Julie Feeney
Encyclopedia
Julie Feeney, award-winning Irish
composer
, song-writer, singer and music producer.
composer
, singer, record producer
, musician
, songwriter
, theatre
artist
and educator. She composes both instrumental and electronic music, and composes her songs with full orchestrations. Her self-produced debut album, 13 songs, won her the Choice Music Prize
for 'Irish Album of the Year' in 2006 and she subsequently was signed to the major label, Sony BMG U.K..
She comes from Galway
and her own record label is called mittens after her mother's favourite cat. She self-released her second self-produced critically acclaimed album pages in Ireland through 'mittens' and she performed to a capacity audience of 1200 at Ireland's National Concert Hall
in 2010. She was the subject of a special RTE
television documentary 'The View Presents Julie Feeney' aired on the 20th of July 2010 with John Kelly (Irish broadcaster). She recently toured America where she released pages in 2011 on her own 'mittens' label. She is a Gaeilgeoir and worked part time as a model.
and Icebreaker (band)
, and she composed an orchestral song cycle version of her first album for a solo performance with the Ulster Orchestra
at the Waterfront Hall
in Belfast before 2,000 people. She has composed electronic scores for Corp Feasa Contemporary Dance Company, Loose Canon Theatre Company and for her own one-woman shows where she incorporated live singing. She composed an electronic score for Match which was one of the short contemporary dance films for RTÉ Television
as part of the Dance on the Box initiative between RTÉ
and the Arts Council of Ireland
in 2006. Her most recent original orchestral song cycle she orchestrated for the RTE Concert Orchestra
and this was broadcast live on the JK Ensemble live on Lyric FM on the 14th of October 2010. She also previously performed her own self-orchestrated songs with the RTE Concert Orchestra
in May 2010 on 'Mooney Goes Wild' broadcast on RTE Radio One.
), and she performed extensively with Anúna
. She has also performed with the BBC
singers, Riverdance
, and Lord of the Dance (musical)
(as lead soloist).
artist she has performed in her own one-woman shows with her own electronic scores; with Loose Canon Theatre Company as a movement actor, and with Featherhead productions "Slat" at Galway Arts Festival
. She also performed in "Slat" as part of La Saison Culturelle Européenne in Paris in November 2008. In much of her theatre work she incorporates extended vocal technique. She works part-time as a model. In January 2011 she devised a duet with actor and director Mikel Murfi which was performed in U.C.C., Cork at the launch of the U.C.C. School of Music and Theatre where she both acted and composed the musical score.
at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall where Julie had orchestrated the scores. She conducted the Irish Chamber Orchestra on her own pages album recording where she had also composed and orchestrated the music. The orchestra for the two sessions was expanded to 25 players and included woodwind, brass, percussion and harp.
in 2008. The subject matter is Cosan Dearg a contemporary dance piece resulting from the collaboration between Feeney, choreographer Fearghus O Conchuir and theatre director Jason Byrne. She contributed her own piano arrangements of songs to the television documentary 'And The Red Poppies Dance' commissioned by RTE
broadcast on its commemorative season '1918:Ireland And The Great War'in November 2008. She was the subject of a special RTE
television documentary 'The View Presents Julie Feeney' aired on the 20th of July 2010 with John Kelly (Irish broadcaster).
She has performed her own music and as been interviewed extensively on RTE
radio and television, TV3
, TG4
, Newstalk, and BBC Northern Ireland
as well as BBC Radio 4
Woman's Hour
. She performed a solo voice and piano interpretation of the Irish lullaby Seoithin Seo on a special Christmas Day broadcast show JK Ensemble on RTÉ lyric fm
hosted by the broadcaster John Kelly in 2006. This performance was included on the charity album Tuesday's Child in 2007. 'Impossibly Beautiful' from pages
was on heavy rotation on RTE Radio One from 2009 to 2010.
for Irish Album of the Year in 2006 and garnered glowing 4 and five stars in all major UK and Irish press.
A multi-instrumentalist, Feeney plays eleven instruments on 13 songs, including keyboards
, alto recorder, treble recorder, harmonium
, accordion
, violin
, harmonica
, melodica
, xylophone
and a clock. However, according to The Irish Times
of 16 September 2005, "the most impressive sound is Julie's sustained vocal note on Aching, which clocks in at a lung-bursting 28 seconds..." and also declared, "...Julie Feeney represents a new eclecticism...Lyrically sage, musically taut, 13 songs is a wonderful, wistful collection....The Irish Independent
called it "...a rare gem...her excellent debut album...".
