Aishling Rafferty

NEWS

Press Release via AS Written, March 2021

NEW SINGLE PUTS AISHLING’S CAREER IN TOP GEAR

AISHLING RAFFERTYis one of Irish country music’s most promising young stars, and she’s about to push her career into top gear with her brand new single, TRUCK DRIVING WOMAN. 

          The track, written by Johnny Wilson and Roland Pike, is Aishling’s second release of 2021, following on from Darling, Say You’ll Love Me When I’m Old. Not only did that single further showcase Aishling’s beautiful voice, it gave her plenty of reasons to celebrate too, topping the iTunes Irish country chart, the Irish Country Music Radio station airplay chart, and with its video garnering more than 330,000 views on the Irish Music Memories Facebook page. So one thing is for certain, Aishling, from Knockshegowna in Tipperary, is proving to be a knock-out with country music fans, and Truck Driving Woman – which has now given her a second iTunes #1 in 2021 -looks set to see her fanbase grow still further. 

          Both Darling, Say You’ll Love Me When I’m Old and Truck Driving Woman are set to feature on the nineteen year old’s debut album, an eagerly anticipated collection which it’s expected fans will have in their hands later this year. Aishling, a student of voice at the Irish World Academy, has already recorded a six-track EP, My Journey, with 50% of the proceeds from that project being donated to the Irish Hospice Foundation. However, with her reputation quickly growing, requests for a full album have been coming thick and fast, and Truck Driving Woman is sure to whet the appetite of fans even more. 

          “You’ll certainly need your dancing shoes on for this one!”, declared Aishling, adding, “I’m super-excited for you all to hear this one. As anyone who knows me will probably already know, I’m a bit of a dancer! Before everything happened with Covid, I was like so many people, just loving to get out on a dancefloor as often as I could. And I can’t tell you how much I miss it. But when it came to thinking about songs for my album and especially what would follow ‘Darling, Say You’ll Love Me When I’m Old,’ I realised that what I really wanted was something that I didn’t really have yet, a great song for dancing and getting people up and out on the floor!” 

          And Aishling had just the song in mind, a tune made famous by one of her heroes, the iconic Philomena Begley, as she explained…“I think every female country singer in Ireland probably looks up to Philomena, to be honest. I definitely do, I always have. I’ve always listened to her albums, that’s one of the ways I fell in love with country music. And it’s one of the reasons why I first started dreaming of being a country singer, from watching Philomena perform. Seeing the way she could connect with her audience and how they’d respond to her has always been so amazing to see. And that’s something she’s still doing, right up to today. So that’s where I first heard ‘Truck Driving Woman.'”

          “I started putting a list together”, continued Aishling, “of possible songs I wanted to do this time, and as soon as I wrote this one down I kind of knew that was the list finished! I just couldn’t imagine doing anything else right now, so it became an easy choice in the end. We’re heading into a brighter time of the year too, so I think something that has a bit of life in it will hopefully be something that people can enjoy with a smile on their face.” 

          Originally recorded by American country star Norma Jean, Truck Driving Woman was a single for the Oklahoman in 1968, featuring on her Body And Mind album. Norma Jean (full-name Norma Jean Beasler) began her ‘showbiz’ career at the tender age of just twelve, singing at different radio stations in the ‘Sooner’ state. She went on to become a member of the Porter Wagoner Show for several years during the sixties, accruing thirteen singles on Billboard’s Country Top 40 in the same decade. Norma Jean also received two Grammy nominations during her career, and was a Grand Ole Opry member for many years. 

~ TRUCK DRIVING WOMAN, the brand NEW single from AISHLING RAFFERTY, is available now on all platforms, and also to request from radio. You can stay up to date with further news on Aishling’s forthcoming debut album by following her on Facebook and Instagram at Aishling Rafferty Music. 

ENDS