NEWS
Press Release via AS Written, February 2022
MARIA TO LAUNCH ‘HERO’ WITH ‘LIVE’ SHOW THIS MONTH
Award-winning singer/songwriter MARIA BUTTERLY has announced a ‘live’ show this month to celebrate the release of her new single, HERO.
The Meath native’s creative talent has been acknowledged and recognised by respected bodies as diverse as the New York International Film and Music Festival overseas, where she was awarded Best Celtic Sound, and by IMRO here at home when she was a finalist in the prestigious Glinsk Songwriting competition in 2011. Maria will take to the stage of Dublin’s Seamus Ennis Arts Centre in Naul, Friday, on February 11th to officially launch her latest work, the Bill Shanley produced HERO.
Recorded at the world famous Windmill Lane Recording Studios, Maria describes the track as being, “An upbeat song that touches on what is an important and – unfortunately – a hot topic still hitting young people today, and that’s anti-social behaviour and bullying.”
HERO takes Maria down a somewhat different path to that followed on her most recent album, a long-player of her own material called Blue Mandolin also produced by Bill Shanley, but it’s something she felt compelled to write because of her belief that, “Music has the power to connect with people. Hero is another example of that. A lot of my songs are inspired from true stories. Some are my own, and some – like this one – are inspired by others.”
Maria continued, “‘HERO’ is a story of a young teen being called names in school, but who then dreams up a fictional hero character that represents the inner strength within us all. That inner strength is what allows us to confront and overcome the challenges presented to us, whether internal or external. So that’s how the song looks at addressing issues like anti-social behavior and bullying, just two of the biggest challenges that young people can be faced with in their world! I think the story of the song is a good talking-point in itself, but it’s also a radio-friendly production too.”
A recent graduate from Pulse and Griffith College in Audio and Sound Technology, and in Music Producing for Games, Maria has expanded her compositional skills by working on commercial pieces for both film and TV, while specialising in games. Her wide and varied arsenal of talents also saw her recently sign with the prestigious Avant Music Port agency to represent her music. In her career to date, Maria’s original compositions have been featured on a host of top TV and radio programs, across RTE, Virgin Media One, TG4 and SKY, and including live performances and interviews on shows such as Nationwide, Ireland AM, Seoige and O’Shea, and Glor-Tire.
A Renowned vocalist and multi-Instrumentalist, Maria has always been busy – the last few years being obvious exceptions – as a touring recording artist, as in demand internationally as here in Ireland. Maria has graced stages in New York, Nashville, and California – where she resided for over two decades – along the way performing at hit venues such as Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, The House of Blues in LA, and NYC’s world famous Mercury Lounge. In that time, she has played alongside Bob Wootton from the legendary Johnny Cash’s Band, the golden-voiced Raul Malo of The Mavericks, the late Hal Ketchum, as well as our own home-grown superstars like the Hot House Flowers, Damien Rice, Eleanor McEvoy, Nathan Carter, and The Pogues.
Effortlessly at ease amidst the glamour of the world-stage, Maria has also had the honour of headlining the Angelica Huston Gala Event at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, and even performing her own song, Quiet Man, to Hollywood Star Maureen O’ Hara on her 90th birthday. Both the National Concert Hall and Cork Opera House have also borne witness to her vocal prowess, with audiences in both eminent venues being charmed by her unwavering elegance on several occasions.
Ever the performer, though, right now the eyes of the 2013 Songwriter of the Year winner at the Leinster Entertainment Awards are set firmly – and only – on the next stage she’ll soon walk onto, and that’s the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre in Naul for the February 11th launch of Hero.
“Any time you get to play a show in Ireland, it tends to be special. But I think that’s even more true given what we’ve all come through over the past couple of years. And having a song like ‘Hero’, one that I believe in so much, to properly introduce to everyone, that just adds another layer of excitement and expectation to everything.”
~ MARIA BUTTERLY plays the SEAMUS ENNIS ARTS CENTRE in Naul, Dublin, on Friday, February 11th, to officially launch her NEW single, HERO. Tickets for the show are ON-SALE NOW and available from www.TSEAC.ie, or from www.mariabutterly.com. HERO is also OUT NOW, available on all platforms, from Maria’s official website, and to request from radio.
On The Right TRAX 