Musician Interview: Northern Virginia Singer-Songwriter Niamh Kierans
Niamh Kierans is an 18-year-old singer-songwriter from Northern Virginia. She just released a new song, titled “Before the Fire” out on all streaming platforms now. Her new single is following her 2021 debut album, “Self and Destruction”.
Zach Bern (Me!): How did you get started and what was it that finally pushed you to pursue music?
Niamh Kierans: I wrote my first song when I was around 9 or 10, kind of in the way every little kid tries to write a song at some point. I basically wrote a full song only once a year until I was 15 and started to pick up the pace. I was taking singing lessons growing up, so my teacher definitely pushed me to write more and perform whatever I had for her.
Zach: As a kid, you lived in many different places, Moscow, Reykjavik, The Hague, before settling down in Virginia. How do you think those early memories of traveling and being exposed to different cultures influenced your ambitions?
Niamh: I don’t want to lie and say that these early travels have had an enormous impact on who I am; I definitely couldn’t appreciate how cool they were at the time. But, looking back, the biggest thing that has affected me from that time might be my lack of a real childhood home to return to, which I write about in my unreleased song “Ha-aretz.” Moving around so much as a kid, I wasn’t able to establish firm roots until I was older, and the places that have warm childhood memories for me are inaccessible now just due to money and distance. That’s a weird thing to reconcile with.
Zach: What's been your favorite memory or moment for you in the realm of music? Can be anything from live performances to any part of the album process to learning piano as a kid.
Niamh: I have lots of wonderful music memories, but that one that comes to mind is probably the first time I heard the final demo for my song “Without You.” My old producer and I had been struggling with getting that song exactly how I wanted it, so when he sent the final version to me while I was driving home and I got to play it in my car with the windows down, I was filled with so much happiness and incredulous gratitude that I’ll never forget.
Zach: You’re still a fairly new artist, but you have had time to begin to explore your own style. This past year you released your debut album “Self and Destruction.” Where did the title “Self and Destruction” come from?
Niamh: It’s a twist on the phrase “self destruction,” which was the theme of the title song: basically just doing things that you know don’t help you in the long run but finding no way to convince yourself to stop. Separating the two words created a new meaning, though, kind of broadening the topic in a way that covered a lot more of the themes of the album: ponderings of the self and the ways people hurt each other.
Zach: What was the biggest challenge you faced over the course of working on the album? How has that influenced the way you approach music now?
Niamh: The biggest challenge was learning when to let a producer go. Two times, I was weeks into work on a song with one person when I finally had to give up and realize that you can bring a producer to water, but you can’t make him drink. Sometimes our minds just didn’t collaborate well, and my song just wasn’t working out in that person’s hands. Of course, it was always really painful and devastating to tell a talented, hardworking artist that their time and effort hadn’t made something I wanted. Thankfully, throughout the tough process of figuring out which producers I worked well with, I now have an awesome team of people I can call upon whom I know I can trust with my art.
Zach: ”Unseen” is a standout track on your album. Can you explain the story behind that song?
Niamh: It’s based off two different songs: “Jolene” by Dolly Parton and “Tangerine” by Lydia Luce (the title rhymes with these for a reason!). When I discovered the latter song, I began to notice the similarities it had in both theme and lyrics to Dolly Parton’s masterpiece. Mentions of red hair, a man being stolen, a woman aware of another woman’s beauty and power over men, etc. I theorized that “Tangerine” was an ode to “Jolene,” and so I wanted to contribute an ode of my own. “Unseen” borrows ideas from both songs: more red hair, forbidden fruit, competition with another woman, but this time over a man that doesn’t even belong to the speaker. She mourns for the “phantom grip” she once had on the man now being destroyed, losing something that was never even hers.
Zach: Which song are you the proudest of and why?
Niamh: This is a tough question. There are different reasons to be proud of a song. Some I am proud of for their lyrics, others for the vocals, others for the instrumentation for which I am mostly not responsible. If I had to pick, I would probably say that I am most proud of “The Drive Home.” It has a little bit of everything I just mentioned while also being one of the oldest songs on the album. It marks a time in my life that I think I really captured, and that makes me proud.
Zach: You’re still relatively new and have plenty of time to hone your craft, what do you have planned for the future?
Niamh: I’m hoping that when I’m at college there will be a lot of opportunities for collaboration. There’s nothing more fun than making music with friends, and I really think college can facilitate that if you make an effort to meet other musicians.
Zach: Where would you like to see your sound and style evolve next? What sounds, genre, era, or any specific theme, is/has been inspiring you recently?
Niamh: It’s always been my biggest goal to have more complex but efficient lyricism. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel. The way they effortlessly convey stories and ideas through concise lyrics is really inspiring to me, and it’s definitely something I’d like to emulate.
Zach: How do you want to expand on what you’re currently doing?
Niamh: The main thing I’d like to expand is my audience, which is mostly just a matter of self-promotion and hoping I get lucky. I think playing a couple live shows has also helped me get my name out there, even if only to a few more listeners.
Zach: You recently have started playing live shows in your band Secular Restaurant, performing covers and original music. What would you like to expand or improve on when it comes to live shows? What is your dream Niamh Kierans/Secular Restaurant concert like?
Niamh: I think Iz (my bandmate) and I would definitely like to cowrite some full songs that we could sing together, truly unlocking “duo” status. I think my dream Secular Restaurant concert would be ones where everyone in the audience has come to see us sing because they like our music, not just because we’re there while they’re eating dinner, you know? I think that’s the basis of every musician's dream.
Zach: What is your ultimate goal with music? What drives you to do it?
Niamh: My ultimate goal is to keep having fun with it and never let it become a chore. My secondary (much more dreamy) goal would be to have a small but substantial audience that includes people who have never met me, but find that my music speaks to them. What drives me definitely isn’t a want of fame, it’s more the idea of someone hearing my song somewhere and thinking: woah, she just articulated an idea I’ve never been able to. I want to listen more.
Comentarios