Imelda May | |
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_cropped.jpg) May in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Imelda Mary Clabby (1974-07-10)10 July 1974 (age 51) Dublin, Ireland |
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| Years active | 2002–present |
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| Website | imeldamay |
Imelda Mary Higham (née Clabby; born 10 July 1974), professionally known asImelda May, is an Irish singer, songwriter, television presenter and multi-instrumentalist. She became known for her musical style of rockabilly revival and has also been compared to femalejazz musicians such asBillie Holiday.[1][2]
In 2002, she formed her own band and released her debut studio album,No Turning Back (2002).[3] She released her second studio album,Love Tattoo, in 2009.[3] Her third studio album,Mayhem (2010), earned her a nomination for theChoice Music Prize. She released her fourth studio album,Tribal in 2014, and her fifth,Life Love Flesh Blood in 2017 and her sixth11 Past the Hour, was released on 16 April 2021.[3]
May was born in Dublin on 10 July 1974 inThe Liberties in the south inner city.[4] She is the youngest of five siblings, with sisters Edel Foy and Maria O'Reilly, and brothers Brendan and Fintan Clabby.[5] In 1991, she attendedSenior College Ballyfermot, where she studied art, graphics and printmaking.[5]
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In 2003, May releasedNo Turning Back. In 2007 she signed a recording contract with Ambassador Records, and recorded her second album,Love Tattoo, which reached No.1 in Ireland and received wide critical acclaim. She caught the attention ofJools Holland, whom she later supported on tour, which led him to request she appear on his music showLater... with Jools Holland.[6] She won Female Artist of the Year at the2009 Meteor Awards.
Some people think the only way of doing well or of having a career in music is to go theX Factor route, but a lot of people lose the joy out of music by going that way, possibly because they're so incredibly focused on other people's ideas of success.
— Imelda May in 2009, selected as a quote of that year byThe Irish Times.[7]
On 31 January 2010, she performed at the52nd Grammy Awards withJeff Beck in tribute toLes Paul andMary Ford. She released her third studio album,Mayhem, in Ireland on 3 September 2010, again reaching No. 1 in the Irish Album Charts, and in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2010, and earned her a nomination for theChoice Music Prize.[8]
May soon after appeared onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno,Conan andThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. In 2016, May performed atRTÉ's Centenary Concert to mark the 100th anniversary of the1916 Rising. In the UK May appeared onNever Mind the Buzzcocks with the lateTerry Wogan andGraham Norton Show and sang live onStrictly Come Dancing. May worked with BIMM music college in Dublin to provide a scholarship (which they named after her) for up-and-coming artists.
May's fifth album,Life Love Flesh Blood, was released on 7 April 2017. She collaborated with American musicianT Bone Burnett on the record, who produced the album. Throughout the creative process, May received guidance fromU2 vocalistBono.Life Love Flesh Blood won critical acclaim and reached no. 4 in the UK charts. On 18 May 2017 May performedLife Love Flesh Blood at a special concert in the prestigiousLondon Palladium.
In Ireland, she also had her own music TV show,The Imelda May Show, showcasing the best of Irish and international talent. May performed the Irish national anthem on 26 August 2017 at theT-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, prior to theFloyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor fight. In June 2020, she released the original compositionYou Don't Get To Be Racist And Irish which was used by the Irish government for the nationwide billboard campaign Rethink Ireland.[9] May hosted aSky Arts Original two-part series, 'Voices Of Ireland' which explores the rich history of literary talent, inspired by the natural beauty of Ireland's land.[10]
In 2020 she also published a new album,Slip of the Tongue, whose style shifts from rock tospoken word.[11]
Her second solo album apart from her former husband,11 Past the Hour was released on 16 April 2021 on theDecca label.[12] Also in 2021, May contributed a cover of the Metallica song "The God That Failed" to the charity tribute albumThe Metallica Blacklist.[13]
May has recorded and performed with a variety of artists. She has worked with producersMike Crossey,[14]Tony Visconti,Peter Asher andT Bone Burnett.[15]
In 2010 she (and others)performed with Jeff Beck to honour the late guitaristLes Paul atIridium Jazz Club inNew York City, where the session was recorded for DVD andHBO and subsequently toured the US with Jeff Beck for five weeks. In December 2011 she sold out two nights atO2 Dublin, withBono making a surprise appearance as her guest. May was the surprise guest in Dublin for U2's homecoming show on the band's 2015 Innocence + Experience tour: Bono called her "the other queen of Ireland" as she came on stage to perform "Desire", streamed live online to millions of viewers.[16]
In 2017, she performed atIndigo O2, a tribute concert forBill Wyman's 80th birthday, a live recorded concert during theLondon Blues Festival, alongsideRobert Plant,Mark Knopfler,Bob Geldof, andMick Hucknall.[17]
In 2020, May was part of an Irish collective of female singers and musicians calledIrish Women in Harmony that recorded a version of "Dreams" in aid of the charity SafeIreland, which deals withdomestic abuse, which had reportedly risen significantly during theCOVID-19 lockdown.[18]
In 2021, she dueted withNoel Gallagher andRonnie Wood ofthe Rolling Stones in the single "Just One Kiss" from the album11 Past the Hour,[19] and, together withThe Waterboys and the Joanna Eden Band, she joined the line-up forVan Morrison's outdoor show atAudley End House and Gardens expected for 14 August 2021 inSaffron Walden.[20]
In 2023, she was one of the performing artists at the "Tribute for Jeff Beck Concert" at the Royal Albert Hall.[21] She joined the stage withEric Clapton,Rod Stewart,Ronnie Wood,Johnny Depp,Doyle Bramhall,Gary Clark jr,Billy Gibbons,John McLaughlin,Joss Stone,Susan Tedeschi,Dereck Trucks,Olivia Safe, Robert Randolph and theJeff Beck Band. She performed "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" and "Train Kept A-Rollin'".[21]
May performed at Night for Ukraine, a fundraising benefit held at theRoundhouse in northLondon on the evening of March 9, 2022, with the funds raised being donated to theDisasters Emergency Committee appeal, to provide aid to people fleeingUkraine following theRussian invasion. The event was organised byFabien Riggall in collaboration with the Ukrainian pop duoBloom Twins.[22]
May made her acting debut in the 2022 filmFisherman's Friends: One and All.[23]
May married her guitarist and band member,Darrel Higham, in 2002. She gave birth to a daughter in August 2012.[24] On 17 July 2015, May announced the couple's decision to separate after 13 years of marriage.[25]
May speaks theIrish language.[26]
| Year | Organisation | Nominated work | Award | Result |
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| 2009 | 2009 Meteor Awards | Imelda May | Best Irish Female | Won |
| 2010 | RTÉ Radio 1[27] | Mayhem | Album of the Year | Won |
| 2011 | Choice Music Prize | Choice Music Prize | Nominated |
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