The New York Times
called it "a charming, urbane and dreamy record while The Observer
said "this album marks the blossoming of a major talent". The Evening Standard
said it was "2007's first delight...a beguiling mix of the baroque...and the hypnotic avant-garde..." and The Guardian
said "...the world will listen...".
The RTE
Guide stated that '13 songs' is "...surely one of the greatest debut records ever made in this country...sophisticated stuff" and The Tuam Herald described it as "... adult contemporary ... highly sophisticated, European music ... Julie's clear, high vocals paint abstract pictures of love, life and friendship from a twenty-something perspective..." The Dubliner
said "...this album is startling...a fascinating record", and Q
said "...she certainly won't be confused for anyone else..."
Hot Press
stated, "...With this debut album Julie Feeney announces herself as the most intriguing female voice...to come out of Ireland since Sinead O'Connor...for sheer originality, courage and raw talent, Feeney deserves to soar above and beyond even the merely excellent". The Sligo Weekender said, "...the most impressive aspect of Feeney's musical spectrum is her voice. With little rivalry for purity, it ranges from infant-like wonder ("Judas") to quite sexy and sultry (Under My Skin)... Julie sings "I'm aching for you", just three times on the single, but each one weighs in at 20 to 28 seconds long, a phenomenal achievement for any voice...". The Sunday Times
called '13 songs' "...a refreshingly original distillation..."
'13 songs' was self-funded through a series of bank loans and was self-released. She also funded and produced her first music video before being signed to Sony BMG (U.K) for the song 'Fictitious Richard' from ‘13 songs’ and it was directed by young Irish director Vittoria Colonna. It featured Feeney's favourite car, the Volkswagen Beetle
. Her second music video was made after she was signed and was directed by Maria Mozchnacz for the song ‘Aching’.
The artwork for '13 songs' was all done by Feeney and characterised by her own distinctive hand-writing and hand-drawn patterns. The same artwork is used on her official website. The self-styled album-cover photo was taken by Eoin Wright. They did 5 shoots before Feeney settled the right photo.
Feeney first composed the songs and all of the orchestral parts, and then she conducted the orchestra in the recording. The orchestra which included woodwinds, brass, strings, vibraphone and glockenspiel (among others) was recorded over 2 sessions in one day at the Irish Chamber Orchestra Studio in Limerick. Unusual about this album is that all of the instrumental music is played by the orchestra with no additional instruments or midi instruments. She later recorded all of the singing athome in her own studio where she produced and mixed the album.
The Irish Times
on 29 May 09 proclaimed,"... She is an innovator, an original; incomparable with any of her contemporaries and she has created what might just be the Irish album of the year...". The Sunday Tribune, METRO and the RTÉ Guide also gave it CD of the Week while Hot Press proclaimed that "...pages...is a wee masterpiece...". The artwork for the digi-pack cover with booklet included photographs of Feeney wearing a hand-stitched dress sculpted from the pages of the composer's orchestral score by the artist Sharon Costello Desmond. The dress was worn by Feeney on the RTE
television programme, The View (Irish TV series)
hosted by John Kelly on 9 June 2009.
Feeney received an IMTV music video award for her fourth music video for her song 'Impossibly Beautiful' which is the second track on pages. The video features 18 different head dresses designed by the designer Piers Atkinson and the video is directed by Vittoria Colonna. The video for 'Love is a Tricky Thing' received an IMTV nomination for 'Best Irish Female' and it was also directed by Vittoria Colonna
. Maria Mochnacz directed Feeney's music video for the song Aching which was the first track from Feeney's 13 songs album and Vittoria Colonna directed a music video for the song Fictitious' Richard a song also taken from the album 13 songs. All four of Feeney's music videos have been completely self-funded by Feeney's own record label 'mittens' apart from the music video for 'Aching' which was funded by Sony BMG U.K..
Irish Album of the Year in 2006 for her debut album '13 songs'.
Winner TOYP, 'The Outstanding Young Person Award for Cultural Achievement' by Junior Chamber International
in 2008.
Winner 'Irish Tatler
Woman of the Year for Music and Entertainment' in 2006.
Winner IMTV
Award 'Best Styled Music Video' for 'Impossibly Beautiful' music video 2009.
Nominated for IMTV
Award 'Best Irish Female' for 'Love is a Tricky Thing' music video 2009.
Nominated for 'Best Irish Female' at 2010 Meteor Ireland Music Awards.
