"It's been hectic" Monaghan singer-songwriter and radio presenter Rachel Mae Hannon laughs as she chats to Goldenplec ahead of her appearance at We've Only Just Begun Festival in Whelan's next week, 8th-10th August. “I’ve been doing a good few bits; gigging away, a bit of radio with my show on 2XM; Relish, and then covering a few bits on 2FM and yeah, juggling a few plates but none have cracked and fallen yet so hopefully it’ll stay that way".
Since the laugh of her 2XM show Relish with Rachel Mae Hannon earlier this year, she's never been busier, and has been spending every waking moment writing, recording, listening to and making notes of whatever tracks interest her of the hundreds that cross her desk every day.
"I had someone ask me recently if I ever get sick of music, because I’m doing it all the time, and I have to say no because they are all so different" she explains of her never-ending passion, "You chat away to musicians about their process and how they work, then on the radio you’re talking about musicians you don’t know and by the time you get back home and start working on your own stuff it becomes a whole different beast itself and I love it all".
Does chatting to musicians for the radio inspire your work when it comes to your own music?
“Talking to so many musicians makes you realise we’re all just trying to do the same thing. We’re all the same lovers of music, with something to say and something to write and when I started off, there was this whole pressure nearly that you have to keep up with a certain look and a certain genre, but over time you realise people are just doing their own thing to keep their head above water so just do what you want to do.
"Do what feels right, release what feels right because we all have a different outlook on things and you need to just do what’s authentic to yourself. If there was a right way to do it everyone would be doing it that way, but it doesn’t exist. But that’s what exciting about it, the unknown.
Relish has a dedicated listenership, what’s it like putting together the tracklists for the show?
“I absolutely love it. It sounds like I have no life but it’s all I do anyway. I make playlists all the time anyway, the fact that I get to put them together and choose the running order of the show is even better. The big thing about Relish at the start is figuring out what it was and what I wanted it to be. Once I had the format down it was so easy to slot in the playlists each week because it doesn’t feel like work.
You’re learning things all the time too, I do this thing on the show called a Throwback Jam and it’s just mad the things you learn just doing a bit of research on it. Putting the playlists together is great fun and making sure to have as many Irish artists as possible include and maintaining the gender balance; it’s been great.
What's been your favourite acts you’ve discovered through it?
“Great question. There are two British R&B singers I hadn’t heard before called Tia Gordon and Nectar Wood; they really fit into the kind of music I like already. In terms of Irish acts, there’s one girl called Theo, she’s performing at We’ve Only Just Begun, she’s London-based but is from Ireland; and then Jordon Adetunji, who I wasn’t aware of before I started but they’ve blown me away
You’ve had a huge summer already in that you’ve supported Paloma Faith in the Iveagh Gardens; how did that come about?
“I know, it was amazing! I was in Paris when I got asked to support her and it was mad because I love Paloma and think she’s such a character. All her songs remind me of when I lived back home in Monaghan, and to be able to play one of my favourite venues in Dublin in the Iveagh Gardens was unreal. I was in Paris scrambling to get a band together because it was so last minute; but we got there. I arrived back from Paris Saturday night, then we rehearsed Sunday morning, and the gig was Sunday night; so it was hectic but it was great. It was all very jam packed, and because of that I only realized what I’d done after I got off stage.
"When I got off stage, I was with friends and a few family that came along to the show and a couple came up to me afterwards saying they have a 16 month old at home and how they were thinking of her when I was playing and how inspiring it was to see someone doing what they want to do and that they hoped she was able to pursue her dreams too and it was the cutest thing ever, I got emotional about it, it was amazing. It kinda reminded me that yea, it is so cool that I get to do what I get to do. The crowd were so lovely, so supportive and I loved it”
Are you looking forward to We’ve Only Just Begun and how important is it to have a festival focused on supporting women and non-binary acts?
“I can’t wait for it. I did it two years ago and the vibe was incredible, and it was great to be able to network with other artists. It’s just brilliant to be a part of such an outstanding line-up and they just happen to be women or non-binary acts and I think what the organisers are doing it’s great, it’s just really nice. Even having the directory, from working in media, it’s so nice to have the We’ve Only Just Begun directory to find session musician, artists, bookers, promoters and everyone all in the same place.
"For young girls looking to do music in the future it’s great for them to see there are so many amazing women and non-binary acts out there doing it. It’s great to have this specific thing for women and non-binary acts but it’s also important to remember that everyone is just a musician. The amount of times in the music industry, if there’s a female drummer they’ll label it a female drummer whereas if it’s a guy it’s just a drummer.
"It’s important to have a showcase like this to show that there are a host of female and non-binary acts in Ireland but first and foremost, they are all just incredible musicians, and this whole festival just proves that.