  The  Cure’s  early  records  and  the  songwriter  Robert  Smith.    He  started  off  very  alternative  with  an  anti  image  however  as  time  went  on  The  Cure  broke  onto  the  mainstream  market  in  the  mid  80s.  I  say  he  would  be  very  interesting  to  work  with  as  he  is  so  prolific  and  still  writes  to  this  day.    I  would  love  to  take  a  time  capsule  back  to  1968  and  write  some  songs  with  Marc  Bolan.    I  am  a  big  fan.    EP:    Where’s  your  favourite  place  to  perform?    U:    The  Grand  Social,  it  is  where  we  played  our  first  gig  for  The  Jack  Of  Diamonds  music  festival.    I  like  the  little  tables  with   the  red  candles  under  a   tent   like  canopy.     I  also   think  Sweeney’s   is  a  great  venue   for   independent  bands.    You  can  always  catch  a  band  playing  a  set  there  almost  every  week.        I  mention   the   venue  Workman’s   in   a   song   as  well.     There   is   a   YouTube   video   recorded   of   “Superstar”   being  performed  there  in  March  2014.    That’s  a  pretty  well  known  music  venue  in  Dublin.    I  have  seen  a  lot  of  Irish  and  International  acts  perform  there.    EP:    What’s  a  surprising  fact  your  fans  might  not  know  about  you?    U:    I  have  a  radio  show  called  The  Fluffy  Noise.  It’s  every  Friday  for  an  hour  between  3-­‐4  pm.    The  studio  is  based  on  South  Williams  Street  in  Dublin.    The  Show  is  part  of  Radiomade.ie,  which  is  a  new  Independent  station.  Every  week  I  play  my  favourite  songs.    I  also  have  a  band  or  a  musician  coming  in  to  perform  a  few  acoustic  songs  and  to  talk  about  their  music.  The  reason  I  started  The  Fluffy  Noise  was  because  I  felt  that  bands  need  a  platform  to  promote  their  music  especially  in  Dublin.    I  don’t  care  how  many  likes  the  band  has  on  these  social  networking  sites.    Its  not  about  popularity  with  me,  its  about  music.    

 

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 In  April  John  and  Edward  took  a  whirlwind  trip  to  Rome,  which  they  used  as  a  very  effective  background  to  the  video  for  their  song,  "Free  Spirit".    The  song,  written  in  February,  was  inspired  by  US  figure  skater,  Gracie  Gold,  whom  the  twins  watched  during  the  Winter  Olympics.    An  inspirational  and  empowering  song,  it  set  the  tone  for  what  was  yet  to  come  -­‐  songs  which  operate  on  more  than  one  level.          Touring   in   2014  was   restricted   to   Ireland,   but   the   twins   did   pop   over   the  water   to   perform   at   two   summer  festivals:    Guilfest  in  July  and  Total  Access  Live  in  August.    John  and  Edward  took  many  by  surprise,  and  gained  a  lot  of  fans  at  both  events.    Fans  haven't  had  much  of  the  same  "hands  on"  contact  with  Jedward  as  they  have  enjoyed  in  previous  years,  as  much  due  to  their  intense  work  schedule  as  anything  else  -­‐  but  the  twins  did  introduce  some  unique  experiences  to  their  concerts,  including  access  to  their  soundchecks  on  their  Irish  tour  in  October,  and  "intimate"  Christmas  concerts  in  mid-­‐December,  which  included  a  "selfie-­‐session"  and  chat  with  John  and  Edward.        In   November   the   duo   performed   as   part   of   the   lineup   at   the   Cheerios   Childline   Concert,   an   event   they've  performed  at  every  year  since  2010,  with  the  exception  of  2013,  when  they  were  on  tour  in  Australia.    It  was  a  brilliant  concert,  with  the  twins  singing  three  of  their  new  songs,  including  the  debut  of  "Make  Your  Own  Luck".    Now  we're  into  the  new  year  and  John  and  Edward  have  announced  that  Make  Your  Own  Luck  will  be  released  on  30   January.     The   artwork   is   exceptional,   has   a   real   art   deco,   "Great  Gatsby"   feel   about   it!    We're   certainly  looking  forward  to  seeing  a  lot  more  of  them  this  year!        

   

SPEAKING  ABOUT  MAKE  YOUR  OWN   LUCK   LATE   LAST   YEAR,  THE   TWINS   SAID   THAT   THE  SONG   IS   ABOUT   MOVING  FORWARD   AND   FULFILLING  YOUR   DESTINY.     WE   THINK  THEY'RE   CERTAINLY   GOING  ABOUT   THINGS   THE   RIGHT  WAY.  

 

 

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Grafton  Street,  right  in  the  middle  of  Dublin,  is  a  mostly  pedestrianised   shopping  area,   stretching  down  from  St  Stephen’s  Green  to  College  Green.  As  a  result,  it  attracts  a  lot  of  people,  and  makes  a   fantastic   base   for   Dublin’s   many   buskers.   On  any  given  day,  and  particularly  on  the  weekends,  you   can   hear   high   quality   music   on   Grafton  Street   that   you  wouldn’t  hear  anywhere  else.   It  was  on  such  a  day  that  we  visited,  and  we  found  ourselves   caught   up   in   the   crowd   surrounding  The   FitzaFrenic,   a   ska   act   based   in   Dublin.    Stripped  back  and  simple,  the  band  nonetheless  were  able  to  go  through  all  the  tracks  from  their  album,   “Chew   The   Fuse”.   The   10   track   album,  co-­‐produced   by   Mark   Healy   and   NDT  Productions,   was   on   sale   during   the   gig.  Consisting   of   Conor   McGrath   (Lead   Vocals   and  Sax),  Cian  Lernihan  (Lead  Guitar),  Mark  O’Connor  (Bass   Guitar),   Trav   Keogh   (Drums),   the  FitzaFrenic  have  been  together  since  2008  and  it  shows.  In  2010,  they  appeared  live  on  TG4’s  Pop  4,   98FM   and   Spin   103.8.   Of   the   songs   on   their  album,  we  enjoyed  the  quirky  and  very  fun  “One  Can  Van  Damme”  most  of  all.    

Essentially  Pop  visited   “Proud  Camden”   for   the   launch  of  Effie’s  new  EP,  “Conquer”.    Effie   has   been   called   “a   female   Frank   Ocean”,   and  compared   to   Jessie   Ware.   “Conquer”   is   the   result   of   a  chance   encounter   with   Rhett   “Kidforce”   Raha,   an   artist  and  producer  based  in  LA.  The  songs  on  the  EP  are  written  from  the  point  of  view  of  someone  who’s  been  in  and  out  of  love,  but   is  now  on  the  other  side,  better  and  stronger.  “Conquer”   is   a   cathartic   collection   of   bitingly   refreshing  songs,  and  we  really  enjoyed  hearing  them.    Just  after  8,  Effie  took  to  the  stage,  opening  with  “Biggest  Regret”,   the   third   song   from   “Conquer”.   Soulful   and  moving,  she  sings  about  the  turmoil  she’s  been  through  in  love,  but  she’s  now  moving  on.        Effie   gave   it   her   all,   and   the   audience   clearly   enjoyed   it  immensely.     She   rounded   off   an   amazing   night   with   her  single,  “Addicted”,  which  she  released  in  May.    

 

 

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