Nominated for Choice Music Prize
Irish Album of the Year in 2009 for her second album 'pages'.
' on BBC 2 in May 2006.
'You Broke The Magic' from '13 songs' featured on RTE
TV drama 'Little White Lie' in 2008.
'Impossibly Beautiful' from 'pages' features on major Irish TV and radio commercial VHI's one plan.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, song-writer, singer and music producer.
Overview
Feeney is an award-winning and critically acclaimed IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, singer, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and educator. She composes both instrumental and electronic music, and composes her songs with full orchestrations. Her self-produced debut album, 13 songs, won her the Choice Music Prize
Choice Music Prize
-Establishment:It was established by journalist Jim Carroll and manager Dave Reid in 2005. as an alternative to the industry-dominated Meteor Music Awards. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the Mercury Prize which is awarded each year to the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...
for 'Irish Album of the Year' in 2006 and she subsequently was signed to the major label, Sony BMG U.K..
She comes from Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
and her own record label is called mittens after her mother's favourite cat. She self-released her second self-produced critically acclaimed album pages in Ireland through 'mittens' and she performed to a capacity audience of 1200 at Ireland's National Concert Hall
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall is a concert hall located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, Ireland, close to St. Stephen's Green, and is the principal national venue for classical music concerts in Ireland....
in 2010. She was the subject of a special RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
television documentary 'The View Presents Julie Feeney' aired on the 20th of July 2010 with John Kelly (Irish broadcaster). She recently toured America where she released pages in 2011 on her own 'mittens' label. She is a Gaeilgeoir and worked part time as a model.
Compositional work
Feeney is currently composing her first opera. Her instrumental compositions have been performed by Crash EnsembleCrash Ensemble
Crash Ensemble is an Irish new music ensemble, founded in 1997 by composer Donnacha Dennehy, conductor and pianist Andrew Synott and clarinettist Michael Seaver. It played its first concert in Dublin in 1997...
and Icebreaker (band)
Icebreaker (band)
Icebreaker is a UK-based new music ensemble founded by James Poke and John Godfrey. The group have established themselves as one of the UK's leading new music interpreters specializing particularly in post-minimal and "totalist" repertoire. They always play amplified and have a reputation for...
, and she composed an orchestral song cycle version of her first album for a solo performance with the Ulster Orchestra
Ulster Orchestra
The Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall...
at the Waterfront Hall
Waterfront Hall
The Waterfront Hall is a multi-purpose facility, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....
in Belfast before 2,000 people. She has composed electronic scores for Corp Feasa Contemporary Dance Company, Loose Canon Theatre Company and for her own one-woman shows where she incorporated live singing. She composed an electronic score for Match which was one of the short contemporary dance films for RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television is a department of Ireland's state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.The first channel to broadcast was Telefís Éireann which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961...
as part of the Dance on the Box initiative between RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
and the Arts Council of Ireland
Arts Council of Ireland
The Arts Council of Ireland was founded in 1951 by the Government of Ireland to encourage interest in Irish art and channel to funding from the state to Irish artists and arts organisations...
in 2006. Her most recent original orchestral song cycle she orchestrated for the RTE Concert Orchestra
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full time professional orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, has grown from a small studio-based recording group to...
and this was broadcast live on the JK Ensemble live on Lyric FM on the 14th of October 2010. She also previously performed her own self-orchestrated songs with the RTE Concert Orchestra
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full time professional orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, has grown from a small studio-based recording group to...
in May 2010 on 'Mooney Goes Wild' broadcast on RTE Radio One.
Choral singer
As a professional choral singer she has performed and recorded worldwide. She worked full-time with the National Chamber Choir of Ireland (specialising in contemporary and Early musicEarly music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
), and she performed extensively with Anúna
Anúna
Anúna is an Irish choral group. In 1987 Dublin composer Michael McGlynn founded An Uaithne, a name which describes the three ancient types of Celtic music, Suantraí , Geantraí and Goltraí . One of the group's stated aims is to explore and redefine this music...
. She has also performed with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
singers, Riverdance
Riverdance
Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. It originated as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, a moment that is still considered a significant...
, and Lord of the Dance (musical)
Lord of the Dance (musical)
Lord of the Dance is an Irish musical and dance production that was created, choreographed, and produced by Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley, who also took a starring role...
(as lead soloist).
