Getting To Know... Vale

Following on from the release of his captivating debut single 'Tore It Down' last year, Irish singer and songwriter Vale has now returned with his latest spellbinding effort 'All Rise'.

Having spent the last few years travelling between Ireland, Nashville, and Reykjavik, 'All Rise' looks to bring that multinational influence to the forefront. With a broad and dynamic production layered between his own otherworldly vocals, this new release showcases him as a true talent to keep an eye on this year.

So with the new single out now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him to date.

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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

I grew up playing guitar, that was my first learned instrument, although I definitely would not consider myself a good or great guitar player. I think the first instrument I was really struck by and still use on everything is my Roland Juno 60, an old synth from the 80’s, it definitely changed how I write music, and is still the go to piece out of the gear I use when starting something new.

What kind of music did you love as a teenager?

I learned about a lot of music from my older brother and his friends, I listened to a lot of different stuff, I loved Tom Waits. I remember hearing Arcade Fire for the first time, it was a live performance of their track, “Laika” At the time I had heard nothing like it. They had this insane chaotic energy, like the entire performance could fall apart at any second.

What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?

This Woman’s Work by Kate Bush is one of my all time favourites. So possibly that? Or Purple Rain. Ideally both.

Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?

That’s something that can change from song to song, but a lot of the time it starts at a keyboard fleshing out different ideas until the bigger picture forms. Other times I’ll make a beat or weird loop and use that as a base. For example, on All Rise, that started with the beat and the chorus lyrics first. The rest was put together from that as a starting point.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

Recently, Julianna Barwick, her album "Healing Is A Miracle", is in fact, a miracle. Weyes Blood, John Grant to name a few others.

How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?

That’s a tough one, it’s not something that I consciously do, or try to make happen. Saying that, life and what’s happening to you isn’t something you can ignore. Surroundings, relationships, people, can all fall into being a part of a creative process on different levels, be it on a conscious or subconscious level.

What has been the funniest or most unusual moment in your career so far?

Not funny, but perhaps one of the more unusual and memorable things I've gotten to be a part of happened pretty early on, in one of the first bands I was in. We played some festival shows in Malawi. We got to collaborate on a project with a group of musicians from there at an Irish festival initially, and wound up travelling there to play more gigs together. A totally eye opening, amazing experience in so many different ways and one that sticks with me still.

If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?

LCD Soundsystem? St. Vincent? Right now, anyone? A world where gigs can happen again.

If you weren’t a musician, what other path do you think you might have taken?

After school, my initial plans were to go to art college, I was doing a portfolio course before I got totally sucked into pursuing music, so probably somewhere around there.

And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?

One of the most affecting pieces of advice I got starting out in music which I still refer to today is to treat every recording session as just that, one recording session. Don't go racing through things just because you have to be out of somewhere by a certain time. It's always possible to spend a little more time on parts but it's totally impossible to fix something that's fundamentally flawed.

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Vale's new single 'All Rise' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.