Mairéad



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Mairéad is an artist of integrity, vision and passion to the individual voice that has manifested throughout her work over the past 3 decades.  Her music has journeyed through the road less traveled since departing her hometown of Dublin some 20 plus years ago and as she approaches the release of her Fourth Solo Album - “Burn For Love” she brings to it a maturity and depth that only exists through traveling on life’s teaching paths.  

Singing since the age of three and classically trained soon after, her early days were focused on classical, jazz and folk. Following her arrival in the US, Mairéad  enjoyed notable success, both in the studio and in the touring arena. Mairéad fronted Too Cynical To Cry, a bohemian pop collaboration, touring alongside such luminaries as Van Morrison, Natalie Merchant, Elvis Costello, and Tracy Chapman, as well as on Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair Tour, off the back of the critically applauded debut album, What Are You Afraid Of?

After a period of artistic transition, Mairéad released her 2003 breakout solo debut recording Open The Door. The body of work exuded a significant leap in her song craft and artistic depth, garnering rave reviews and motivating one New York critic to conclude "I find myself getting drunk on her sparkling spirit. Open The Door is a sweet concoction of folk dusted with Celtic mysticism, and abstract romance in the spirit of Van Morrison." Open The Door firmly established Mairéad as a leading voice of a new community of accomplished artists inspiring a positive movement through music and included extensive touring with Bob Dylan and major festivals notably Glastonbury, alongside Paul McCartney, Oasis and Radiohead among others.
 
In 2005 Mairéad released Dawn Of Revelation recorded with Jim Goodwin (The Call, Sparks, John Cale) Eggchair Studios in Hollywood. The collection included contributions drummer and percussionist Robert Medici (David Bowie, Lou Reed, John Cale), and bassist Hal Cragin (Iggy Pop, Rufus Wainright, They Might Be Giants, Sarah McLachlan). Rounding out this stellar collective was Mairéad's friend and collaborator, Jimi Zhivago (Norah Jones, Joseph Arthur, Glen Hansard, Rufus Wainwright, Olabelle).  Album highlight, Saviour, was picked up by German TV network, ZDF, as theme song for its hit TV dramedy, Sabine. Mairéad also appeared as herself in two of the shows eposides. 

Following a 10 year sabbatical from performing and touring, while she focused on motherhood, Mairéad delivered Rain: How Beautiful The Sound, a work of remarkable beauty, layered with joy, pain, loss and redemption. 

“Pain and passion are ineradicable from Mairead's lucid and highflown but laconic vocal work and one will find a good deal of Goldfrappe, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Mary Fahl, Sarah McLachlan, and others in the mix. Mairead’s no heedless brightsider…We’re here, nothing can be done about that, but we have it within us to tread our way to better things.” -Verita Vampirus review.

Mairéad's live performances have been captivating her loyal audience for some time now. Her return to performing will include select touring dates with The Call as well as a number of US and European festival appearances in 2017. Her shows have been separately described as 'spirited', 'naked', 'powerful' and 'joyous'. She will take those infectious qualities to audiences over the next phase of her relentless development as an enchanting, and charismatic talent. Mairéad’s vital new album, Burn For Love against a canvas of a new conscious activism, will release in September. She is rejoined by Zhivago, Goodwin and Cragin together with legendary drummer Matt Johnson of Jeff Buckley fame.  She will return to home soil to preview its global release at a very special midnight performance Electric Picnic festival on The Hazel Wood stage
Friday Sept 1.