ROBERT O'CONNOR

Robert O’Connor releases debut album, Distance

The incredible long awaited debut album from one of Ireland's hottest new solo artists will be released on the 14th April 2008 through Matchbox/Universal music operations/Genepool.  

“There is so much in this world that is out of our control”, says Robert O’Connor (22), a singer/songwriter born in Dublin, “that I believe everything in our control should be taken advantage of”.

  O’Connor, despite being signed to Matchbox Recordings in the UK, is essentially an independent artist. He has made all of the choices in his music career thus far. He made the decision in summer 2005 to record and release his debut single “Ten Years Time”, produced by Billy Farrell (The Corrs).

  Complications within his original recording contract would mean the track wouldn’t see the light of day until November 2006, when it became a double A-side release with “Spend The Night”, an original composition written and co-produced by O’Connor together with Steve Hogan. Hotpress magazine named O’Connor a “top honours singer/songwriter” upon the single’s release.

  O’Connor spent the first half of 2007 writing and recording tracks for his debut album in Dublin and Amsterdam, working with established Irish musicians Shane Fitzsimons, Fionan de Barra, Brian Grace and Cian Boylan to name just a few.

The album spans a number of genres, though O’Connor had initially intended on creating a concept album. “My time in Amsterdam working with Mourad Bouchiba changed my vision for the album”, says the singer. “He taught me that I could be eclectic and focused all at once”.

Whilst in Amsterdam, O’Connor recorded one of his all-time favourite tracks: “Killing Kind”, a track he had performed at his first professional gig at Sugar Club in Dublin during 2006. The track, written by American country singer Shelby Lynne, was turned into a duet with Moroccan singer/songwriter, Aziza el Messaoudi.

Four further tracks from the Amsterdam sessions have made the final cut of O’Connor’s debut, entitled Distance. “Destination Anywhere”, written together with Robert’s long-time friend Emma O’Donnell, takes a darker approach, lyrically and musically, with a haunting piano riff throughout, whilst “I’ll Be The King” is as tongue-and-cheek as it comes: “I tell you openly that I don’t see a future/your shoes don’t match my point of view, what’s wrong with this picture?”

Understanding that it was commercial suicide to release his debut single in the fourth quarter the previous year, O’Connor realised he couldn’t try to compete with major label releases in the Christmas rush. Instead, Robert took to the stage, performing at venues in Dublin such as The Hub, Eamonn Dorans and Whelan's, playing key tracks from his debut album acoustically.

2008 has arrived, and Robert O‘Connor is ready. He will release Distance, an album Robert describes as “35-minutes of questions about life and love”, on April 14 through Matchbox Recordings. The album’s lead single, “How Many Times (Can We Say Goodbye?)”, will be released digitally on the same day.

Previous news and releases

ROBERT O'CONNOR HITS THE CHARTS, APPEARS ON TV, GETS REVIEWED BY HOTPRESS AND ACHIEVES AIRPLAY IN CHILE, SCOTLAND, IRELAND and more.......

Irish pop artist Robert O'Connor who recently released his debut AA side single " Spend the  night" and "Ten years time" through Matchbox Recordings has charted on the official Irish singles chart at no 56. The single charted just above major label artists like Jamelia, Evanescence, Beyonce, James Morrison, Depeche Mode, Paris Hilton and more. The single was also reviewed by Hot Press who said "This shouldn't really be our cup of tea, but O'Connor emerges from this issue's singer-songwriter crop with top honours.  Featuring a gentle piano, cello and acoustic backing, it's an almost identikit Ben Folds copy (especially the vocal) yet still works well, maybe for that very fact". Robert also recently appeared on televisions City channel talking to Ray Shah about his life in music, as well as performing an acoustic version of "Spend The Night". He was also featured in the Evening Herald's " It's Friday" supplement and was put on the playlist of cool Stornoway based Radio station Isles FM. Head of music Peggy Macneil said "It's magic. I must say I really do like this young man's voice and I really hope he makes it big time". The song was also playlisted on Chile's Bravo FM. You can buy it now buy now from HMV, Amazon, Matchbox Recordings, CD World and CD Baby. You can also download the track from MyCokemusic, eircom.net Music Club or Outersounds.