Theatre
As a theatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
artist she has performed in her own one-woman shows with her own electronic scores; with Loose Canon Theatre Company as a movement actor, and with Featherhead productions "Slat" at Galway Arts Festival
Galway Arts Festival
Galway Arts Festival is an annual arts festival that takes place each July in Galway, Ireland. It is Ireland’s leading arts festival and one of the most successful and influential arts enterprises in the country. The Festival is one of the key European arts festivals...
. She also performed in "Slat" as part of La Saison Culturelle Européenne in Paris in November 2008. In much of her theatre work she incorporates extended vocal technique. She works part-time as a model. In January 2011 she devised a duet with actor and director Mikel Murfi which was performed in U.C.C., Cork at the launch of the U.C.C. School of Music and Theatre where she both acted and composed the musical score.
Conductor
She conducted the strings of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society is a society based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, that organises concerts and other events mainly in the field of classical music. The society is the second oldest of its type in the United Kingdom and its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic...
at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall where Julie had orchestrated the scores. She conducted the Irish Chamber Orchestra on her own pages album recording where she had also composed and orchestrated the music. The orchestra for the two sessions was expanded to 25 players and included woodwind, brass, percussion and harp.
Documentary
She is the featured composer in the documentary Splanc! – Cosán Dearg aired on TG4TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
in 2008. The subject matter is Cosan Dearg a contemporary dance piece resulting from the collaboration between Feeney, choreographer Fearghus O Conchuir and theatre director Jason Byrne. She contributed her own piano arrangements of songs to the television documentary 'And The Red Poppies Dance' commissioned by RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
broadcast on its commemorative season '1918:Ireland And The Great War'in November 2008. She was the subject of a special RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
television documentary 'The View Presents Julie Feeney' aired on the 20th of July 2010 with John Kelly (Irish broadcaster).
Radio and television
In 2011 Feeney performed in America on NPR station WNYC on 'Soundcheck' with her ensemble. She was interviewed on PRI's 'The World' and on NPR station WBUR on 'Here and Now'. She did an interview on Q104.3 with Jonathan Clarke.She has performed her own music and as been interviewed extensively on RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
radio and television, TV3
TV3 Ireland
TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
, TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
, Newstalk, and BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
as well as BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
. She performed a solo voice and piano interpretation of the Irish lullaby Seoithin Seo on a special Christmas Day broadcast show JK Ensemble on RTÉ lyric fm
RTÉ lyric fm
RTÉ lyric fm is an Irish classical music radio station, owned by the public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The station, which is based in Limerick, was launched in 1999 and is available on FM in Ireland, on satellite, on Sky Digital in Ireland and United Kingdom and via the...
hosted by the broadcaster John Kelly in 2006. This performance was included on the charity album Tuesday's Child in 2007. 'Impossibly Beautiful' from pages
Pages
Pages is a word processor and page layout application developed by Apple. It is part of the iWork productivity suite and runs on the Mac OS X & iOS operating systems. The first version of Pages was announced on January 11, 2005, and was released one month later. The most recent Macintosh version,...
was on heavy rotation on RTE Radio One from 2009 to 2010.
Tours
Her touring of her own headline show has seen her perform in Ireland China, Paris, the U.K. and America. She will debut in Germany in October. One of her performances in London in 2007 received a five star Evening Standard Review and stated that she "...captivated the crowd from the moment she stepped on stage..."13 songs
The self-produced debut album won the Choice Music PrizeChoice Music Prize
-Establishment:It was established by journalist Jim Carroll and manager Dave Reid in 2005. as an alternative to the industry-dominated Meteor Music Awards. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the Mercury Prize which is awarded each year to the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...
for Irish Album of the Year in 2006 and garnered glowing 4 and five stars in all major UK and Irish press.
A multi-instrumentalist, Feeney plays eleven instruments on 13 songs, including keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, alto recorder, treble recorder, harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, melodica
Melodica
The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
, xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
and a clock. However, according to The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
of 16 September 2005, "the most impressive sound is Julie's sustained vocal note on Aching, which clocks in at a lung-bursting 28 seconds..." and also declared, "...Julie Feeney represents a new eclecticism...Lyrically sage, musically taut, 13 songs is a wonderful, wistful collection....The Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
called it "...a rare gem...her excellent debut album...".
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it "a charming, urbane and dreamy record while The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
said "this album marks the blossoming of a major talent". The Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
said it was "2007's first delight...a beguiling mix of the baroque...and the hypnotic avant-garde..." and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
said "...the world will listen...".
The RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
Guide stated that '13 songs' is "...surely one of the greatest debut records ever made in this country...sophisticated stuff" and The Tuam Herald described it as "... adult contemporary ... highly sophisticated, European music ... Julie's clear, high vocals paint abstract pictures of love, life and friendship from a twenty-something perspective..." The Dubliner
The Dubliner (magazine)
-Publication format:The magazine had ten issues per year, and contents include opinion, reporting, political and social commentary and essays on Irish culture...
said "...this album is startling...a fascinating record", and Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
said "...she certainly won't be confused for anyone else..."
Hot Press
Hot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...
stated, "...With this debut album Julie Feeney announces herself as the most intriguing female voice...to come out of Ireland since Sinead O'Connor...for sheer originality, courage and raw talent, Feeney deserves to soar above and beyond even the merely excellent". The Sligo Weekender said, "...the most impressive aspect of Feeney's musical spectrum is her voice. With little rivalry for purity, it ranges from infant-like wonder ("Judas") to quite sexy and sultry (Under My Skin)... Julie sings "I'm aching for you", just three times on the single, but each one weighs in at 20 to 28 seconds long, a phenomenal achievement for any voice...". The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
called '13 songs' "...a refreshingly original distillation..."
'13 songs' was self-funded through a series of bank loans and was self-released. She also funded and produced her first music video before being signed to Sony BMG (U.K) for the song 'Fictitious Richard' from ‘13 songs’ and it was directed by young Irish director Vittoria Colonna. It featured Feeney's favourite car, the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
. Her second music video was made after she was signed and was directed by Maria Mozchnacz for the song ‘Aching’.
The artwork for '13 songs' was all done by Feeney and characterised by her own distinctive hand-writing and hand-drawn patterns. The same artwork is used on her official website. The self-styled album-cover photo was taken by Eoin Wright. They did 5 shoots before Feeney settled the right photo.
pages
Feeney's second self-produced album, pages was released in Ireland through mittens in June 2009, and was widely highly critically acclaimed. It entered at number 26 in the Irish Charts. In December 2009 it featured in the Hot Press Top 250 Irish Albums of all time poll only 6 months after its Irish release at number 55, making it the highest placed 2009 release on the poll. The album also featured highly on numerous other end of year polls and has been nominated for the Choice Music Prize - Irish Album of the Year 2009.Feeney first composed the songs and all of the orchestral parts, and then she conducted the orchestra in the recording. The orchestra which included woodwinds, brass, strings, vibraphone and glockenspiel (among others) was recorded over 2 sessions in one day at the Irish Chamber Orchestra Studio in Limerick. Unusual about this album is that all of the instrumental music is played by the orchestra with no additional instruments or midi instruments. She later recorded all of the singing athome in her own studio where she produced and mixed the album.
The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
on 29 May 09 proclaimed,"... She is an innovator, an original; incomparable with any of her contemporaries and she has created what might just be the Irish album of the year...". The Sunday Tribune, METRO and the RTÉ Guide also gave it CD of the Week while Hot Press proclaimed that "...pages...is a wee masterpiece...". The artwork for the digi-pack cover with booklet included photographs of Feeney wearing a hand-stitched dress sculpted from the pages of the composer's orchestral score by the artist Sharon Costello Desmond. The dress was worn by Feeney on the RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
television programme, The View (Irish TV series)
The View (Irish TV series)
The View is an Irish television programme broadcast on RTÉ One. Presented by John Kelly, it centres on arts-related topics. It was initially known as Later On 2 and was presented by various presenters until John Kelly joined RTÉ from Today FM, Later On 2 was broadcast on first Network 2 in 1997, it...
hosted by John Kelly on 9 June 2009.
Music videos
Myles O'Reilly has made 2 films about 2 Julie Feeney performances and the rehearsals beforehand, Julie Feeney::New York and Julie Feeney::ParisFeeney received an IMTV music video award for her fourth music video for her song 'Impossibly Beautiful' which is the second track on pages. The video features 18 different head dresses designed by the designer Piers Atkinson and the video is directed by Vittoria Colonna. The video for 'Love is a Tricky Thing' received an IMTV nomination for 'Best Irish Female' and it was also directed by Vittoria Colonna
Vittoria Colonna
Vittoria Colonna , marchioness of Pescara, was an Italian noblewoman and poet.-Biography:The daughter of Fabrizio Colonna, grand constable of the kingdom of Naples, and of Agnese da Montefeltro, Vittoria Colonna was born at Marinoa fief of the Colonna family in the Alban Hills near Rome.Betrothed...
