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Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with unsigned UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with unsigned Dublin singer Leah Moran to find out more…

Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
My name is Leah and I’m an 18 year old singer-songwriter from Dublin. To quote every singer ever “I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember”. I always loved making noise and I started putting it to good use when I forced my gran to teach me piano when I was 6. I then went on to get lessons in piano, saxophone and music theory. I started writing songs when I was a kid too. The earliest song I have written down is one I wrote when I was 7, it was all about a window (believe me I don’t know why either). I kept writing songs and got really into it when I was around 14 and I’ve been writing every day since.

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
My biggest influences growing up were probably One Direction, Mika and Adele. I was absolutely obsessed with One Direction as a kid, like posters of their face plastered all over bedroom type obsessed. I knew every single one of their lyrics off by heart. My favourite album as a kid was “Life in Cartoon Motion” by Mika. My siblings and I used to sing our hearts out to that CD in the car. I was very young so I knew very little about music or why I liked it but I just adored how those songs sounded and how they made me feel. Adele was also a firm favorite. My mam loved her and was always playing her in the car too. I used to sing “someone you loved” at the top of my voice as if I’d just been through a divorce! I think Adele was the first person who made me fall in love with lyrics.

My influences changed as I grew up and I’ve grown to look up to so many artists but I would have to say my biggest influences are Dermot Kennedy, Billie Eilish, Finneas and Macklemore. People often get shocked by that group considering they all sound completely different but in relation to what I love about music they have a lot in common. They are all incredibly talented lyricists, I cannot put into words how much I adore each of their lyrics. Macklemore writes so freely about what he feels, he never holds back and he never shys away from rapping about important topics that other people are afraid to talk about. Billie is just a genius, I can never find another word to describe her. Her music is unlike anybody else’s I’ve ever heard and her ability to always create these insanely good yet completely unique songs is mindblowing. Another thing I love about her music is the production courtesy of her brother Finneas. Finneas made me fall in love with production and he is the sole reason I am studying it in college. His ability to warp sounds and create unique music is godly. I fell in love with Dermot’s music in 2018. From the second I heard it I was hooked and I don’t think a day has gone by since that I haven’t listened to him. In my mind he’s not a singer, he’s more like a poet that happens to also be a musician. If I could ever write lyrics even a fraction as good as his I would consider myself the most successful woman in the world.

How would you describe your sound?
Honestly I have no clue! My songs don’t all fit into one genre, and not in the cool way where I write groundbreaking music that can’t be confined to one genre, more so in the way that I haven’t been doing this long enough to be able to figure out! I think without realising it most people replicate other artists they look up to in the beginning and that it can take a very long time to actually find your own unique sound. I’m still working on mine but as it stands my songs are in and around the genres of pop, singer-songwriter and acoustic….. I think.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
The most recent song I released is called “Senses of 17”. I started writing this song in the back of my history class last December. The song was inspired by Covid 19 and the impact it is having on young people. I, like so many others was just so fed up with how boring my life was and I could not stop thinking about all the things I could, should and would’ve been doing if Covid never existed. So I did what I always do and ranted about it in a song! The song is an anthem for anyone who feels like Covid is stealing the best years of their life.

What’s your local music scene like?
Dublin is literally packed full of talent. The people you hear performing on the streets and in the pubs of Dublin sound like they could be headlining festivals. I think the best part about the music scene in Dublin is how supportive it is. Everyone supports everyone and there is help being offered to you everywhere you look.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
Firstly I would love to not fail my leaving cert so we will see how that goes! After that I plan on busking this summer. I’ve never done it before so I am nervous but I’m absolutely buzzing to give it a go. I have a lot of new music that I would love to finish and release in the next year too. But I suppose my biggest goal for the next 12 months would be to play in front of a real audience, of real people, in a real venue because the livestreams really aren’t cutting it anymore!

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
My dream collaboration would be Macklemore. He has the ability to write these insanely deep and important songs like “Starting over” and “Same Love” but also allows himself to let loose and write songs like “Thrift Shop”. No matter what the song is about he writes incredible lyrics, and is flow is unbelievable. I’d do anything to sing on one of his songs and write with him and seeing what his process is in the studio and how he works would be insane. I think If I ever got to sing on one of his songs it would the greatest day of my life!

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
I played live for the very first time in the Sound House in April this year. I am quite new to the music scene and due to Covid I hadn’t had a chance to perform live before so I was so nervous the entire time leading up to it and I was focusing so hard on trying to remember all the lyrics and chords. Anyway I got up on the stage confident I had remembered everything and the livestream started. I actually did remember the lyrics, however I forgot to plug my guitar in so as it turns out I sang “This Town” by Niall Horan completely acapella….. A fantastic start to my music career!

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
I know I’m supposed to write something deep and meaningful but I’ve got nothing so I’ll tell you something irrelevant instead, I’m afraid of puke so please never get sick in my presence or I’ll probably cry :))

You can find out more about Leah via Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok, Twitter or YouTube.