ROBERT O’CONNOR is on a mission to make his mark in the music world, and there is very little that can stop him – he has after all, endured a struggle during the past year, which saw him exit his first record contract with a label that was as Robert says “all talk and no action”. While trying to figure what he would do next, Robert wrote, “a whole bunch of songs”, which would become the bricks and mortar of his debut album. One of those songs, “SPEND THE NIGHT”, is Robert’s debut single. Coupled together with “TEN YEARS TIME”, O’Connor’s take on a little-known Gabrielle track - a jem he’s been sitting on for over a year - it seems that Robert’s debut single will be well and truly worth the wait.

  So where did it all begin, you might ask? Truth be told, O’Connor was never going to be anything other than a recording artist. At the age of two, Robert was playing his parents’ 12” records – Bon Jovi, Blondie, The Bangles. Not only would he listen, but also he would rehearse, and go on to perform numbers by all of these bands in the living room of the family’s Dublin home. This always took family friends aback, as Robert was a shy child in general, but like so many greats before him, his shyness seemed to be forgotten when performance time came around.

Noticing his appetite for singing and dancing, Robert’s mum decided to take him to the Billie Barry Stage School, Ireland’s premiere school for dance and drama. But his parents were not stage parents, not pushy like you might imagine - they didn’t need to be. Soon, Robert was performing in The Gaiety Theatre, singing and tap dancing his way through songs that had become classics before he’d been born. Modelling opportunities arose at this point, but Robert shunned most of them, preferring performance to posing. A role in the theatrical production of THE KING & I, directed by Brian Merriman, came next. Following his audition for the show, an aged 9 Robert told his mum, “I have this one”, with a tone of certainty. He would be correct on this occasion, and Robert starred alongside Gemma Cravern and Susan McFadden as a young prince in The Olympia Theatre for two months during 1995/1996.

Aged 8, Robert had started to take lessons in playing keyboard, which he would continue for over ten years and at age 19, allow him to teach students in the school he had been a student himself. Although he attended a convention five-day-a-week school, academic studies played a smaller part in Robert’s life. Music proved to be a distraction and by the time Robert’s first major exams came around, he had left the Billie Barry Stage School, unable to deal with the combined pressure of getting auditions as well as good exam results. Feeling depressed having left what he considered to be his real life behind; Robert decided to leave school before the next set of exams presented themselves. “I was extremely lucky in that my parents supported my decision”, Robert says today. “I knew that I simply wasn’t going to do what had to be done in order to get into a good college, so I figured I should apply myself to music – to performance – where I felt my talents lay”.

  During the following two years, Robert trained vocally, as well as attending a course at the critically acclaimed Gaiety School of Acting, previously attended by now famed Irish actors Colin Farrell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Also at this time, Robert signed a modelling contract with Celtic Talent and started to shoot his portfolio with photographer Andrea Benedetti, known for his work on Vogue Italy. Within months Robert was given the opportunity to attend IMTA ‘Hooray For Hollywood’, a convention that would take place in Los Angeles during January 2006, bringing agents and managers from the US and Europe to watch a select amount of models and actors showcase their talents. The convention has acted as a springboard for household names Katie Holmes, Ashton Kutcher and Brandon Routh, amongst many others. Robert accepted the offer, seeing it as his natural next move, and trained with acting and modelling coaches during the closing months of 2005.

  With his portfolio in one hand and his Louis Vuitton travel bag in the other (Robert has a weakness for designer items), Robert flew to Los Angeles and walked the runway, shot test commercials and sang on front of the panel of judges. He left Los Angeles weeks later with not just his portfolio and luggage, but also an award for “FASHION PRINT/RUNWAY MALE 2005”, which acknowledged both Robert’s photogenic look and his presence on the runway. Together with this he had offers of contracts in Japan and Los Angeles. O’Connor turned down the contract offers, deciding, almost bizzarely, to instead start building a foundation for the music career he now held hopes of.

