Dublin Singer-songwriter Rebecca Shannon — better known as Chirpy — effortlessly blends elegant classical composition with her own dark, electronic twist on folk music with the latest single from her chart-topping EP, “Go Easy.”
Combining eclectic elements from dream-pop, shoegaze, alternative rock, folk, and electronic, Chirpy entrances listeners with her lullaby-soft vocals and echoing landscapes. Recorded in Dublin, London, and Lucerne, Switzerland, Chirpy took the lead on her debut project, writing, arranging, and producing each track herself while infusing the EP with a poignant vulnerability. Make no mistake, though: this is no devastating heartbreak record.
The lyricism, though intimate and soul-bearing, has fangs of its own, culminating in the siren’s call of legend.
Influenced by artists such as Kate Bush and Bjork, Chirpy weaves together a sound that is entirely her own, driven by her ethereal vocals and otherworldly, atmospheric instrumentation. “”Go Easy” was inspired by the idea that you can get lost in your own world,” Chirpy says of the song. “If all the things that happen in our lives — usually negative — are a reaction to what we put forward, then only we can control a positive outcome. It’s a lesson. Often the ones who need to listen the most will not listen at all.”
Of her sound, even she admits that it is diverse and somewhat experimental. “I’m still working up to a series of singles that I plan to release,” she says. “This album was a complete work [and] project in itself. It comes from many different places; mostly, I would say, from the music I grew up listening to: Leonard Cohen, The Kinks, Radiohead, The Beatles…I listened to a lot of music as a child.”
Even now, her life is full of music of all types. “At the moment, it’s all producing every hour I can get,” she says when asked about plans for the future. “For other people, [but] mostly my own music. I’m working with some brilliant people at the minute, and I’m extremely excited about the next phase. Until now, everything has been self-produced. I have to bring the music as far forward as I can on my own, and then come to terms with handing it over to a top producer to take it to the next level. All good news,” she finishes.
