Irish harpist and songwriter Aisling Urwin has released her news single, Wild!, from her upcoming album, The Other Place. We asked her the BIG questions . . .
Aisling works across a wide spectrum of music as a solo artist, composer for film and television, session musician and teacher. Recent projects include composition for TG4's Cois Móire, John Spillane’s folk opera, Fíoruisce, and Clare Sands’ immersive Gormacha project.
In 2021, she launched The School of Harp, an online learning platform for harp and voice.
The harp-centric track is rooted in themes of "imagination, childlike wonder, and a longing for somewhere wilder."
"It's a song born from a place of claustrophobia, discomfort and longing," Aisling says. "It asks: what if we could escape into something untamed - inside or out?"
The video for the song was filmed on the mountainous Cork-Kerry border by Renata Laszczak and features Amaia Elizaran, a contemporary dancer from the Basque Country.
Speaking about her forthcoming second solo album, The Other Place, which is out in November, Aisling says, "As I was writing the album, what started circling around in my head were the places and spaces the songs inhabit.
"They all feel like their own little worlds. The album starts quite far away, far out there in a wormhole, and by the end of the album, we’re down the end of the back garden. And there are synths and hammered dulcimers and bouzoukis and fiddles to get us from A to B."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I started learning the harp when I was nine because I saw someone playing it on The Late Late Show. I was a very quiet child and I am grateful I had my harp to do some of the talking for me, I suppose I still feel that way, to a large extent.
I grew up in Kerry, near the West Cork border and Ring of Beara. I feel very lucky to have grown up here and find it hard to imagine living anywhere else. Consequently, I feel a bit strange if I go somewhere and there’re no mountains. It’s like I’ve left the house without putting pants on.
I still have one of my baby teeth.
How would you describe your music?
I suppose it’s rooted in folk and trad, often slipping into places of fantasy and dream. I love experimenting with the harp and the rhythms and textures it can create.
Who are your musical inspirations?
My first love was classic rock, soon followed by trad. And I grew up listening to a lot of folk music from around the world. It’s hard to narrow it down but Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell and John Martyn would be big influences, for sure.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
It was probably one of my parents gigs. they played in a trad group called Amergin for years. I was their tiny roadie and remember carrying in mic stands that were bigger than me, no bother to me, sure.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Good chance it was something by B*witched or Westlife.
What’s your favourite song right now?
I’ve been listening to a lot to Heart’s live version of Stairway to Heaven that they sang in front of Led Zeppelin. Imagine singing Led Zeppelin’s song in front of them, Christ. There’s a huge band playing. A choir joins in at the end and Ann Wilson wails out these cracking high notes and it just makes me cry every time.
Favourite lyric of all time?
I’ve always loved the lyrics to Song to the Siren by Larry Beckett and Tim Buckley. "Hear me sing, swim to me, swim to me, let me enfold you. Here I am, here I am, waiting to hold you."
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I’m not sure I’d like the song anymore if it were the only one I could listen to, so I might choose a very long recording of birdsong. But I’d also be very tempted to choose God Only Knows by the Beach Boys.
Where can people find your music/more information?
You can find my music in all the streaming places, on my website, or on the Instagram or the Facebook.
Alan Corr
