Have you ever wanted to spend Christmas Day with Mario Lanza? No, me neither, but that’s the subject of Paddy Hanna‘s new single Mario Lanza.

However, in typical Paddy Hanna style, the whimsical imagery has a deeper more serious meaning.

“My Father, not too long ago, went through a terrible illness which left him in a coma for two weeks. The emotional strain of this event really beat me down, I repressed it in some ways, particularly in my writing. While struggling to deal with the strain I began listening through some rough demos I had, one of which was a minute-long ditty about Mario Lanza, an American Tenor from the early 20th century. I decided to finish it off and realized very quickly I was channelling my pain through this particular track. Mario Lanza, in essence, became my Dad, and through him I could express all of the emotions I had repressed, which is why the song is tinged with a sorrowful joy.”

Mario Lanza is taken from Hanna’s forthcoming second album – produced by Girlband’s Daniel Fox – due for release in 2018.

TOUR DATES

Fri 17th Nov – Levi’s, Ballydehob

Sat 18th Nov – Bello Bar, Dublin

Fri 24th Nov – Connolly’s Of Leap

Sat 2nd Dec – Kasbah, Limerick