Ballybofey woman's debut EP 'a celebration of the rich musical culture in the area'

Donegal singer-songwriter Shauna Scanlon's debut EP ‘Brand New’ will be available on all streaming sites tomorrow, Friday.

This body of work is a compilation of Shauna’s singles to date, including the focus track ‘Keeping On’ and a house remix of ‘If I Knew’. It also includes a brand new original track and live recordings from The Ghostlight Sessions at The Balor Theatre - mixes funded by The Arts Council.

The EP follows on from the Ballybofey native’s phenomenal first year in music. Shauna’s first four singles have received regional and national airplay; she was chosen as Beta De Silva’s Grassroots Pick of the Week on 2FM and performed on Virgin Media One’s The Six O’Clock Show. ‘Brand New’ will be released as a prerequisite to Shauna’s first headline show at The Balor Theatre, Ballybofey on May 10; tickets on sale now.

READ NEXT: Onóir’s Global Impact: Celebrating Donegal roots and Irish folk revival

The focus track ‘Keeping On’, which was released on January 31, is an anthem of hope and triumph through tough times. Shauna talks about mental health in a way everyone can relate to. She describes doing everything you’re told to do and still facing problems but having the resilience to keep going.

The EP itself takes the listener on a journey of various themes. Some tracks are personal and explore emigration, the ending of relationships, mental health and grief, while some are more light hearted and implore you to let your hair down and enjoy yourself.

Shauna takes inspiration from experiences she or people in her life have had and makes sense of them through song. Her lyrics are relatable and easy to connect with while her melodies are catchy and memorable long after the first listen.

Shauna’s music is an unusual mix of funk, soul, R’n’B and a wee bit of folk. ‘Brand New’ was created with the help of several artists from Shauna’s hometown of Ballybofey and is a celebration of the rich musical culture in the area.

Tracks feature Adam Hannigan on keyboard and guitar, Adam Ayres and PJ Deery on bass and Mark McGirr on drums. ‘Homebird’ was produced by Letterkenny producer Tommy Conway at Full Tilt Studios, while all other singles were produced by Callum ‘Gordo’ Gordon, who also created the 90s house remix of ‘If I Knew’. The live recordings were mixed by Ciaran O’Neill from The Balor Theatre and were funded by The Arts Council.