Photographer Credit: DeeDee Morris
May 22, 2024 – Up and coming Irish singer-songwriter Susan O’Neill has announced her solo album Now in a Minute due for release on September 13th. The twelve-song album goes on pre-order today. The album was recorded over the past 18 months between Clare and Cork in Ireland with brothers Cillian and Lorcan Byrne, Killian Browne, and Christian Best also on producing duties.
Accompanying the album announcement today, Susan has also released her official video for “Bright Eyes,” the second single to be released from the album, filmed in the wilds of County Clare on the west coast of Ireland and directed by Susan herself. Talking about the process Susan said: “It’s a collection of images and clips from places that I find joy. I’m a textural person, rocks, bones, salt & sea… I’m just exploring here, that’s all. That’s all I’m ever doing really.”
Watch the “Bright Eyes” music video
Susan’s solo album Now in a Minute follows the 2021 collaboration album In The Game with applauded Irish songwriter Mick Flannery, which was the biggest independent selling album in Ireland that year, and was nominated for the Choice Music Prize as well as the RTE Radio 1 Best Folk Album of the Year, Susan’s debut solo EP Now You See It won Best Original Song for the EP’s namesake in 2023, also at the Radio 1 Awards.
On announcing the album today, Susan said: “I’ve been tipping away at this thing behind the scenes. Now, it is an album and it’s finished. I’m very much looking forward to sharing it with you. I had a great pleasure sharing the process with these wonderful humans who helped me manifest these recordings. Thank you to everyone who listens, comments, and supports. It means more than you know.”
Susan O’Neill is a songwriter of many depths, with a timeless voice that is equal parts balm and blowtorch. She’s been described in The Irish Times as “..audacity personified, a free spirit; a real performer” and The Sunday Times simply cited that she is “Exquisite.” In the past two years Susan has been invited to join stages with an array of artists in both North America and Europe, including shows and tours with Valerie June, The Teskey Brothers and Phoebe Bridgers who also took to her social media after hearing the album In the Game to say “I Love this F***ing record” and went on to have the pair join her both in North America and the UK during a few of her Punisher tour dates.
In March, Susan released “Drive” hinting that this was the start of more new music to come, “Drive” has been described by Hot Press Magazine as being “..rife with poetic flow and rich, juxtaposing lyricism” and has featured on many playlists worldwide since.
Susan has started to announce a string of tour dates in support of her album, including appearances on the Mainstage of Haldern Pop festival in Germany alongside The Stargaze Orchestra, Dinard Open festival in France, and has been invited to open shows with Calexico and Jamie Cullum on their European tours this summer. Susan will perform at NYC’s Green Room 42 on June 12th as part of a special evening with Mick Flannery, singing songs from his musical Evening Train, and the following night will perform at a very limited NYC show at the Dead Rabbit. More North American tour dates will be announced soon.
