CORK-BASED artist M’adam, the stage name of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam O’Donovan, has just released his single You Get Me.
A gentle but resonant send-off, this track serves as the final release before his album Before We Die, which will be available digitally on August 29.
This week he took time out to talk to the Irish Post...
M'Adam has released new musicWhat are you up to?
At the moment I am in vinyl mode, after pressing my first ever album on vinyl Before We Die. I am trying to get this to as many people as I can, while planning a tour, I am also continuing to plan the final months of my monthly digital release schedule. One of these is going to be a cover track you won’t expect.
Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?
I think the two most consistent ones are Nessun Dorma and the film score by Alan Silvestri in the movie Cast Away.
What are your favourite lyrics?
One of my favourite lyrics is in Labi Siffre’s, Bless the Telephone. I think it reminds me of how I work at home and sometimes it can be lonely. I really think Labi really captured that warm feeling of connection that we need with people, even from just hearing their voice.
“It’s nice to hear your voice again, waited all day long, even wrote a song for you….”
“Strange how a phone call can change your day, take you away, away from the feeling of being alone. Bless the telephone.”
What is your favourite place in Ireland?
For me West Cork is a must, being an O’ Donovan also makes the trip feel like a homecoming. I spent a lot of my childhood fishing on beaches in Cork like Myrtleville and going to Killarney as a kid fishing with my dad. More recently I had time with no phone coverage in Glendalough and I thought it was so relaxing to be there by a lake with no internet.
What music did you listen to growing up?
When I was growing up I listened to all sorts, from boybands to rock music. We had all sorts of CDs at home. Myself and friend Craig used to listen to classical music and then a week later reggae, before we became all angsty and watched Kerrang and Scuzz all day. All of this against a backdrop of my mother singing the Sound of Music.
Have you a book that has been a major influence on you?
Since doing the MS Readathon in primary school I have found it hard to read a book for pleasure, or take absolutely ages to read books. However, in recent times the book Mindset by Dr. Carol S. Dweck really helped me when I needed it.
Which musician or singer has most influenced you?
I would say Thom Yorke has to be up there.
Which trait in others do you most admire?
I read the poem If by Rudyard Kipling again recently and it reminded me of how I admire patience in people. I personally also find it very hard to get up in the morning and to get going. People's ability to get up and do the same thing for days on end, and be patient in knowing there is something at the end of it all is very impressive. It’s so easy to just get up and be distracted by all of the many triggers in the world and seek short-term solutions. But people who can pause, think, be patient and work towards something seem to have a superpower that I admire.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
In music, I think being told to “get out of my own way” was a great piece of advice, or in general, someone once told me that “you are where you are and that's ok, people do not need to see the perfect complete version of you, you are a work in progress” is also a nice piece of advice. Sometimes we are waiting to be at the place we want to be and sometimes we forget to acknowledge where we are at in the present moment. I think if I had listened more to this I would have released more music by now. It’s really refreshing seeing other artists release demos and lean into this idea a little.
In terms of inanimate objects, what is your most precious possession?
At the moment, I think the piano in the front room is my most precious inanimate possession, and since I was 13 or so when I started playing,I t has been a great instrument of calming for me.
What's the best thing about where you live?
Where I currently live in suburbia, I can get the train into Cork city and I like that a lot, and it’s also easy to meet with friends. We also have a lovely garden and it brings me a lot of joy too. I like the idea of being able to walk and use public transport, travel a little slower and breathe. Equally, having access to the city is great for the mind, for creativity, networking, and for food. This is the main benefit of suburbia I think, where you can exist in two worlds.
. . . . and the worst?
For me it’s the traffic and the noise and the speed at which people travel. People in cars are always trying to get somewhere almost immediately, and their energy stresses me out. We recently got a dog and he’s afraid of trucks. I think I have the same spirit as the dog. If you see it from their perspective, it's terrifying.
What’s the greatest lesson life has taught you?
More recently I realised, when we are younger we see people doing things and think how are they doing that, I will never do that. I know if my past-self was to look at my current-self, they would never know how much time and learning goes into things. But more importantly, how we are all making it up as we go along. It's a relief to know that you too can make it up like the rest of us.
See More: Adam O'Donovan, Ma'Dame, You Get Me