Fast-forward two years and Robert is still building, and believes he has found ‘his sound’ after much experimentation with different producers. When recording “TEN YEARS TIME”, the first track to be recorded for his debut album, Robert chose to work with Billy Farrell, an Irish producer who produced three tracks on The Corrs’ ‘In Blue’ album. Keeping things Irish, Anthony Drennan played guitars on the track.  “Anthony played on Gabrielle’s version of ‘Ten Years Time’, and neither of us knew this until we met at the studio. I didn’t need to tell him I wanted him to change the arrangements – I think he knew I didn’t want the copycat sound”, Robert comments, with a grin. “SPEND THE NIGHT”, recorded several months later, was co-produced by Robert together with Steve Hogan, a talented drummer-turned-producer, and Fionann DeBarra, the man responsible for producing much of Moya Brennan’s (formerly of Irish band Clannad) solo work. “I have a clear vision of the album I want to create”, Robert says, with an air of confidence. “And when it’s ready, you’ll know about it”.

THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW  

What made you decide to start a career in music, tell us a bit about your history to date ?

I asked my mum for a keyboard for my birthday at the age of 7. A year before that I had started in Billy Barry stage school in Ireland – it’s the biggest and most well known of it’s kind here – sort of like Ireland’s answer to Sylvia Young. When I got the keyboard for my birthday I realised I’d need lessons. I started lessons at 8 and continued until I was 19. I knew all along at the back of my mind that a career in music was my ideal, and I knew that there were lots of different areas within the industry, it was just a matter of finding the right one for me. I was a keyboard teacher at one point a few years ago too – so that was a whole different career in music. I enjoyed it, but I knew that I wanted to perform, and that distracted me. I believe if you’re not 100% in something, you might as well not bother at all.

Who or what are your influences ?

George Michael is the artist that first comes to mind. I love his passion; his vocals are so delicate and incredibly emotive. Also the fact that he’s written the vast majority of his lyrics is a big plus – I feel that when you listen to a singer, singing their own songs, telling their own story, there’s nothing quite like it. Dido is another major influence on me. I like her simple story telling. Songs like “Thank You”, “Here With Me” and “White Flag” are just so raw and true-to-life. I also adore Alanis Morrisette. The detail in her songs is amazing, she manages somehow to say everything that she needs to say, and it’s so crazy, yet I can relate to most of what she’s saying.

What modern artists do you like? What's the music scene like in Ireland at the moment ?

I’m very much into a new artist named Imogen Heap at the moment. She’s becoming more mainstream through having her music played on The OC but her album “Speak For Yourself” is fantastic. It’s a mixture of Pop, Rock and Electronica – actually the style that I’m most interested in right now. I also love two American rock bands called Nada Surf and Death Cab For Cutie. They’re without doubt the most played bands on my iPod. Right now in Ireland, the charts contain a lot of edgy pop songs. Pure pop to an extent doesn’t sell all that well anymore, like Rachel Stevens for instance, but the likes of the Sugababes are still doing well thanks to their clever pop songs. And then there’s Pussycat Dolls, Black Eyed Peas, that sort of thing. It wouldn’t be my cup of tea but I respect what they do and they do it very well. There’s quite a few singer-songwriters on the scene here at the moment too. I think people are finally realising that the charts simply can’t go on to be filled with you know, five X Factor contestants every time there’s a new season.

If you could choose to record a song with any other artist/band alive or dead who would it be and why ?

Dido. Without doubt…I would love to write and record a song together. She just blows my mind. I know so many people call her “bland” and “middle of the road” but they’re referring to the genre of easy listening. It isn’t made to dance to in clubs. It’s for your living room, but that doesn’t mean the music and the lyrics aren’t quality.

