music
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This week’s selection spans powerful songwriting, bold artistic reinvention, viral momentum and socially conscious storytelling. From Ireland to the international stage, these are the songs that have caught our ear and sparked conversation across the industry. Lola Young – “From Down Here” Fresh from a remarkable period of professional success and a well-earned rest, Lola…
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For years, the debate around gender representation in Irish and British music has been marked by a familiar frustration. Artists raised concerns. Campaigners published reports. Broadcasters defended their decisions. Industry bodies launched initiatives. Yet despite the conversations, progress often felt difficult to quantify. Even when representation reached parliamentary agendas and policy discussions, a fundamental question…
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Why Century Artists Might Be One Of The Most Interesting New Irish Music Projects This Year What happens when one of opera’s most rebellious female characters collides with contemporary Irish rap culture? Dublin producer Louis Ryan’s new project Century Artists is betting that the answer lies somewhere between Georges Bizet’s nineteenth-century opera house and the…
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For centuries, the sound of Ireland’s original brass-wire-strung harp was lost to history. This July, audiences in Kilkenny will have a rare opportunity to hear the instrument that shaped Ireland’s musical identity and inspired the national emblem brought back to life by pioneering musicians and researchers. When most people think of the Irish harp, they…
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With the release of her new instrumental single “Golden Hour” set for June 12th, Nashville-based singer-songwriter and fiddler Jessica Willis Fisher returns to the Irish musical roots that first shaped her artistic identity. Inspired by her experience winning the Grúpaí Cheoil competition at the 2012 All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Cavan, the track captures a pivotal…
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At just seventeen years old, Niamh Noade finds herself standing at a fascinating crossroads. Raised in County Armagh and immersed in Irish music from an early age, Noade has spent much of her young life surrounded by melody, storytelling and tradition. A multi-award-winning harpist, finalist in Junior Eurovision and a familiar face on the Fleadh…
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In an era where electronic music often leans heavily towards escapism, spectacle and algorithm-friendly singles, Swedish producer Fred Rydén is taking a different route. His latest album, The Way To The Good Life, is not simply a collection of dance tracks designed to fill playlists or soundtrack late-night club sets. Instead, it is a sixteen-track…
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From boardrooms to grassroots activism, these are the women helping redefine power across the modern music business. When Billboard unveiled its 2026 U.K. Power Players list, much of the conversation naturally centred on superstar artists, billion-stream campaigns and record-breaking tours. But underneath the headlines sits a different story. One that is arguably far more important.…
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8/10 Wallis Bird has never sounded particularly interested in perfection, and thank Christ for that. “Hold Tight!” works precisely because it feels alive. Messy in places. Urgent. Warm. Full of movement and breath and friction. In an era where so much contemporary folk-pop arrives vacuum-sealed and emotionally overmanaged, Wallis continues to sound gloriously human. Released…
The Industry Review 