Imelda May joined Colm and Lucy on Radio Nova’s Breakfast Show to discuss her new record and life in lockdown.
She recently released her new single entitled ‘Just One Kiss’ from her upcoming album ’11 Past The Hour’.
Many were surprised to see legends such as Noel Gallagher and Ronnie Wood collaborate with Imelda for the new track.
Imelda told Radio Nova that she has been friends with Ronnie Wood ever since she was 16 when they met in Bruxelles.
She also admitted that she has known Noel for years and he is just one her “amazingly talented friends”. They’re not all famous according to May, but she greatly appreciates them all.
When asked about if there was a WhatsApp group chat with all these legends, Imelda cheekily replied “That would be tellin’!”
Colm and Lucy also asked Imelda their famous Last 5 Questions which garnered a hillarious response to the last one!
Talking about her new album, she said “11 Past the Hour is my truth. I always write with meaning and from my heart as that’s the reason I write, to connect with my own story at each particular moment and I hope therefore I connect with others during theirs, even if just for a while.”
“Sometimes we stay silent and hold it all in and sometimes we dance and throw it all to the wind with abandon but one thing is for sure is we are in this life together. Each song is a moment in my life. Each life is a moment in time. Every minute counts.”
As well as Noel Gallagher and Ronnie Wood, the new album also features Miles Kane and great feminist thinkers such as Gina Martin and Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu. Pedro Vito joins May for the album’s title track as well.
This album which was mostly written with her co-producer Tim Bran (London Grammar and Primal Scream) and string arranger Davide Rossi (U2, Coldplay and Goldfrapp) is a rock and roll record with a purpose that celebrates her Irish roots, her incredible storytelling and it comes from the soul.
Ever since being discovered by Jools Holland, Imelda May has had an incredible career. She has performed duets with the likes of U2, Lou Reed, Sinead O Connor, Robert Plant, Van Morrison, Jack Savoretti and Elvis Costello.
She has also collaborated with Jeff Beck, Jeff Goldblum and Ronnie Wood on recent records and before the pandemic – live tours.
Her last album, ‘Life Love Flesh Blood’ debuted at no.2 on the Irish charts and at no.5 on the UK charts. Her 2008 album ‘Love Tattoo’ was named as the best selling album of modern chart history by a homegrown female Irish artist by the Official Charts Company.
She isn’t just a musician, but a poet as well. Last year she released her debut Poetry EP and it gained critical acclaim all around the world, especially for the poem ‘You Don’t Get To Be Racist and Irish’ which was used by the Irish Government during their Rethink Ireland campaign.
Many are eagerly awaiting her new album, which is set for release on April 23 via Decca Records. You can pre-order the album here.
