Mullingar singer-songwriter Amy Michelle has had a whirlwind year 2024. She’s supported hometown hero Niall Horan in the 3Arena in February, headlined her own show in The Soundhouse, and then capped it all off with a set in The National Stadium in support of Norweigan singer-songwriter Aurora.
It’s not just on the live side of things she’s been working, she’s also been toiling away in the studio recording a follow-up to her 2023 EP Felicity Stories.
“It’s finished now so I’m really excited to start working on the creative side of things, the music video and cover photo and bits like that” Amy smiles, “I moved home from London about a year ago and ever since then and my second EP I began writing this third one, but it’s been a long process because I’ve had a crazy year personally”.
“Hopefully that’s depicted in the music” she adds, “It’s honest, it’s true and that takes time”. Amy hopes to have news of the project’s first single in September.
Amy is speaking to GoldenPlec ahead of her set as part of We’ve Only Just Begun Festival, a festival which hosts an incredible selection of female and non-binary artists, which takes place in Whelan’s from 8-10th August.
Ahead of the festival, she chats to Goldenplec about her new project, the growth that came from moving to London and returning home, getting the call for support slots, and the important place Whelan’s holds in her career trajectory.
Now that the music has been recorded for the new EP, what’s next to be done?
“It’s different for everyone. When I’m writing my music I visualize the music video and how it’s going to look live; it all comes to me while I write so I tend to sit on ideas for a long time before I start working out how to make it come to life. It’s exciting but I’m always itching to get started; because writing and recording takes so long with mixing and mastering and stuff, which is fun but takes a lot more patience than the more visual side of things.”
Will this new EP sound similar to your past work?
“I think the difference between this record and the last two is going from heartbreak and these existential questions to understanding myself more through compassion and self-love and just discovering more of these things. I feel like there’s a lot of growth in the writing in this record and hopefully that will show.”
Did a lot of that growth come from moving home and having that space to evolve a bit more than you would in London?
“100%, I think the growth came from moving from here to London, then back home and realizing how much home means to me. It was necessary for me to move away to a city as big as London and away from a town as small as Mullingar to appreciate what Mullingar is and my friends and family. London gave me so much and I’ll definitely move back in the future but right now I’m comfortable at home, surrounded by family and loving life.”
What was it like playing The national stadium when you supported Aurora?
“The National Stadium is incredible. I’d never been there and was so excited to see what it was like and it just felt perfect for me and my music as well as Aurora’s. She’s an angel, she’s exactly what you’d imagine she is and she’s so welcoming and kind and warm and so sweet so it was amazing. Her fans were so welcoming and warm and I felt very at home playing there.”
What’s it like getting the call for to support such big artists?
“It’s different every time but it’s definitely nothing less than a pinch-me moment. These are artists I’ve been inspired by and looked up to since I was a child and being recognized for my music in that way is just so surreal. I’m completely honoured to be able to play alongside these incredible musicians. It’s an emotional roller-coaster from getting the green light to finally making it onstage but it’s always amazing.”
You’re about to play We’ve Only Just Begun, are you excited to play the festival and how important is it to have a festival supporting female and non-binary artists?
“It means everything, I’ve always wanted to be a part of something like this and I’ve really felt that women are really dominating the Irish music scene right now and we have more amazing acts than we’ve ever had coming out from all over the country and I’m so excited to play this weekend alongside so many amazing women and musicians”
“Whelan’s is an important venue for me personally too because it’s where I played a song I wrote in front of a crowd for the very first time. It was part of a BIMM showcase in 2019 and I was the first act of the night and two minutes before I got onstage, I ripped the back of my pants open so yeah, that was my fond memory of first playing my music live; but it’s all worked out in the end.