JEMZ
JEMZ, A quartet of young female songwriters share 8-track album for Cruinniú na nóg 2020.
JEMZ is a self titled, 8-track album by 4 young female songwriters from South County Dublin, which was released as part of Cruinniú na nÓg 2020. The group is made up of Subsounds participants, Jo-Ellen Donohoe, Eimear O’Neill, Megan McGarry and Zoe Lord Bisset.
Recorded entirely during isolation, JEMZ showcases the degree of young female talent currently bubbling under the surface of Irish music. With each participant presenting 2 new songs to the project, there are a wide variety of styles on show, from Harp Ballads to R’n’B jams.
Piecing the project together was another Subsounds past participant, now mentor, Domhnaill Corrigan. Domhnaill was responsible for the mixing and with the help of other mentors, the recording of additional instrumentation on the JEMZ album.
JEMZ was released on the 13th of June as part of Cruinniú na nÓg, Ireland’s national day of free creativity for children and young people. In 2020 the event took place online due to COVID-19. Live takes of four songs from the JEMZ album were recorded and broadcast for Cruinniú TV South Dublin: Create, Make, Participate.
Cruinniú na nÓg is an initiative of Creative Ireland in partnership with the 31 local authorities and supported by RTÉ.
SubSounds is a youth music collective that is managed and delivered by a partnership between Alternative Entertainments, CONTACT Studio and Music Generation South Dublin. CONTACT Studio is a South Dublin County Arts Office Initiative.
JEMZ is supported by Creative Ireland as part of Cruinniú na nÓg 2020.
JO-ELLEN DONOHOE
Jo-Ellen is 16 years-old and comes from Clondalkin. She attends Coláiste Chilliain. This is her first year participating in SubSounds. Her main instrument is her voice, and she has received formal voice training since the age of nine. She also plays guitar and piano. Jo-Ellen has been writing songs for three years and is currently working on songs for solo and band performances.
To listen to Jo-Ellen’s single ‘XX’ on Bandcamp, or to watch the video on Youtube, follow the links below.
EIMEAR O’NEILL
Eimear lives in Tallaght and is 15 years old. She attends Firhouse Community College. She has attended SubSounds for the past 2 years. She is an accomplished singer, guitar player and pianist, and plays bass and drums. She has been writing songs for 5 years and plans to pursue careers in music as a performer and teacher. Eimear featured on last year’s SubSounds:Class of 2019 album with her own song Murder Town and on Why Do You Care?, a co-write with guitarist Dean Hollywood.
To listen to Eimear’s single ‘Bad Old Days’ on Bandcamp or to watch the video on Youtube, follow the links below.
MEGAN MCGARRY
Megan comes from Killinarden and is 16 years old. She attends Killinarden Community School. She has been a central part of SubSounds for 3 years, as a composer, band member, and administrative intern. She has written for 5 years and sees her time with SubSounds as a major turning point in the quality and quantity of her song-writing. Megan is main vocalist and songwriter, and rhythm guitarist with the band Groovekiller, who have released three singles and an album to date, with a second album due out later this year.
To listen to Megan’s single ‘Mi Amor’ on Bandcamp, or to watch the video on Youtube, follow the links below.
ZOE LORD BISSETT
Zoe lives in Clondalkin and is 16 years old. She goes to Coláiste Chilliain. Her main instrument is piano, on which she has attained Grade 5 qualification, and she also plays guitar, tin whistle and bass. Her songs recall the work of artists such as Kate Bush, Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell, though she has never heard their work until attending SubSounds in 2019. Zoe has been writing songs for a year and has made remarkable ground in that time, impressing the regular and guest mentors in SubSounds with the maturity of her work.
To listen to Zoe’s single ‘The Fall’ on Bandcamp, or to watch the video on Youtube, follow the links below.
