Spotlight Sounds; Episode Seven with Still Blue Music

Welcome back to Spotlight Sounds, a series by Secrets Behind the Sound celebrating the vibrant world of Irish music. Dive into the blend of tradition and innovation that characterises Ireland's contemporary music scene, featuring both established and emerging artists. Explore the influences and experiences shaping Irish musicians and join us as we delve into their creative processes, stories, and journeys. Through in-depth discussions, Secrets Behind The Sound recognises the groundbreaking contributions of Irish artists to global creativity. Whether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer, Spotlight Sounds invites you to explore the captivating realm of Irish music—a journey into the stories, sounds, and enigmas that make up Ireland's music scene.

Up next we have Dublin based indie-pop sensation, Still Blue. Still Blue emerged at the beginning of the pandemic, consisting of friends Nicole Lyons, Ruairi Forde and Greg Kearns. Their musical journey to date has been phenomenal, headlining Dublin's iconic venue, The Workman's Club, as well as performing at Ireland's famous Indipendence Festival earlier this year.

This rising Irish Indie ensemble showcases their talents by taking charge of the recording, production, and mixing processes of their own music. With a promising EP slated for release in 2023, Still Blue is poised for significant achievements in the near future.

Can you start by introducing yourselves and your musical background?

Hi, we are Still Blue, we are three pieces of an indie pop band based in Dublin. Myself (Ruairi) and Nicole started in 2021 writing songs during the lockdown and kind of thought it would be fun to release some music. Then our amazing Greg came along when we began playing shows and ever since then it has been a rollercoaster of an experience.

How would you define the genre you as a band primarily identify with, and how do you incorporate other influences into your sound?

I would say we are Indie Pop but with a folk sound. With Nicole's thick Donegal accent we aren't your usual indie pop band but we like it. We all have very similar interests like we all love The 1975, Sam Fender and CMAT but also have our own individual tastes, like Nicole is influenced massively from Boygenius and Taylor Swift, Ruairi listens to Idles and Kojaque and Greg is a big Fred Again and Two Door Cinema Club, so we bring our influences from lots of different Genres.

How do you see the current state of the Irish music scene? Are there any emerging trends or unique characteristics that stand out to you?

I think it's really popping off, like there are so many great bands coming through who are really following their own sound. CMAT has created such an iconic image for herself and with her music. She really portrays that saying of being exactly who you are and people will love it. We found recently that many of the emerging acts like ourselves are more connected and can support each other with gigs and shows which is needed when growing an audience from scratch!

In what way does your music reflect your Irish identity or connect with the local culture?

This is a really interesting question! We are very proud of where we are from, Nicole and Ruairi have very strong accents and embrace them in any interviews or during our shows. Nicole has green and gold running through her veins for Donegal and having a song on our Debut EP 'All Over The Chip Shop' called Hills of Donegal really shows that.

Can you walk us through your creative process when writing and composing music?

So far we have followed kind of a similar pattern for how we go about composing a song. Nicole will write the song with rhythm guitar and drums individually, hen we will bring it to rehearsals and start taking shape around it. Honeysuckle Daydream was the only song we hadn't played properly live before releasing it which was nice as it felt new to us when it was just released.

Could you provide an overview of the current state of your genre in the Irish music scene? In your opinion, has it evolved in any way over the years?

Irish bands in the last few years have really been some of the best around. We feel that the indie scene has gotten more punk-like, while still keeping that pop vocal and interesting song-writing compared to a super clean polished track. I think people are relating more to authenticity rather than a polished sound.

Diversity is an important aspect of any music scene. How do you think your music contributes to the diversity of the Irish music scene?

Our music is a reflection of our own feelings and emotions which we try to convey to anyone who listens. I think being open with your art allows you to connect with as many different diversities within the Irish music scene and also gives others a place to feel they can do the same.

As an Irish artist yourself, what advice have you got for other artists trying to navigate the industry and find their unique voice?

Keep creating. Find time to create in any little way you like. Keeping that creative spark alive allows you to find what you like and then incorporate all those little things you love into your music or art.

What can listeners expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming releases, collaborations or projects you’re excited about?

We actually have never collaborated with any other artist, I think it would be so fun to do. We are working on a new release that hopefully we will have out before the end of the year. We are always working on something cool like our music video for Lace just came out last week and it was so fun to work with Colin Peppard (Director) again. The music video is a strange & fun take on lace which we felt shows a little insight into our not-so-serious side!

I am going to finish off by asking if you could collaborate with any Irish musician, living or dead, who would it be and what kind of song would you create together?

Ohh Fun, I think we all have different artists we would love to work with, Ruairi would love to work with Hozier, his lyrics are so well constructed and melodically he is just amazing but I want to write the biggest pop-off-pop tune with him like for the girlos, he would love it. Greg would love to work with Matt Damon.

Still Blue highlight their distinctive fusion of Irish identity, including Nicole's enchanting Donegal accent, with a fresh and unique musical approach. With their various influences and undeniable talent, Still Blue are undeniably a band on the rise, poised to make a significant impact on the Irish indie-pop scene. Be sure to keep an eye out for their music; they are definitely a band worth checking out.

Be sure to check out Still Blue on their socials;

Spotify; Still Blue

Instagram; @stillbluemusic