Driving down the road, songs blaring in the car, seven-year-old Niamh Kierans reminiscences asking her parents to turn the music off so she could sing. For Kierans, these car rides sparked her love for performing. “It was probably really annoying, but it was good practice,” said Kierans.
Now junior, Kierans officially released her first extended play (EP), a musical recording containing one to three tracks, titled “Our Own Voyeurs” on November 11. It includes two self-written songs titled, “Without You” and “At Least”, available for streaming on Spotify.
Kierans found the inspiration for “Without You” in a quotation from Margaret Atwood about “male fantasies”. “It’s basically about women’s internalized male gaze and how you can spend your whole life feeling like you’re performing for men,” said Kierans.
Her other song, “At Least”, was “inspired by someone who would probably be mortified to know it was about him. He would be so confused that I ever felt that way about him,” said Kierans.
Kierans wrote her songs in October and recorded them, within a few weeks, with the help of Jak, a music producer whom she discovered through a freelancer website. She worked with Jak, via online communication, focusing on perfecting the recording of her songs. “It was super easy and he was wonderful to work with,” said Kierans.
At age nine she wrote her first song which she sang at a singing lesson recital. “It was pretty bad, looking back, but everyone had to start somewhere…Singing is a part of who I am, and I really can’t imagine my life without it,” said Kierans.
Kierans’ taste in music and her emotions play a role in her songs. She looks up to artists such as Billie Marten and Nadia Reid when forming her works. “A few people have said [my songs] remind them of Phoebe Bridges, which is an unimaginably huge compliment to me,” said Kierans.
Friends of Kierans have shown their support by promoting her EP over social media. “I just want to thank everyone who took the time to listen to my music, and especially those who posted about it or told their friends and families. I was floored by the outpouring of kindness and support,” said Kierans.
Kierans had planned to release an EP earlier this summer with some friends but COVID-19 cancelled those plans. However, she plans to release more individual music soon, with help from Jak. “It’s just a matter of more sad things happening to me so that I have something to write about,” said Kierans.