News

RootStrings Co-Op Student Feature: Michaela Benson

Published on by michaelabenson

Hi! My name is Michaela Benson.  I am 20 years old and I am from Limerick, Ireland. I am commonly known as Kayla, which also happens to be my artist name, ‘KAYLA’. I am a singer-songwriter who plays several musical instruments. 

I was one of those children who could sing before they could talk! When I was young, I would sing songs that I loved from my favourite movies, such as Dirty Dancing, Grease, Mamma Mia, etc. However, as I grew older I fell in love almost every style of music, such as Soul, Jazz, RnB, Indie-pop. These would be the genres that would inspire me to want to start writing my own music.

 I began writing my own songs somewhat seriously in Spring of 2018. I gained the courage to finish a song I had started to write when I was 15. I realised that writing songs was a way I could get whatever I wanted off my chest without having to say anything, I could just sing it!

In December 2019, I released a demo of an original song named ‘space’, which can be streamed on Spotify and YouTube. The song was written and recorded in a single day after finding a beat I loved on Youtube. The upbeat ‘Bedroom-pop’ style song was a fun, light-hearted way for me to write about how its ok to be overwhelmed and need some time to yourself. It was incredible experiencing the love and support from friends and family. Almost a year later, ‘space’ is an extremely appropriate song about social distancing!

I am hoping to release my debut EP in the near future, and my latest original ‘Bitter’ will be featured on it. I want this EP to tell the story of who I am, what I have experienced and I want people to connect with each song. I wrote ‘Bitter’ at a really stressful time, when I really needed to let my feelings out the only way I knew how. Even though each of my songs have a story behind them, I want people to give my songs their own interpretation. Please enjoy this stripped back, acoustic version with my questionable guitar skills!

Social Media

Instagram – @kaylabensonmusic

RootStrings Co-Op Student Feature: Annabelle Buttery

Published on by annabellebuttery

My name is Annabelle Buttery. I am a Limerick based singer-songwriter. Currently I’m completing my co-op placement with Rootstrings Management as part of my Bachelors in Performing Arts in The University of Limerick.

As a musician I get a lot of my inspiration from Jazz artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday as well as more mainstream artists like Lennon Stella and Orla Gartland. I started singing as a child but didn’t take it seriously until I began secondary school and had an amazing music teacher who saw potential in me and made me see the potential in myself. I have been part of many choirs and taken part in many competitions mainly to gain experience performing and those experiences gave me the confidence to really take my own music seriously. I use Instagram (@annabelleb_music) as my main platform for my music at the moment but hope to start releasing things to streaming platforms in the near future.

I am currently working on my debut single ‘Hindsight’. This song is the definition of a work in progress. I originally wrote the song at sixteen after a getting out of a toxic relationship. At the time I wrote the existing verses and a different chorus. However, at twenty that chorus had just a little too much teen angst for me. I still loved the verses and felt quite attached to them so I decided to replace the chorus and add a bridge that were what I would say to my sixteen-year-old self if I could go back in time.

I hope to properly record/produce this song eventually but for now I have this baritone ukulele version that I hope you enjoy.

Give me a follow here!

RootStrings Co-Op Student Feature: Alison Hayes

Published on by karasheaobrien

My name is Alison (Ali) Hayes and I am a 19 year old singer-songwriter and instrumentalist from Co. Clare. My musical journey in terms of instrument playing began in primary school where I was first taught how to play the tin whistle as part of the school curriculum. I took so much joy in it that I wanted to take extra lessons outside of school. My teacher at the time, Michael Grogan, also played the fiddle which I then picked up and further went on to be classically trained on the violin by Bryonie Hopper. I played classical music for 6 years and completed grades 1-5 in ABRSM. Since 2017 I have learned how to play banjo, guitar, piano and a few others in between. My journey to becoming a singer was never really as prominent as my journey to becoming an instrumentalist. I was always part of the school choirs and musicals growing up but I never really wanted to be a solo singer. It wasn’t until I entered into the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance that I realised I had such a passion for singing. I initially entered first year wanting to play trad music but towards the end of the year I decided to swap over to the voice class. I sing mostly Irish and pop songs but I can adapt and suit my voice to other genres if I put my mind to it. 

The soul purpose of my musical journey is to share my stories with others and hopefully heal people in the same way other artists and musicians have healed me. I want to combine my knowledge of and ability to sing and play multiple genres to produce music that will bring me to the fullest joy imaginable. I have always said that artists shouldn’t be confined to create or perform one specific genre and I am going to live by that statement. My ideal performance would be a mix of me singing and playing instruments rather than just doing one or the other. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Rootstrings thus far. I feel as though it is giving me a really good foundation and preparing me to tackle the business and financial aspects of having a career in music. In my opinion it’s helpful to have some bit of knowledge before you go jumping in the deep end signing contracts and having no idea what you’re getting yourself into or what they entail.

Teresa Suydam Releases Brand New Single “Take Me to The Water”.

Published on by annabellebuttery

Rootstrings Management is very excited to announce the release of Teresa Suydam’s brand new single, “Take Me to The Water”. The single is due to be released on Wednesday the 16th of September along with the upload of the official music video to YouTube.

Teresa is a singer-songwriter based in Denver, Colorado. Teresa has a unique and alternative style. She takes her inspiration from artists like Regina Spektor, Panic at The Disco and My Chemical Romance but also brings her own style and flavour to her music. She is a talented lyricist and musician. Teresa has spent years curating her sound and image by completing a Bachelor of Science in Vocal Performance from The University of Denver and by gaining experience performing. Teresa has two other previously released songs called “San Francisco” and “All I Care About is You”.

Take Me to The Water was recorded in Boulder Music, Boulder, Colorado. The song was mixed by George Lacson and mastered by Savannah Lish. The song features beautiful piano and string accompaniment and of course Teresa’s stunning vocals. When speaking about the track Teresa said; “I want to emphasize the fact that water has historically been used by humans and creatures as a way to cleanse, both physically and emotionally,” said Suydam, opening up about the process, “And the water is life itself… it’s just human.” The song will be available on all major streaming platforms (Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Google Play and YouTube Music) and www.teresasuydam.com as of the 16th of September.

The concept for the music video came from Teresa’s want to accommodate not only the hearing community who constantly have access to accessible music but also the hard of hearing/deaf community. The music video features sign language interpretation by Rachel White. The music video is very aesthically pleasing which suits the ambient feeling of the single itself. There is a teaser of the music video and single available on Teresa’s website and social media platforms.

Find Yourself ‘Falling’ for Synead Toomey’s New Release, Coming this Friday!

Published on by michaelabenson

Rootstrings Management is ecstatic to announce that  Limerick singer-songwriter Synead Toomey is set to release her highly anticipated debut EP ‘Falling’ on the 14th August, 2020. The Limerick based rising star spared no time after finishing her BA in Voice and Dance to dive back into working on her own music. Her forthcoming EP ‘Falling’ is said to be heavily influenced by everyday life experiences and is described as heartfelt. The title track ‘Falling’ emotionally describes the feeling of falling in love with the right person at the wrong time. This stunning EP has five tracks in total. Three out of the five songs are original songs and two are cover songs.  

Synead Toomey’s music has a soulful, acoustic sound and has a style that is deeply rooted in the genre of Indie-Folk.  It is no secret that Synead has an extensive history of performing, with known collaborations with artists such as Gavin James, Ryan Sheridan, Emma Langford, Dave Keenan, Wyvern Lingo and so many more.  Synead’s EP ‘Falling’ will be available for download and streaming on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Google Play on August 14th, 2020. It is a release that is not to be missed!