“There is so much in this world that is out of our control”, says Robert O’Connor (22), a singer/songwriter born in Dublin, “that I believe everything in our control should be taken advantage of”.
O’Connor, despite being signed to Matchbox Recordings in the UK, is essentially an independent artist. He has made all of the choices in his music career thus far. He made the decision in summer 2005 to record and release his debut single “Ten Years Time”, produced by Billy Farrell (The Corrs).
Complications within his original recording contract would mean the track wouldn’t see the light of day until November 2006, when it became a double A-side release with “Spend The Night”, an original composition written and co-produced by O’Connor together with Steve Hogan. Hotpress magazine named O’Connor a “top honours singer/songwriter” upon the single’s release.
O’Connor spent the first half of 2007 writing and recording tracks for his debut album in Dublin and Amsterdam, working with established Irish musicians Shane Fitzsimons, Fionan de Barra, Brian Grace and Cian Boylan to name just a few. The album spans a number of genres, though O’Connor had initially intended on creating a concept album. “My time in Amsterdam working with Mourad Bouchiba changed my vision for the album”, says the singer. “He taught me that I could be eclectic and focused all at once”.
Whilst in Amsterdam, O’Connor recorded one of his all-time favourite tracks: “Killing Kind”, a track he had performed at his first professional gig at Sugar Club in Dublin during 2006. The track, written by American country singer Shelby Lynne, was turned into a duet with Moroccan singer/songwriter, Aziza el Messaoudi.
Four further tracks from the Amsterdam sessions have made the final cut of O’Connor’s debut, entitled Distance. “Destination Anywhere”, written together with Robert’s long-time friend Emma O’Donnell, takes a darker approach, lyrically and musically, with a haunting piano riff throughout, whilst “I’ll Be The King” is as tongue-and-cheek as it comes: “I tell you openly that I don’t see a future/your shoes don’t match my point of view, what’s wrong with this picture?”
Understanding that it was commercial suicide to release his debut single in the fourth quarter the previous year, O’Connor realised he couldn’t try to compete with major label releases in the Christmas rush. Instead, Robert took to the stage, performing at venues in Dublin such as The Hub, Eamonn Dorans and Whelan’s, playing key tracks from his debut album acoustically.
2008 has arrived, and Robert O‘Connor is ready. He will release Distance, an album Robert describes as “35-minutes of questions about life and love”, on March 31 through Matchbox Recordings. The album’s lead single, “How Many Times (Can We Say Goodbye?)”, will be released digitally on the same day.
Hey its Sem thought I would let you know that we have decided to give our entire album away for free on download. We wanted to share the music with as many people as possible. You can get it here:
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