What inspires you to write your music/lyrics ?

I become inspired at the most inconvenient times. It started at school…I’d be walking home in the rain reflecting and all of a sudden I’d have a lyric embedded in my brain. Now I could be out having drinks with friends and I’m only short of saying, “excuse me, I have to go write a new song now”. Sometimes relationships and issues that my friends are going through inspire me, and sometimes it’s things that are going on in my own life. I find that the best time for me to write is when I’m feeling really strongly about something. That’s when I have something to say. I’ll never sit down and try to write, or pick a topic to write about. It just doesn’t work like that at all.
 
Name your all time fave track by another artist ?

”I Can’t Make You Love Me” by George Michael. It’s perfect. The music sets the mood, and the lyric is so convincing. I zone out when I hear that song. That’s the way I want to touch people with my songs – and that’s why I feel the need to be nothing but completely honest when I’m writing. No cover-ups, no clichés, just be real.
 
What sort of sound can we expect from your forthcoming album? Have you had any good reviews yet?
I started recording this album in August last year (2005) and the sound I was going for was acoustic Pop, but since then I’ve been listening to a lot more American rock like Death Cab For Cutie, so I want to incorporate elements of that sound, together with subtle Electronica – think William Orbit’s work on Madonna’s Ray Of Light. I want the sort of album that you can have in the background to a dinner-party, the sort you can drive to, and most importantly the sort you can sit and listen to whilst doing nothing in your bedroom. Hotpress ran a good review for my song “Ten Years Time”. Usually the magazine, which is huge in Ireland, is quite harsh on artists. When I heard my publicist at the time had sent the track in to be reviewed, I was a nervous wreck. I wanted my first review to be positive and I expected Hotpress would slate me, but to my delight they said that I was a “top honours singer-songwriter”, and compared it to Ben Folds. I was astonished. I couldn’t have asked for a better review from a magazine of its calibre.

What are your ambitions for your music ? Where do you see yourself in Ten years time ?

I want to establish myself as a respected and well-known artist. In five years I would hope to have released at least two proper studio albums. I see a lot of relatively new artists who leave three and four years between their album releases. I understand this with artists who have been around for several years, but I think I’d feel the need to keep up the pace once I’d had success. I’d also like to write for other artists, and to have my music used on a soundtrack would be nice. I would like to have toured globally, at least in the UK and Ireland, and Europe. Whether I was playing arenas, theatres or pubs, it wouldn’t bother me. I just want the chance to perform my music, and to have an audience listen willingly.

How would you describe your music and what genre do you think it fits into ?

My music stylistically borrows from lots of different genres. I like the Electronica and Pop fusion, like All Saints “Black Coffee” and Madonna’s “Ray Of Light” album, hints of this can be heard in my music, where I’ve used keyboards together with a live band, to create some conflict and have something interesting happening. The songs are solid Pop-Rock songs – they have the real instruments and organic production of rock music, but at the core you will find a catchy Pop melody. People have said there are traces of Soul in some of my tracks too.

Where is your forthcoming album being recorded and who is producing ?

It’s all a work in progress. So far I’ve recorded everything in Dublin, Ireland. I’ve recorded demos with lots of producers, but most of those will probably never see the light of day! I recorded a track with Billy Farrell, who has worked with The Corrs on a number of occasions, and that will certainly make the album, as will my first single, which was produced by Steve Hogan and Fionann DeBarra. I’m working again with Steve and Fionann on more tracks for the album. We work well together; we all bring something to each track. Steve is relatively new to production, but comes from a musical background, having been a drummer for a great number of years, so that’s a plus. He’s played with everyone from Damien Rice to LeAnn Rimes. Fionann has worked with Moya Brennan from Clannad on her solo material, and he’s the main producer on her new album. He’s a very talented guy, and I can see us working together in the future. I’m keeping my options open to working with other producers too, but I don’t want to work with too many different people – I don’t want the album to sound confused and lack continuity. I have a clear vision of the album I want to create.