Shannon Singer/Songwriter, Shirley Callaghan will release her first single ‘Ice Queen’ on January 17th.
A Drumgeely native in Shannon, Shirley has been involved in music since her childhood years and will ultimately release her first single on Wednesday the 17th.
The singer/songwriter spoke to The Clare Echo ahead of the release of ‘Ice Queen’ as she expresses her thrill and excitement for the special occasion.
“Ice Queen’ will be released next week, “It’s an exciting time and I’m really looking forward to it’.
A former St. Patrick’s Comprehensive student, Shirley was originally born in London where her parents first met. Her father being a native of West Clare born in County Kerry.
Being involved in Music from an early age, Shirley played Traditional Music as a child, which she inherited from the influence of her family in North Kerry. Her influences in music over the years range from Bob Dylan, Sinead O’Connor, Leanord Cohen, Kate Bush and many more. “We played music at home from an early age. A lot of the family played music and so I spent my summers in Kerry and Abbeyfeale where my mothers family are from”.
Shirley also plays piano and guitar and started writing songs as a teenager. She is currently learning the Mandolin which she received from her father as a gift.
Shirley completed a two year songwriting course with the Songwriting Academy of London in 2023 in an effort to aid her songwriting craft. From here, she was introduced to Paul Stratham, Multi Platinum Songwriter and Producer, who produced ‘Ice Queen’ and another track of Shirley’s called ‘Safety Deposit Box’, which will also be released as a single. Shirley has a lot of songs written, which she recorded in her home studio in Shannon and is really looking forward to releasing a number of singles over the coming months.
Shirley’s first single, ‘Ice Queen’ has been described as ‘hypnotic and strikingly haunting’. The combination of lyrics and music work together to craft a potent story about narcissistic behaviour, capturing manipulative tendencies and the lack of empathy associated with narcissism, “The chorus line ‘Is this what you’re made of’ questions human behaviour and the actions of those in authority over vulnerable people”.
“The song will go out on all platforms which include, Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Youtube, Bandcamp and it will be on my website”. Shirley is also currently working on a video for ‘Ice Queen’ which she is really excited about.
An EP/Album is on the cards for 2024 for the Shannon singer/songwriter, and is also looking forward to playing more gigs and festivals this year.
Ice Queen is set to release this month January 17th and we can look forward to hearing a lot more from Shirley in the coming months.