. Maria Mochnacz directed Feeney's music video for the song Aching which was the first track from Feeney's 13 songs album and Vittoria Colonna directed a music video for the song Fictitious' Richard a song also taken from the album 13 songs. All four of Feeney's music videos have been completely self-funded by Feeney's own record label 'mittens' apart from the music video for 'Aching' which was funded by Sony BMG U.K..
Awards
Winner of the Choice Music PrizeChoice Music Prize
-Establishment:It was established by journalist Jim Carroll and manager Dave Reid in 2005. as an alternative to the industry-dominated Meteor Music Awards. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the Mercury Prize which is awarded each year to the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...
Irish Album of the Year in 2006 for her debut album '13 songs'.
Winner TOYP, 'The Outstanding Young Person Award for Cultural Achievement' by Junior Chamber International
Junior Chamber International
Junior Chamber International is the only worldwide non-political and non-sectarian youth service organization. It is an international community of citizens between the ages of to with the aim and purpose of creating positive changes in the world...
in 2008.
Winner 'Irish Tatler
Tatler
Tatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications...
Woman of the Year for Music and Entertainment' in 2006.
Winner IMTV
MTV Ireland
MTV Ireland is a 24-hour entertainment channel operated by MTV Networks Europe. The channel launched on February 22, 2004.The channel features localized advertising and sponsorship for the Irish market. The channel also hosted a local shows 'MTV News' and 'MTV The Festival Show'...
Award 'Best Styled Music Video' for 'Impossibly Beautiful' music video 2009.
Nominated for IMTV
MTV Ireland
MTV Ireland is a 24-hour entertainment channel operated by MTV Networks Europe. The channel launched on February 22, 2004.The channel features localized advertising and sponsorship for the Irish market. The channel also hosted a local shows 'MTV News' and 'MTV The Festival Show'...
Award 'Best Irish Female' for 'Love is a Tricky Thing' music video 2009.
Nominated for 'Best Irish Female' at 2010 Meteor Ireland Music Awards.
Nominated for Choice Music Prize
Choice Music Prize
-Establishment:It was established by journalist Jim Carroll and manager Dave Reid in 2005. as an alternative to the industry-dominated Meteor Music Awards. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the Mercury Prize which is awarded each year to the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...
Irish Album of the Year in 2009 for her second album 'pages'.
Use of songs on TV
'You Bring Me Down' from '13 songs' featured on 'Match of the DayMatch of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
' on BBC 2 in May 2006.
'You Broke The Magic' from '13 songs' featured on RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
TV drama 'Little White Lie' in 2008.
'Impossibly Beautiful' from 'pages' features on major Irish TV and radio commercial VHI's one plan.
Work in Education
As an educator Feeney has worked at primary, secondary, university and professional development level in music and mainstream education. A qualified primary teacher she has designed and facilitated workshops all over Ireland, in the U.S. and in Brazil and has published 3 music education CD ROMs. She lectured in music education at university level for three years.See also
- Elaine FeeneyElaine FeeneyElaine Feeney is an Irish poet.Feeney was born in Galway and has lived much of her life in Athenry. She won the Cúirt Grand Slam in 2008. She was educated at the town's Presentation College, and teaches English at St. Jarlath's College, Tuam. She resides in Athenry with her partner Ray and two sons...
- Henry FeeneyHenry FeeneyHenry "Harry" Feeney , was an Irish priest and nationalist.-Biography:Feeney was a native of Twomileditch in the parish of Castlegar, outside Galway. He was ordained a priest in 1914 and was serving as curate of Clarenbridge at the time of Easter Rising of 1916...
- Michael Feeney (schoolteacher)Michael Feeney (schoolteacher)Michael Feeney , lover of Nora Barnacle, July/August 1889 - February 1897.Feeney was a native of William Street West, Galway, and a friend of Nora Barnacle since childhood. They began courting each other in 1896. However, Feeney became ill with Typhoid and Pneumonia in February 1897, and was...
- John FordJohn FordJohn Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
, aka John Martin Feeney - John Feeney (tenor)John Feeney (tenor)-Biography:Feeney was a native of Swinford, County Mayo. After nine years working in England as a labourer, in 1928 he emigrated to the USA, where for thirty years he was one of the leading Irish-American musicians, rated alongside Michael Coleman, James Morrison and The Flanagan Brothers...
External links
- Official Website
- A very interesting insight
- RTE radio 1 podcast
- Ulster Orchestra performance
- Myspace page
- Julie Feeney record label
- Julie Feeney PR in IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...