NEWS
Press Release via AS Written, January 2021
BRENDAN GRAHAM PENNED SINGLE SEES MAHERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
THE MAHERS are a Newbridge family with a musical pedigree which stretches back over three generations now, are building further on that legacy with the release of their brand new single which already has the top of the charts well within its sights. LULLABY FOR THE WORLD, from the pen of one of Ireland’s foremost crafters of song, BRENDAN GRAHAM (c0-written with James McMillan), climbed all the way to #2 in the Irish download charts in the days after its release on January 8th.
The Mahers are dad Dave, and his three daughters; eighteen year old Stacy, Robyn who is seventeen, and Ruby who is still only eleven. And while she may well be the youngest of the Maher girls, Ruby is no stranger to the spotlight. Auditioning as Ruby M on the show, she wowed the audience of The Voice Kids UK last year, with a show-stealing performance of the Walk The Moon hit Shut Up And Dance. But it wasn’t just the audience who were blown away by Ruby’s talent and confidence, as judge Will.I.Am spun his seat around to offer Ruby a place on his team. In 2019, alongside her dad and sisters, Ruby helped charm Ireland with the family’s version of a classic from the Olly Murs back-catalogue, Dance With Me Tonight, on the TG4 show Réalta Agus Gaolta.
On Lullaby For The World – the video for which topped the 50, 000 views mark on YouTube within just seven days of going ‘live’ – Ruby, essentially playing herself in the role of a little girl, becomes the voice of humanity in conversation with Mother Earth. As you’d expect from any Brendan Graham creation, given that the Tipperary man’s songwriting soul has also gifted our hearts moments of eternal beauty such as; Rock And Roll Kids; The Voice; You Raise Me Up; and Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears during his career, the lyrics to Lullaby For The World carry all his usual hallmarks. Each line encapsulates the perfectly measured simplicity, unbridled emotional empathy, and a sometimes searing truth which makes their creators name – as with Leonard Cohen – an obvious and immediate retort to any who claim a songwriter cannot be a poet in their work.
Speaking about the release of Lullaby For The World, Dave – who is now witnessing his children follow in his own path as a ‘child star’ – revealed his excitement about finally being able to share the track with everyone…
“We think people are really going to love this song. The fact that it comes from Brendan lends it a special aura to begin with anyway. But also because we’re coming out of what was such a terrible time for the whole world in 2020, a very dark time in many ways, this song counters that feeling, I think. It offers the same kind of light that we always hope a new year will bring with it. And that kind of light, that kind of hope, well, if ever there was a year that it was needed, then it’s now. You always have to believe that the future can be better than what’s come before, that it doesn’t have to be bound to the past. The verses of the song are quite dark, but then it counters that feeling when you hit the chorus. And that’s what gives us hope and tells us that tomorrow we’ll make a new world, and we’ll do it for you. Just like it says in the song.”
Dave continued, “We see young people like Greta Thunberg making us aware of how important it is to act now for the sake of tomorrow, and the reasons why we need to do that. I could see her adopting this song as an anthem for that cause. There are lines in this song that make it very clear how immediate the danger is, for example; ‘With eyes filled with weeping at what it did see/ The world told its sad, sad story.” But that’s wonderfully countered by lines like; ‘Now hush-a-bye-bye, world – hush don’t you cry!/ We’ll do what you need us to do/ No need to sing you a sad lullaby/ Tomorrow we’ll make a new world.’ Those are very powerful lines.”
As Dave returns to the public eye in the company of his talented daughters, he reflects on how lucky he has been to share the limelight in the music business with his family for a second time, having triumphed in the famous Opportunity Knocks TV show as a child star himself…
“There’s no doubt that I’m a lucky man, and I know it, too. I thank my lucky stars for it every day. Winning Opportunity Knocks when I was just a lad myself, with my own dad on lead guitar, my sister Linda also singing, and Eddie and Mick also in the band, that was just an amazing experience. That was watched by twenty-five million people at the time. I didn’t think anything would ever top that. But this little journey that I’m on with my girls now, well you’d never know, this might just top it yet!”
And top it, it just might. After all, Tik-Tok influencer Ryan Marc Payne has already shared Lullaby For The World with his twenty-three million followers as he created a look inspired by Mother Earth. So, who knows what’s coming next for The Mahers? One thing is certain, with talent like this, anything is possible.
~ LULLABY FOR THE WORLD, by THE MAHERS, written by BRENDAN GRAHAM (with James McMillan), is OUT NOW, available on all platforms, and to request from radio. You can follow the Mahers at The Mahers Music on Facebook and Instagram, and stay up to date with all their latest news at www.themahersmusic.com
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