Carney’s work has supernatural effect

Rosie Carney, 20, had caught the attention of NPR on this side of the Atlantic.

By Colleen Taylor

It’s an almost eerie experience to hear true organic talent for the first time. Counterintuitive though it may be, that’s exactly how I felt when I first heard Rosie Carney sing—unsettled. Her song “Sailboat” completely captivated, almost controlled, me and my sense of surroundings. I was brought to a physical and intellectual standstill. That sense of uncanny truly took over when I googled her age: at a mere 20 years old, Rosie Carney has the magic gift.

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Although she was born in Hampshire, England, Carney has lived half of her short life in Donegal, where her family moved when she was 10. There she began to develop her musical talent. Carney was “discovered” at the age of 15, but she happily explains that she was “freed” from this contract to work on her music independently two years ago. Since then, her single “Awake Me,” released this year, has become a hit among the critics, even making one of NPR’s top 100 songs. As of late 2016 and 2017, Carney has been slowly releasing truly exquisite singles, from “Awake Me” to “Your Moon,” and I think her best yet “Sailboat,” a gorgeous acoustic folk song with new age intonations.

My unsettled reaction upon first listening to Carney is also a result of her style. She is, first and foremost, an acoustic folk singer, but she also has something else at work in her voice. Some critics have compared the young singer to Joni Mitchell, but the comparison isn’t, in my opinion, complete. While Carney does resemble the emotional depth and vocal potency of someone like Mitchell, I think the correlation overlooks the Irish mysticism informing Carney’s singing. The songwriter has discussed feeling excited and inspired by Donegal from a young age, and that history may have roots in her musical influences as well. Carney is a skilled folk singer with the chops of someone like Joni Mitchell, but I can also hear the added atmosphere of a fellow Donegal singer, Moya Brennan. There is a subtle mysticism and Celtic new age sound to her folk songs, and the combination can be described as nothing else but magical. Each one of her releases has a supernatural effect—both in style and in the raw, almost visceral sound of her artistic insight and vocal talent.

Carney has another talent that deserves mention as well: writing. The young singer has been an advocate for mental health awareness and has written a truly moving and heartbreaking account of her own struggle. Her blog pieces, available on her website, have been an inspiration for many of her fans. Her bravery in speaking out won her an “Influential Young Persons” award from JCI (Junior Chamber International) Ireland. Courage, on top of creativity, is what makes Carney a bona fide rising star.

Rosie Carney is already landing some big gigs in Ireland, the UK, and Europe. She played Latitude festival in England, toured mainland Europe this summer, and has a London headline gig lined up for October with Vermont singer Henri Jamison. I have no doubt she’ll be selling out gigs on both sides of the Atlantic within a couple years. There’s no question about it: we have much more to look forward to from the young Rosie Carney. This is just beginning of her story.

 

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