Music

Who is she?

An Irish composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist, born in Galway 28 years ago and now based in Dublin. Her self-financed 2005 debut album ‘13 Songs’ won the Choice Music Award – the Irish answer to the Mercurys – and finally gets a UK release this week.

What does she sound like?

She performs simple, vocal-led songs with starkly minimal instrumental backing (woodwind, strings, tuned percussion, ticking clocks) and has been compared to Björk, Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom, Camille and Stina Nordenstam. Feature continues

Is she happy about those references?

‘I suppose being a solo female artist is bound to throw up those comparisons. There’s an element of truth with Björk and Camille – I’ve not heard the Camille album, but I understand that they both multi-track their vocals very cleverly to create harmonic backings. It’s a bit like Celtic “mouth music”…’

Mouth music?

‘In Ireland it’s called puirt a buel, using strange vocal sounds to replicate dance movements. You also get it in lots of
other folk cultures. I suppose I add to that the tradition of medieval and renaissance choral music.’

She’s classically trained, then?

On ‘13 Songs’ she plays recorder, accordion, violin, harmonium, harmonica, melodica, piano, harpsichord and xylophone. She studied music and psychology at University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin, and at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She has worked as a vocal coach, written scores for experimental theatre and for short films, been commissioned for the Crash Ensemble and started work on an opera.

Is the album quite experimental?

‘Not really, it’s just very personal and stark. Actually, a lot of the songs could be remixed into radio-friendly songs. There’s a song on the album called “Million And One” which my engineer mixed and turned into a really poppy track. I had to insist that we did it as I initially wanted. But about half of the songs sound very different when I play them live, with a three-piece band.’

What’s this about her working as a model?

‘I did it on and off for a few years while I was studying music. Catwalk modelling, clothing catalogues, TV and print ads. It was a bit of a laugh. I actually got quite into “movement acting”, as pioneered by Romeo Castellucci. I’m not a dancer – I’ve had lessons and I dabble – but I am fascinated by the musicality of movement…’

What’s in her record collection?
‘Lots of classical music, Beethoven in particular. And lots of Irish traditional stuff. Hang on, let’s have a look. Ah, Duke Ellington is amazing. And kd lang. And Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, June Tabor, Bela Fleck, Bobby McFerrin… I also spend a lot of time listening to new bands on MySpace, but I’m often a bit frustrated. I really want to hear stuff that’s different.’

On the first track of her CD, she sings a note lasting 28 seconds…

‘I’ve been told that it’s the longest-held vocal on a pop record – apparently it’s ten seconds longer than Bill Withers on “Lovely Day”! It’s quite logical if you’ve had choral training. You just control your abdominal muscles. I love using long sustained “pedal notes” that stay the same while the chords around them change.’

Julie Feeney is the new…

‘I suppose I have to say a man’s name, don’t I? Just to get away from the whole female thing. I’m tempted to say Steve Reich or Philip Glass, if that’s not too conceited of me. Of course, neither of them sing, but I think I use a lot of the same techniques in my music. Also, I suppose that I’d like to have a career like Elvis Costello, who’s able to do all sorts of different projects in all sorts of fields.’