Interview with… Nell Bryden talks…
Hi Nell and welcome back to Ireland. Thank you for this interview. Firstly, let me congratulate you on the fabulous new album What does it take?.
PJ: Many readers may not realise that you have also performed as gaeilge (in the Irish language) on the CEOL 09 compilation – the proceeds of which go to Barnardos’ charity. What was it like working on Dara huair a ghrá?
Nell:
Well I was in New York when we recorded the vocals for it and my first time doing it we worked with a translation I had sent to me and I had to work with a producer who had no knowledge of Irish and it being a complicated difficult language to pronounce – it took a few years. And I ended up having to hook up with a Irish fluent speaker in New York, so Second time around we got it – no pun intended! It was really great to be able to be on the album with such amazing talent like Glen Hansard, Duke Special and Mick Flannery.
PJ: What does it take? really is a well-deserved breakthrough album for you and I know you really have had to work hard building your career the old-school way, through graft and word of mouth. The country/bluegrass music scene is very hard to get a foothold in – Do you have any advice for someone (in particular women) looking to follow in your footsteps?
Nell:
Really it’s all about touring very hard, there are no easy answers – it’s about building a fan base and going out night after night and building on that fan base. Do whatever it takes to quit your job and go out on the road – if you really want to give music as go as a professional career. I set up all my own tours the first 3 years, and ending up playing a couple of hundred shows around the world, and that was just through word of mouth and linking up with other musicians – doing supports and travelling. Another thing is Keeping your over-head’s low and learning how to budget whilst on tour. This is so important. Being a full time musician involves so much more that being a musician- it’s about time management and travelling and dealing with people.
PJ: There are some very poetic lyrics on your album and I was wondering where you get your inspiration from – In particular for the song Green Dress which is one of my favourites?
Nell:
I was an English Major in college and I always loved stories with strength and character, I read fiction all the time and other influences are life stories and experiences. Travelling a lot means you hear a lot of various stories and these do grow on you and often translate into songs.
PJ: I know you have been around music since you were a child but was there ever any other line of work you thought of as a career before following your dream of music?
Nell:
I thought I was going to be an actress but that meant a lot of the time being someone else, and in music I prefer the freedom of being who you are and incorporating that into music.
PJ: I think everyone would love to know what music you listen to on your downtime from your busy schedule… What was the last thing you listened to on your i-pod?
Nell: I was recently listening to James Brown and Kings of Leon, oh and Ray Charles. It varies.
PJ: We have some great tour dates coming up in Ireland (listed on your website) but what can the fans expect to look forward to next from Nell Bryden?
Nell:
The new single and the album both titled What Does it Take? In the coming month’s there is a documentary film coming out that was directed by Susan Cohn Rockefeller and sponsored by Niall Rogers (wrote a lot of songs in the disco era) and I was also outfitted by Bono’s wife Ali Hewson for the film which was really a special thing. So all that along with gigging in Ireland and the Uk for the next 3 months.
Thank you for taking the time to share with my readers. The new album “What does it take?” is out May 15th so I really wish you all the best with its release – It’s going to be a huge success
Hey thanks a million!
Love Nell xx Continue reading “Interview with… Nell Bryden talks…” »
