Alt-pop artist St. Bishop is back with the release of the brand-new single ‘Close’, a track about premature goodbyes and unrequited romantic desires.

“I wrote this song about one of those whirlwind romances that immediately sweeps you off of your feet and plunges you into a world where nothing else matters,” St. Bishop explains of the track.

“It was a passionate romance that quickly ignited but just as quickly burnt out. We met on the dance floor at PRIDE, dancing towards each other, moving through the crowd, and eventually met face to face in the middle of the dance floor – think the Cinderella Story starring Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray but with a lot more vodka”.

Unfortunately, the timing was not meant to be and this new love interest emigrated for work. The romance, which only lasted a couple of weeks, left its mark and St. Bishop was stranded. It was during this time that he wrote ‘Close’, a song about a longing for what’s already gone. Recorded mostly over Zoom, the track is produced by Sean Behan and St. Bishop and mixed and mastered by Stephen Lovatt.

St. Bishop’s music is filled with bold, unapologetic statements made along a journey of self exploration. Each statement, naturally sprinkled with the charm and sass of a young man who not only embraces but adores his queer-ness.

He blends genres of electro-pop, soul and indie as freely as he delves into issues of sexuality, gender identity and radical self-acceptance. Writing in an autobiographical style, he channels his struggles into his writing, and through this process he continues to counsel himself and explore his identity.

It’s not always been simple and of course, the journey to true self-love is an ongoing one. Irrespective of his wonderful family support, as a young man he felt unable to express his honest self in society, particularly in rural Ireland.

Ste came out with St. Bishop, hand in hand. It was just before the release of his debut single ‘Porcelain’ and was the first offering of his alter-ego, or rather, the real him. He was then faced with a totally unexpected realisation.

“I thought I would feel this huge sense of clarity and instant relief once I came out to the world. Turns out it’s not that easy and I was like ‘oh wait, I actually don’t know how to be that person yet’. I’d been suppressing that part of myself for so long that then I needed help letting it out and I realised I had lots more work to do!”

St. Bishop released his debut track in 2017 with ‘Porcelain’, which acted as somewhat of a celebration of self, and a coming-out of sorts as the real him.

“I thought I would feel this huge sense of clarity and instant relief once I came out to the world,” St. Bishop explains. “Turns out it’s not that easy and I was like ‘oh wait, I actually don’t know how to be that person yet’. I’d been suppressing that part of myself for so long that then I needed help letting it out and I realised I had lots more work to do!”.

Since then, he’s released four singles and gone one to become an intriguing pop prospect in his own right. Years on from his coming out, St. Bishop is loving the journey of learning more about himself in  tandem with the unfinished nature of the St. Bishop project.

“I don’t even want to get to ‘the finish line’ to be honest, because then it’s over – and I want to be doing this when I’m 80! I love where I’m at, it’s a work in progress that I never want to be finished”.

2021 will see the release of a stream of new music that’s bolder and braver than anything St. Bishop has released before.