Award-winning-and-losing, globe-trotting troubadour Emma Langford calls Limerick City in the West of Ireland home. Storytelling and wit sit at the heart of everything she does; interweaving her live performances, and shining through her works. Hers is an inimitable, dreamy voice on the frontline of a new wave of Irish folk.
In 2021 Emma wrote and independently released her stunning sophomore album, Sowing Acorns. The gamble of releasing the record at the height of a global pandemic paid off, and it received huge international praise. She solidified her place in the hearts and minds of the nation as she climbed the charts with the heart-rending The Winding Way Down to Kells Bay, and epic folk ballad Birdsong.
In March this year, after showcasing at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City, Langford premiered new works inspired by pirate queen Gráinne Mhaol at Ireland’s National Concert Hall with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Photo by Aoife Moloney
RACHEL GRACE
Rachel Grace is a rising singer/songwriter hailing from County Wexford.
She is a proudly homegrown independent artist and has been self-funded since she first started writing music. She burst onto the scene at the tender age of 13 with the release of her first album, ‘Song For You’, displaying a level of songwriting that is often described as being well beyond her years.
In 2018 she released a five-track EP, ‘Routes’, with it’s single ‘You Don’t Know’ quickly reaching number three in the iTunes Charts and receiving airplay from Ireland’s number one radio station, RTÉ Radio 1. The EP received consistent praise from national and international media and audiences alike, earning her the spot of ‘PlayIrish Artist of the Week’ on BeatFM.
The Pure M Award nominated artist has had an extremely busy few years playing some of Ireland’s favourite festivals and venues and supporting internationally renowned artists such as Wallis Bird, Brian Deady, Don Mescal and Paddy Casey.
In 2018, she was a festival favourite of Free Fringe Fest and made her debut on one of Electric Picnic’s many stages. In 2019, she played the beautiful Glass House stage of Vantastival and had a headline performance with her band at Wexford Speigeltent Festival.
The young singer has been crowned the winner of Four Star Nation Pizza’s Star Nation Competition in which she has won a slot to play the coveted Ruby Sessions and also a day of recording in the infamous Windmill Lane Recording Studios.
She is currently recording her debut album, set to be released early next year.
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