Roisin O’Hagan – Midnight Indigo

By starrymag | September 13, 2024

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I’d say pop/rock, singer/songwriter with some hints of country.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) My influences range from pop/rock such as Bruce Springsteen, Counting Crows and Alanis Morissette to country artists such as George Strait and The Chicks to pop artists like Taylor Swift, Maisie Peters and Olivia Rodrigo.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Midnight Indigo.”

 

A) It’s the first song I’ve released from a batch of new tracks I’ve been writing and recording while moving away from country/pop to more of a straight up pop/rock sound. It was also one of the first I wrote in this process of changing my sound a bit. It took me a while to write as I started the verse and came back to it and worked on the chorus quite a few months later. “Midnight Indigo” was one of those songs that, lyrically, started off as a bit of a stream of self-consciousness, and when I revisited it to finish the song it developed into a song about experiencing a toxic attachment to someone or something. It’s a song about feeling this passionate, but somewhat damaging, tie to a person or a thing and mistaking it for love. Ultimately, the song ends in breaking that tie and how the fall out of that dynamic will never be pretty or easy.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think a lot of us have experienced being fixated and wrapped up in something that becomes a bit too all-consuming. Maybe that isn’t always to a person either; for instance, I personally feel chasing something like a career in music can become your whole world and can become unhealthy if you don’t strike the right balance of focus on it. Really, “Midnight Indigo” can hopefully be interpreted as a hyper fixation to various things be it a career goal, a relationship with someone, an insecurity; basically anything that can become an all-consuming attachment.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) I usually start with some chords and get a bit of a vibe musically and then go onto think about lyrics/mood/message. However, I’ve recently been co-writing a lot and quite like taking lyric ideas and stories to the write. I find if another writer comes up with some chords, a loop or some kind of musical suggestion and then I quite like finding a lyric idea that I’ve been sat with on my phone notes over that and going from there.

 

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I’m not super technical production wise, but I like to be involved the whole way and suggest things! I like coming up with little production ideas and then describing them to who I’m working with the best I can, even if I’m singing a hook idea or a drum pattern into a voice note and sending it to them.

 

Q) With “Midnight Indigo” out now, will there be a full EP or album coming in the near future?

 

A) I’ve got loads of tracks ready to release, so I’m planning on continuing to release singles and will possibly group some together as an EP at some point too.

 

Q) You have been releasing music since you were 12 years old. What advice would you give to those who want to start as young artists in the industry? 

 

A) To start writing, recording demos and performing live as soon as possible! It’s how you are going to start learning the process of each of these things and build your style and confidence. Especially when it comes to performing live, the sooner you get into it the easier it will get to be confident and enjoy yourself too!

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) I love performing in London and in cities around the UK, too. I just really enjoy seeing different areas of the UK and would love to play in more cities around the country.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Adam Duritz, frontman of Counting Crows. I think his lyricism is so unique and I would love to learn more about how he goes about his writing!

 

Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) I’m really enjoying Charli XCX’s album Brat right now. It’s a totally different style to my music, but the whole album is so catchy – it’s really fun to listen to in AirPods walking around London and on tubes, too.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) I really appreciate every little bit of support and people that have followed me online for a long while. As a small artist, it’s really rewarding to see the same names popping up and listening to what you’re putting out. Also, I’ve got so much more new music coming up that I’m really excited to share with them!