Ciara O’Neill: Women Make Music
Recording, promotion and live music video for new EP ‘Woman’
Belfast based folk artist Ciara O’Neill has had quite the journey having released two albums; ‘The Ebony Trail’ (2016), ‘Arrow’ (2018) and EP ‘La Lune’ (2022). Her career has taken her to Nashville where she has performed at the Bluebird Cafe, written with Grammy winning songwriters, performed to a US TV audience of 60 million and showcased at Folk Alliance in Kansas City. Most recently Ciara was nominated for Best Emerging Artist at the 2022 RTE Radio1 folk awards and is currently working on a new EP entitled ‘Woman’ to be released late 2023 with support from the PRS Foundation.
Ciara will use her Women Make Music grant to create a 4 track EP entitled ‘Woman’ which will be released late 2023. The grant will help with recording costs including studio time, musician hire, a UK and Ireland based promotional campaign for the EP and a live music video with string quartet for single ‘Mother’. Taking inspiration from Ciara’s own personal experiences and that of the Women in her family this project is a deep dive into the world of Women both past and present. With lyrics comparing her own modern day experiences with that of her Grandmother, Mother and Sister and the pressure to live a life deemed acceptable by society whilst also wanting the freedom of choice, it is a project that Ciara hopes many will relate to. With her recent nomination for an RTE Folk award, this grant will help at a pivotal moment in her career.