Once part of Dingle pop band Walking On Cars, Pa Sheehy’s journey as a solo musician is very much rooted in his past. Covid hit Sheehy and his band hard, and ultimately he decided to step away, going solo and taking on a different, more folk-leaning style. Success came swiftly, not least in supporting Bruce Springsteen on his recent jaunt around Ireland.

“I think the biggest lesson from that experience [with Walking On Cars] is that when you put your mind to something, you can achieve anything,” he says. “We were tunnel visioned in what we wanted to achieve and we showed up every day working on tunes to the point that some of the songs were in a pop sense kind of undeniable.”

“I think the magic we had at the beginning was gone, and that is the main factor in the disbanding of the group. We struggled with album two and struggled to find the magic of the first record. After Covid hit, we had time to reflect on everything and when the work started up again we had a few band meetings but it became apparent we were on different pages and ultimately I decided to leave the group.” 

Latest release ‘Towards The Water’ is another step on that solo journey, and has a lost, nostalgic edge to it.

“I’m trying out a few different ideas before I release an album,” Sheehy explains of his series of EPs and singles. “I fall in love with a lot of different music so I’m always open to making a different sounding body of work than the last. This batch of songs have been written and sculpted continuously over the last three years. It’s my first time doing this as a solo artist, so It took awhile to get it into the right place. Working with a lot of different producers kept everything fresh and the record feels cohesive without feeling continuous. That was my main aim.”

“I’m finding my feet as a solo artist and I’ve got a great little team on board, so sky’s the limit.  The music industry is constantly changing so there’s always new stuff to figure out, but I never get as overwhelmed as I did when I first went out on my own. It all seems manageable and possible. I think I’ve got the music right so I believe no matter how much I mess up things, the music will take me where I’m destined for.”

“I was walking around London and I remember thinking of how free I was that I’d chosen music and how trapped I used to feel in school. I had a pep in my step and just wanted to take on the world and I think this song captures that youthful anything-is-possible energy. I’d been listening to a lot of kings of Leon when producing this tune so I think it’s obvious that influence was taken from Caleb and the guys on this track. “

“Sometimes it’s lyrics that will fall on my lap and other times it’s playing around. There is no one way to write. I find that magic can be caught at any time you just have to be tuned in. I’m a believer that if you don’t use an idea you’ve been gifted by the song gods they will give it to someone else. My favourite way to write, however, is to sit on my own in a cottage in the middle of nowhere and see what jumps out of me.”

As for playing with Springsteen? “It was an unbelievable experience, to see how he does it was hugely inspiring and made me want to improve my own shows. I’ve only recently started listening to his music. The album ‘Nebraska’ has found a home in my catalogue, real stories without rushing on too quickly. I’ve taken a bit of this approach into my own record. It gives space to everything.”

‘Towards The Water’ by Pa Sheehy is out now.