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Iarla Ó Lionáird

From Ireland (Irish Republic)

Afro Celt singer under his own steam

Ever since he heard Peter Gabriel's Passion soundtrack and was inspired to write a six-page letter in praise, Iarla O'Lionaird has kept very close ties with our sister organisation, Real World Records. Not only did this son of rural Cork subsequently lend his striking voice to Peter's OVO album, he also became the featured vocalist for the hugely successful Afro Celt Sound System, as well as recording a string of meticulously curated solo records for the label. Artistically he's a restless soul, whether recording a song-cycle with avant garde composer Gavin Bryars or forging a new project with celebrated fiddle player Martin Hayes. But - whatever the project, whatever the context - it's Iarla's voice that distils and defines it, retaining the ability, as the Irish Times once noted, to be "as soft as a feather bed and as searingly sharp as a blade when the mood calls".

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2011)

Iarla Ó Lionáird is on Real World Records

Iarla Ó Lionáird's » Myspace Page