Róisín O’s lineage is steeped in music, but the singer is making her own mark on the music world. Her first album, The Secret Life of Blue, was released in 2012 and met with a positive reaction from critics, who praised her range and lyrical skills.

As the daughter of Mary Black and Joe O’Reilly (Dara Records) and sister of Danny O’Reilly from the Coronas, music is almost like the family business.

“We definitely encourage each other. To have them is amazing for me. They are mentors, in a sense, and I trust them to give me sound advice,” she says.

“My music is definitely a step away from what my mom does, and it’s not as mainstream as Danny, so it’s somewhere in the middle. I’ve been a special guest on my mother’s tour, though. I did two big shows in Manchester and London with her, and it was great.”

album number two

After concluding her Irish tour in November, Róisín is now focusing on album number two.

“I think it’s time,” she laughs. “My first album came out in 2012, and I’ve been working on songs since then, but I don’t want to put out something for the sake of it. I really want the songs to be special and make an impact, so I’m going to take my time with it. I really want to make it worthwhile.”

A fan of Joni Mitchell, Róisín’s first album was influenced by folk music. However, the next album will shift slightly from that genre.

“It will be a little bit more electric: more guitars and synth. I’ll always have the folk influence, but the new album will be a step away from that, I think,” she says.

“From a young age, my big idol was Joni Mitchell,” she says. “Other than that, I love Florence and the Machine and Haim. I love bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, as well as people like Declan O’Rourke. I take a lot of different influences for my music, I don’t restrain myself to one genre.”

a bigger challenge

The second album challenge, however, pales in comparison to what’s coming up next.

“This year, my cousin Gavin and I are cooking Christmas dinner, and there’s around 10 of us at the dinner” she laughs. “We told my brothers, and they were like, ‘What do you mean you’re cooking dinner?’ My mother is such a good cook, but we’re giving her a break, because she always works so hard on Christmas Day. That’s our good deed for Christmas.”

good deads

It’s not her first good deed this year. Róisín recently paid a visit to Crumlin Children’s Hospital to support the Children in Hospital charity and the launch of Folen’s Christmas annuals. Folens will donate €35,000 worth of annuals to 23 children’s hospitals this year.

“A lot of the children can’t go outside and play and do a lot of activities, so they’re trying to bring them into the playroom to interact with other kids,” she explains. “It’s a really lovely thing to be involved in.”

the write idea

With some time off in December, Róisín is heading down to her “home away from home” in Dingle, Co Kerry, to write. It’s in the middle of nowhere, she says, and the perfect place to pen new tunes.

“I’ve invited some different writers to come down and write with me, so hopefully we’ll have something by early next year. I don’t view the time I spend writing as work. It’s like going away for two weeks and painting. It’s fun,” she says.

She likes to keep it personal: “I don’t pretend to write about big, grand things that aren’t close to my heart. For me, it’s easier to make a song real if it’s coming from a real place. For me, that’s happiness and heartbreak. I can’t say I write about much else.”

With music flowing through her veins, there’s no doubt Róisín is one to watch. However, given her talent, Róisín’s aspirations are quite modest.

“I’m always asked about what I want to achieve and, to be honest, a career like my mom’s would be unbelievable, but if I can make a career out of singing my own songs on stage that will do me fine,” she says.

“If music is something I can do for the rest of my life, I’ll be quite happy.” CL