Strange Boy, who will be performing at Fómhar in Fanore on Saturday, combines hip hop and Irish traditional music, the old and new cultural influences dominant in this country. We asked him the BIG questions...
Strange Boy is a 1000-year-old poet channeling through the body of a young man from Limerick.
He released his debut new album HOLY/UNHOLY, which features the Grammy award-winning voice of Clannad's Moya Brennan in June.
Making waves at home and abroad, Strange Boy has appeared on The Tommy Tiernan Show, collaborated with PX Music artists and featured on Enda Gallery’s single It’s Alright, which went on to feature on the hit TV show Normal People.
Tell us three things about yourself...
I'm a rapper out of Limerick. I’ve played all over the country. I read a lot. I read mostly history books because they are the most interesting.
How would you describe your music?
I would describe my music as trad mixed with rap/spoken word. Very new territory as I didn’t have anything to take influence from prior to making an album the way I did.
Who are your musical inspirations?
I try not to take influence from artists I like as I want to make something that’s unique but I listen to old music mostly like Scrapper Blackwell, Kitty Kallen, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Chet Baker, and loads of rap too, but not as much these days.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
The first gig I ever went to was Eminem at Slane. I got separated from the people I went with but some random person threw me up on their shoulders so it was a gas night!
What was the first record you ever bought?
Nas Illmatic was the first record I purchased, wasn’t into rap at the time but after that I became hooked so shout out to Nas!
What’s your favourite song right now?
Santo and Johnny Tear Drop is my favourite song at the moment. It’s very beautiful. No words just lovely riffs.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"That’s life" - Frank Sinatra.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I’d probably listen to Clair de Lune by Debussy. Something like that could take a long time to get repetitive in my ears.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Anyone can find me on Spotify, YouTube, Bandcamp, SoundCloud or iTunes.
Fómhar in Fanore is on 8 October in O'Donohue's Pub, Fanore, Co Clare. Strange Boy is accompanied on the line-up by Daithí, Bog Bodies, Toshín and Dora Gola.
Tickets €20 are available on Eventbrite.
