Aimée: ‘People Connect To You More When You’re Honest And You’re Authentic’

“I’m the same person off stage as I am on stage.”

Aimée is all about authenticity, empowerment and, if her back catalogue is anything to go by, dropping absolute bangers.

When we meet, the Dublin pop star’s latest single ‘Hurt Like Hell’ is sitting comfortably at #26 in the Irish airplay charts (and rising!) – and also featured on Love Island the night previous.

“I actually wasn’t watching it so I was surprised with a FaceTime call from my sister!” she says. “I was delighted. My song ‘Bulletproof’ was on last season of Love Island, and that was also a season I didn’t watch, so I feel like now I can’t watch because I’m going to jinx it. I’ll never be able to watch Love Island again!”

It’s not just the UK’s biggest reality dating show that Aimée’s music has appeared on. Since ‘Hurt Like Hell’ dropped, the track has landed in the Shazam top 30, as well as hailing the top spot in the Breakers Chart. But spins are only part of the story for Aimée, it’s the response from fans that means the most.

“Last night I got a message off a girl being like: ‘I’ve gone through the worst breakup and listening to your song just gave me that little kick of confidence.’ That’s exactly why I’m doing it,” she says.

“All of my songs are so honest, they’re coming from a place of experience. I wouldn’t just write about something because I’m like, ‘oh, this sounds cool.’ With any kind of breakup, trauma or anything you go through, there’s always going to be the good, bad and the ugly. For me, it’s about trying to get that full story in a song. When I perform live, that’s when it feels the best because you see people in the audience singing it back. It’s almost like they feel the same.”

@stellarmagazine STELLAR meets Dublin singer @Aimée to chat all about her latest release, her childhood dreams, and more ✨ Check out the full interview on STELLAR.ie now #fyp #irishmusic #aimee ♬ Hurt Like Hell – Aimée

Aimée’s tracks may blowing up TikTok right now, but her passion for music started when she was just three years old. Neither of her parents were musicians but they were music lovers, and so, she spent a lot of her time listening to different albums, singles, and soundtracks – and of course, singing along.

“Any core memory of mine, whether it was packing the car to go to the beach or if it was a birthday party, there’s a soundtrack in the background,” she says. “I just opened my mouth one day and haven’t stopped since. My dad will tell you that anyway. He’d stand outside the bathroom crying, being like, ‘That was beautiful’, if I was singing in the shower. Or else he’d stand outside and be like, ‘Would you just shut up and learn another song?’

“[He’s my] biggest fan, biggest hater, biggest critic. God he’s so proud, but at the same time he’d call me into the sitting room and be like ‘Good job you didn’t do the X Factor this year. They’re very good, I don’t know if you would have got through.’ I was like, ‘Cool, dad. Thanks so much for that.’ But he’s great. He’s super proud and he loves watching my journey.”

 

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Christina, Britney, Mariah – you name a strong female pop star from the ’90s and chances are Aimée was into them. Listening to the music over and over again, learning the riffs, and replicating the notes allowed her to master what she wanted to be. By the age of seven Aimée was certain she was going to become a pop star. 2022 saw her undertake her first tour, an experience that confirmed that her star was only continuing to rise – especially outside of Ireland.

“The craziest thing happened when I was in LA a few years ago, and I was walking around this place called the Grove, it’s like a kind of shopping outlet, and these two girls ran across the street to me and they were like, ‘Oh my god, Aimée!’ It happened to be two Irish girls. I was like, hang on a minute now, this is too weird, I’m in America! It’s amazing to me, it doesn’t feel real.

“I’m the same person off stage as I am on stage. I don’t ever switch ‘on’ into artist mode. I was a confident child until I was about 12 and then you start realising, ‘Oh, people are looking at me.’ Then you go inward, I think.  I was a very introverted teenager, but I’ve always been confident in myself. My parents brought us up well, and to respect other people, so we kind of assumed people would respect us. There’s always going to be people that are going to find something wrong so you may as well just be yourself. People connect to you more when you’re honest and you’re authentic and you’re not playing a role.”

It’s this confidence and self assurance that Aimée brings into her music – as well as her music videos. Peruse her YouTube channel and you won’t be short on vibrant shoots and of course, striking style. The ‘Hurt Like Hell’ video was the first time that Aimée styled herself. In a leather jacket and thigh high boots, she looked incredible, but she also felt like herself.

“It can be quite nerve-wracking showing up to set for a video and not knowing what’s going to be on the rack,” she says. “Photoshoots are different because anything you wear, you can hold yourself in a position and it’ll look flattering. Music videos are the full 360. I enjoyed styling myself, I was able to wear things that I wouldn’t wear walking down the street but that I’d love to wear for a video. I’ve never heard a more ‘thigh high boots leather jacket song’ in my life than ‘Hurt Like Hell.’ I felt so comfortable and so strong, like I could take on the world in that outfit.

“I always dress to my mood. If I’m wearing black, probably don’t go near me for that day. Depending on each kind of era I’m in with the song, I like my outfits to kind of match that era. It’s not that I’m playing a role, but I’m carrying the mood of the song.”

So what’s next for Aimée? She’s just released the Swedish version of ‘Hurt Like Hell’, she’s got plans to spend a bit of time there for promo, and she’s also got a good few gigs and festivals (including Sea Sessions and Rock Against Homelessness in aid of Focus Ireland in the 3Olympia) lined up for the summer.

She’s also already well on her way to preparing for her next single. It is, as she says, “all go.”

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