Emma O'Reilly

"A seriously talented songwriter and musician"
-Ian Martin, Goldenplec

"Songwriting masterclass would seem to be O'Reilly's specialty...[her] songwriting skills are nothing short of genius."
- Julie Bell, Pure M Magazine

"Finding its home between the grandeur of alternative-pop songwriters like I Have A Tribe and the immersive folk of Cathy Davy, Emma O’Reilly’s music is deftly structured...[it] owes much to the dramatic leanings of Kate Bush."
- Stephen White, The Last Mixed Tape

Shortlisted for Best Female Solo Act - Pure M awards, 2017

From Ballinasloe in Co. Galway, songwriter Emma O’Reilly is often compared to Tori Amos, Kate Bush and Regina Spektor for her imaginative yet refined sound. Dramatic and always evocative, Emma’s music is a fusion of Alternative rock, pop and folk, all informed by her classical training at the piano.

Growing up, music was just a normal part of the fabric of each day for Emma, as there were many outlets for performance and music making in the town where she grew up. Emma began writing and recording in her teens, using whatever free DAWs were available online, and posting early demos to myspace. She went on to study music at Third level and holds a BA in music from Trinity College.

Emma recorded her first EP on an 8 track in the summer of 2007. Emma toured as a part of Exit Evangeline in Ireland and the UK that summer, completely selling out her first pressing of the Tour EP. She released another EP and some stand alone singles herself before stepping into the studio in 2014 to create PURGE, a short collection of songs with an orchestral sound, which saw her compared to Kate Bush, I Have a Tribe, Tori Amos and Cathy Davey. Outside of her own work, Emma has performed in a huge number of styles, ranging from Contemporary classical (Tonnta) to Gospel (Discovery Gospel Choir) to funk (La Gracia, Loah).

2016 was a busy and emotionally charged year for Emma. Recovering from severe tendonitis and amidst huge personal tragedy in her family, Emma recorded the new EP in Arad Studios with Les Keye (Squarehead, Kevin "Herm" Connolly, My Sweet Beloved). She credits the recording process as being a huge part of what got her through that trying period. In spring, she toured in Ireland and the UK, heading to Canada, the US in the Summer, and rounding off the year with performances in Lithuania (as a guest of the Irish Ambassador), and at home in Volt Studios in Dublin, and Dublin Ink.

2017 has seen Emma continue to tour with the official release of FRACTURES, which was recorded by mixing live and multi-track processes. It explores a sound much closer to her live shows, and digs into her alternative rock influences. The result is alternately introspective and ferocious, vulnerable and dramatic, intricate and engaging.

The EPis available online NOW from www.emmaoreilly.ie.