Must hear new singles from two epic voices

We all know Kerry's  Caitriona O'Sullivan  from her long-running role as a judge on TG4's hit show  Glór Tíre. But what some people may not be as aware of, however, is that the wealth of wisdom and advice which Caitríona shares with contestants on the show each year isn't just that of a passive observer. Far from it, in fact, because Caitríona herself is quite the accomplished recording artist and performer too. And to prove it yet again, the singer/songwriter and TV personality has just released  Don't Say Goodbye, an original pop-country style record that big name American country acts such as Lady A would be proud to call their own. 

And the good news for country fans in the midlands is that we'll soon be able to enjoy Caitríona 'live' because she's among the artists who will be lending their support to the  Voices for Peace  concert at the  Tuar Ard  Arts Centre in Moate on April 14th. Caitriona will join event organiser, the singer/songwriter Larissa Tormey, along with P.J. Murrihy, Charlie McGettigan, Alex Roe, this year's Glór Tíre winner Aishling Rafferty, Dave Lawlor, Ger O' Brien and the night's MC Eddie Rowley of the Sunday World, for the fundraiser which will donate proceeds to the Irish Red Cross in aid of Ukraine. 

With intimate yet powerful vocals and catchy hooks,  Don’t Say Goodbye  is a heart-felt, radio-friendly, modern pop-country love song co-written by Caitríona, Stephen Andreucetti and John Walsh / Symphonic. It was produced by Ray McLoughlin and features some of Nashville and Ireland’s top instrumentalists. The  track was mixed and mastered in Ireland and the UK, and was released on all digital platforms on March 25th, giving Caitríona a #1 in the process. The accompanying video was shot in the beautiful Barrow House, Tralee by Cinetex films and is scheduled for  release  on April 1st.Caitríona also scored a #1 hit on iTunes in the Irish country music charts with her original duet  This Country Girl  in 2021,  a co-write and duet with renowned Irish country-rocker Johnny Brady. That single earned the duo airplay across both national and regional radio stations.  In recent times Caitríona has also enjoyed performing and releasing numerous songs on social media with Mark Cahill on The Ivory Sessions, and numerous other online and live gigs such as her  Sounds of Cinema  series performed with Kerry’s Scotia Ensemble, a project that met with great enthusiasm from music fans.
Hailing from  The Munster Bar  in Tralee, Caitríona grew up listening to and performing a wide variety of music there in her parents’ bar.  Classically trained in voice and piano, she studied at the Kerry School of Music and went on to study opera with renowned voice coach Dr. Veronica Dunne in the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She has a first class honours B.A. in music and Irish, B.Mus. and was awarded a scholarship to pursue a Masters in music from UCD.
  A prolific songwriter, Caitríona wrote the Irish language lyrics to the chart topping tune  Fionnghuala  in 2016 in collaboration with John Walsh / Symphonic which featured on the Eir ad and on The Late Late show in 2016, and was sampled by renowned DJ Vini Vicci.
Caitríona's musical story also includes a very successful album of original songs entitled  Fallen Angel  from  a few years back. That project included the single  I'll  Be There,  which topped the airplay and Irish music charts, being  playlisted on radio stations nationwide. Some of the tracks from that album were featured on RTE’s award winning drama-documentary  Proof. 

As her long stint as a staple on Glór Tíre suggests, Caitríona is also passionate about the Irish language and is author of no less than EIGHT Irish language secondary school textbooks for Gill Education, including Aois na Glóire 1, 2 and 3, and she is co-author of Mol an Óige 1, 2, 3 , Samhlaíocht and Spreagadh.

One man we'd love to hear Caitríona duet with someday is Chayce Beckham.

Now it sounds like a cliche, admittedly, but when it's true, it's true, and the fact is that  Chayce  is one of the most buzzed about newcomers in American country music today, having won over millions of hearts while competing on Season 19 of ABC’s  American Idol. The reigning  Idol  winner and  2022 Artist to Watch -  from the likes of  Country Now,  Sounds Like Nashville,  Country Swag,  Music Mayhem Magazine -  has  released the smooth, southern comfort track  Tell Me Twice.  With what  Wide Open Country  has described as Chayce’s  “raspy, blues-rock voice”  front and center, the catchy, easy-listening track boasts a vibe reminiscent of that golden-era of 90s country.

Beckham, who Katy Perry said sounds  “like the heart of America", was  also scheduled to  perform on ABC’s  American Idol  on  Monday of this very week  March 28th  at 8/7c (1am BST), as he mentors the remaining hopefuls through Hollywood Week.

“This title was my mom’s idea for me to write because it was something we had said to each other,”  reveals Beckham in talking  about his new record.

“It made me think about all the things in life that you should just do and not have to think twice about it. Growing up I really did learn the value of a dollar because I watched my family work hard for everything we had. This song is a reminder to not take the good things in life for granted and remember to appreciate them.”

After winning  American Idol  and the hearts of fans across the nation just last year, Beckham released his self-penned track  23  that skyrocketed to the top of numerous viral charts, racking up more than 75 million on-demand streams, a figure that's still very much on the rise even now. 

Also climbing the country radio charts with his sensual yet supercharges duet  Can’t Do Without Me  with label-mate Lindsay Ell (the recently announced host of  Canada's Got Talent  and an artist we've been privileged to chat to for OTRT), the  “rugged, country crooner”  as Beckham has been pronounced by  USA Today,  really  shows the depths of his artistry with the life-lessons taught in his new track  Tell Me Twice. 

Written by Beckham with Isley Juber and ace producer Ross Copperman, the song highlights how it’s the simple things in life that are most important, with Beckham singing lines like;  To take a day off when you need the rest /  Loosen up the drag on a two-pound test /  Drink a cold beer when the weather’s right /  But you don’t got to tell me twice." 

Beckham actually auditioned for  American Idol  after undergoing a particularly difficult year, but went on to become the first-ever show winner to claim the title with an original song, an achievement  which kickstarted his journey to fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a singer, songwriter, and entertainer. With his family, his hometown of Apple Valley and now America behind him, the mellow 25-year-old released his debut single, the aforementioned 23. 

The song, a semi-autobiographical account of his struggles with alcohol and of the lows it can take on a person, quickly shot to the top of both the iTunes Country and All Genre charts, and numerous viral charts, racking up on-demand streams in the millions upon millions. Now signed to 19 Recordings in partnership with BBR Music Group/Wheelhouse Records and finding his home in Nashville, Chayce is getting ready to share his signature sound with his legions of fans with more new music slated to drop this spring, with  Tell Me Twice  giving fans their first taste of what they can expect. 

Currently on tour with Jimmie Allen, Beckham is also headlining shows across the country and will join Luke Combs on the road this autumn. For more information and a full list of tour dates, visit  www.chaycebeckham.com.