Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Hi! I’m Ciaran, I’m 17 years old and I’m a singer-songwriter and producer from Newcastle, England. I’ve been releasing music since 2021 and recently released my single ‘Drip’ which has accumulated nearly 100,000 streams. Growing up for me was great until I came out as bisexual in high school. I was bullied heavily because of it and despite the fact it was the hardest times of my life for reasons outside of my coming out, it definitely shaped me into a much more confident person and allowed me to live my truths without worrying about what other people think about me. Even though I’m young, I have been through alot in my life and I definitely think it has majorly impacted my musical direction as you can hear it in the lyricism of many of my songs.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “CIARAN”?
A: Before the end of the year, I plan on releasing my next EP of which ‘Drip’ is the lead single to. I would also love to start playing some more live shows as I have recently discovered a major passion for live shows and expanding my music outside of the studio. One message I have for new fans is, allow me to take you out of the hardships of your life and the world right now and just have fun listening to my music, let loose and dance and enjoy your life.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: There’s a few artists for me right now, Megan Thee Stallion, I’ve loved her music for a while now and when I got the chance to see her live it was just ethereal, she is so unapologetically herself and that is something that really inspires me. Finally, my newer music that features on my EP, leans heavily into an afro-pop sound seen from artists like Tyla, Tems and Ayra Starr, which is something I’ve really enjoyed exploring a new level to my sound as an artist. I think inspiration for making music comes from a lot of both mine and the people around me’s life experiences. I allow myself to get back into the position that I was in when it happened and it often creates some very vulnerable moments in my lyricism, even if it is hidden behind a fun pop beat!
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Drip.”?
A: Drip is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written because it was written about an experience I had with a boy over the summer, where I slept with him once and only planned on it doing it once and then suddenly he decided that we were going to become boyfriends and I couldn’t speak to any other boys without him having an issue, even my boy mates were off limits. Safe to say I haven’t spoken to him since, he also knows the song is about him which is one of my favourite things! So the message from the song is basically live your life and don’t let someone think that they own you simply because you let them “drip it on you” once!
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Sexy!
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Drip”?
A: Funnily enough, Drip was one of the most challenging songs to record because although it may not seem like a vulnerable song to record and release, it was the first time I’ve ever rapped on a song before. Rapping is something I would love to explore more in my music in the future and I definitely have when curating my EP. So I think that trying to gain the confidence to put a rap verse out in a song was one of the most challenging parts of recording the record.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: As cliche as it sounds, one of my main goals as an artist is to play music for people who love my songs and connect to me in a way that I have connected to other artists over the years. My crazy goals are to of course, win a Grammy award, and I would also love to play St. James Park in Newcastle! The message in my music is just live your life man! Let loose, have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously. We don’t get long on the floating rock we call home so why spend your time hating and being miserable when you could go out and have fun and live your best life!
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Again there’s a whole list! Whitney Houston is someone I would have loved to collaborate with. And in terms of people alive, Megan Thee Stallion is a dream collab and of course the one and only, Beyonce! And that’s just the top 3 of my list!
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: My best advice for someone trying to get into the music industry is read EVERYTHING. There are so many people trying to take advantage of young, naive artists, something I, myself, nearly fell victim to. But despite being smart about it and very careful, also having fun, it’s such a fun industry when you find the people who become your team and your people. And don;t let someone dictate the way YOU want your musical direction to go.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: One thing I would tell my younger self is that you’re going to get better and there is a light at the end of the tunnel, we may not be out of the tunnel but we can definitely see the light. You’ve got the best friends around you, who are so supportive and your career is finally looking up. I’d hope younger me would be proud of how far I’ve come too.
