An artist with great pa-Nash
Ahead of her debut trip to Australia, one of Ireland’s most exciting young songwriters, Lorraine Nash, is about to drop her first single of 2024.
The new track, ‘February Snow’, comes out tomorrow (9 February) and is a follow-up to the Kerry native’s highly acclaimed 2023 album ‘All That I Can Be’. The song was written following a bad snow storm in 2018 and Nash says she wrote it as “a way of thinking through climate anxiety”.
“There was so much talk about how no one had seen this kind of weather in Ireland before,” explains Nash.
More broadly, Nash says the song is about how, as much as we think we are in control, more often than not we are at the mercy of something else.
She cites Ben Howard as an influence on the track, experimenting with the guitar tunings he uses on his first album.
Lorraine released her eagerly awaited debut album ‘All That I Can Be’ in Cork in 2023 with a sold-out launch show at Coughlan’s. The album’s release saw comparisons drawn between Nash and the likes of Neil Young and Mary Black.
The album also enjoyed an Australian release in June 2023 to rave reviews, making Nash’s imminent 2024 down under tour all the more exciting.
Hailing from Lyracrumpane in north Kerry, Nash has been steadily building her audience since the release of her debut EP ‘Wildflower’ in 2020 which earned her significant media coverage around the country.
At the core of her songwriting is a blend of trad, folk, and blues traditions. Drawing on a background of traditional singing, the multi-instrumentalist incorporates the traditional lilt into her live show.
Taking inspiration from songwriting legends Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Carole King, fused with contemporary influences like Norah Jones, Gillian Welsh, Billie Marten, Lucy Rose, Gabrielle Aplin, and Laura Marling, Nash creates stunning, image-laden songs.
In recent years, Nash has received huge support from Irish radio with her singles ‘Wolves’, ‘Sing With Her’, ‘Winter Sun’, and ‘Changing Tides’ spending many weeks on RTE Radio 1’s weekly Recommends Playlist, reaching audiences of 1.5 million listeners.
According to the Gender Disparity Data Report compiled by WhyNotHer, Lorraine was one of the most played female artists on RTÉ Radio 1 in 2020.
Lorraine has performed alongside David Keenan, Stephanie Rainey, John Spillane, Jack O’Rourke, Paddy Dennehy, and The Lost Brothers. She has made several TV appearances since impressing on 'The Today Show' with her breakout single ‘Winter Sun’.
Lorraine Nash’s new single ‘February Snow’ comes out tomorrow, 9 February.