Alex Tierney had barely started out when he got the call to play one of Dublin’s most noted venues, the Olympia Theatre, supporting a huge chart name in Lewis Capaldi at just a couple of days’ notice.
The 20-year-old, who’s very much taken with the hip-hop and production, but lays it over more pop-style tunes, launched his debut single ‘Over The Maybes’ last month.
He’s already been the subject of plenty of label interest, but for now the focus is personal developmnet. I spoke to him about the journey so far..
Congrats on the debut single. It seems like our unusual times played into its production. Has the shutdown kind of worked for you?
Definitely, the lockdown really helped me focus on just making music and working at my own pace so I think I’m making some of my best work at the moment.
How did you find the process of writing, recording and producing entirely by yourself?
I started writing it right at the start of lockdown and didn’t know what vibe it was gonna be until I found the right guitar effect then that sort of set the tone. The recording and producing side of things was a really fun experience because at home there’s no studio time limit so myself and my brother just made the most of the equipment we had at our family home during lockdown and everything just fell into place.
Can you tell me a little about the story behind the track?
The song is basically about that feeling so many people can relate to where you know how you feel about someone and the situation feels so right but maybe there’s something holding them back from telling you how they feel.
The Lewis Capaldi support slot is some grab considering you didn’t have any music out at the time. How did it come about?
Lewis got in touch with my manager two days before the show and asked if I’d like to support him. I was just hanging out at home and within a couple of minutes I was preparing for my biggest gig so far which was pretty insane!
How did you find the experience playing on a stage like that?
Playing on that stage was unbelievable! Growing up in Dublin, the Olympia Theatre is definitely one of those milestone venues that every musician wants to play in so to get the opportunity to open up for one of my favourite acts there this early in my career was incredible! On top of that, I think it was one of my best performances yet which just made it that bit more special.
Given the label interest, what’s made you decide to stay indie?
For the moment I just want to define my sound and build up a really strong team around me before signing any deals!
I understand you have a large backlog of music almost ready to go. Can you tell me a bit about it?
Yeah, I’ve been writing loads of music over the last couple of years that really shows a wide variety of styles that I’m inspired by so I’m excited to release more and show people what I can do. It feels really amazing that people are already connecting to my music.
How far off does an album feel to you?
Right now, an album feels a long way down the line. I want to first establish myself and explore as many different avenues as possible to make sure I put together the best body of work I possibly can. Although, I’m working on so much at the moment and things are getting busier all the time so I could get to that point quicker than I expect.
What are your hopes for the future?
My hopes for the future are to just keep making and releasing music that I love and gig more and more. I haven’t even played my debut solo show or a festival yet so there are lots of different goals to work towards. I’m just really enjoying the process so far!
