Soda Blonde’s Faye O’Rourke: ‘A Huge Thing For Me Was Realising That I Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Speak Out’

St Brigid’s Day is just around the corner – a time for welcoming the beginning of spring, celebrating nature’s reawakening, and of course, paying tribute to some incredible Irish women and talent.

Ahead of the big day, we caught up with Soda Blonde’s Faye O’Rourke, who is set to perform at the Brigit Rising Concert this bank holiday. She chats to us about the women who have influenced her career, the challenges she has faced in the industry, the upcoming gig, and more. 

Faye makes up alt-pop band Soda Blonde alongside Adam O’Regan, Donagh Seaver-O’Leary, and Dylan Lynch, who she labels “three of the most respectful men in the industry”. She puts this down to the open and honest communication they have as a band – especially in such a male dominated space.  

“I think I had a lot of internalised misogyny, which makes you view things differently,” Faye says. “You can internalise misogyny and feel weaker in a scenario when you’re surrounded by men all the time.

“That’s a big problem, and it’s not because it’s not real. I have encountered cases of misogyny, of course I have, but you have to go forward and step up to the mark and vocalise your feelings because if people aren’t told, nothing will change.

“A huge thing for me was realising that I shouldn’t be afraid to speak out, and that I have to accept that it is an issue, and it is there.”

 

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Faye adds that there are countless women who have inspired her over the years, and who don’t get the recognition they deserve.

“My friend Aoife Kelly, she’s a trad fiddler, she works with so many people and she’s affected nearly every backroom of Irish music. It’s that type of person that I think needs to be elevated and appreciated because that’s what makes the music industry keep on ticking.

“Also Judith Mok. She’s a very well-renowned soprano and she’s just been a mentor to me and somebody that’s given me a lot of confidence that what I have is already there. It’s just about breathing and knowing that you have a place and knowing that you have something to say, and to not be afraid to say it.” 

Soda Blonde’s latest record, Dream Big, was released in 2023, and has since been nominated for Irish Album of the Year – a feat Faye is extremely proud of. “It was an extremely liberating record, it’s very hard to pin down in terms of genre. A lot of people I’ve spoken to about it have said, ‘You’ve done something really original’, which I’m really proud of.”  

She explains how the album is an “extremely honest piece of material” while giving some honest advice for women in Ireland hoping to make it in the music industry: “Try and do every single thing yourself until you can’t or until you need help.

 

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“Certainly for me I was always surrounded by really talented people, and I was always too intimidated to learn. I was thinking somebody could do it quicker and somebody would do it better so why would I bother even trying.”

Faye believes that the key is to push yourself and to not give up. She says: “Don’t be afraid if you’re bad at it, keep going until you get better at it. You’re not representing your sex, you’re representing you.” 

Soda Blonde will be headlining the Brigid Rising Concert on February 5 in Dublin. The gig will follow a bank holiday weekend of events, workshops, and a parade to celebrate St. Brigit and the women of Ireland, as well as unforgettable performances from some iconic Irish talent, including Soda Blonde, Rachel Lavelle and poet Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha.

Faye says although she’s not much of a religious person, she recognises and supports what St Brigid embodies – “inspiration, healing and compassion. She is the only female patroness saint of Ireland and it’s about time we acknowledge her and the women of this country. 

“It’s such a wonderful thing to champion women [with this concert] because particularly in Ireland we are sort of struggling for space, in terms of being seen in the media.

“We need to get women to a level where they’re being seen globally, Irish women and their talent. And we’re not really shining enough of a spotlight on that, so I think this is a 10/10 in terms of initiative.”

You can find out more about Brigid 2024 and the Brigid Rising Concert, here. 

Words by Abby Sammon 

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• soda blonde