Irish landscape inspires Carney

Rosie Carney, who has made to NPR’s top 100-song list, will return to the U.S. to record some new music. DANIEL ALEXANDER HARRIS / SACKSCO.COM

By Nora Scally

Musical artists draw inspiration from numerous aspects of their life to create their art. One of Rosie Carney’s biggest inspirations is Ireland.

The UK-born singer-songwriter moved to Ireland when she was 10 years old. At just 21, the songstress has had success in the world of music. Currently signed to the independent label Akira Records, Carney has performed at the American musical festival – SXSW and made it onto NPR’s top 100-song list.

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“I definitely gather most of my inspiration from the world around me,” Carney said, “The landscape surrounding my home in Ireland is what inspired me to start making music in the first place.”

Carney’s music is soulful and pure, evoking emotions upon listening. She said there were several themes she incorporated into her debut album, “Bare,” released in January 2019.

“Honesty, self discovery, courage and vulnerability. It’s a very minimal album. Space and ambience,” Carney said.

The previously Donegal-based signer said Ireland helped her write this album and touch on these aspects of the album.

“Well, musically, it [Ireland] has taught me how to write songs using imagery. I love painting scenes in my music and those scenes are heavily inspired by places I’ve been. I also feel like, if I hadn’t moved to Ireland when I was younger and experienced its solitude, I wouldn’t have grown to know myself the way I do now,” Carney said. “It can be a very quiet and lonely place. A lot of the time you’re left with just yourself. It’s given me the opportunity to take advantage of that solitude and get to know who I really am. It's also a country with such an incredible history of poets and artists. There’s something in the water here.”

Carney said that while living in Ireland has benefitted her in many ways, it also challenged her in others. She said that the seclusion can hold her back, so she moved to London for more of a network to work with.

She has more coming. The young singer continues to grow in popularity, with high praises from critics of her debut album and over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

“I’m travelling to the States in November to record some new music I’ve been working on this past year,” Carney said. “Can’t say much more than that but I’m very excited about the crew I’ll be getting to work with.”

 

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