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On the precipice of something great

Irish musician Muireann Bradley makes Maui debut on Sept. 27

When 17-year-old Irish musician Muireann Bradley performed alongside Rod Stewart on New Year’s Eve in 2023, on “Jools’ Annual Hootenanny” BBC TV show, beamed out to an audience of three million, it was the first time she had ever played live before an audience.

It was also remarkable because not only was she the only artist that night to receive a standing ovation, it was for her interpretation of a vintage blues song first recorded in 1929 by Mississippi John Hurt.

“Stealing the show on Jools Holland’s New Year celebrations, she’s a softly assured trailblazer who enraptures all who come across her work,” praised Clash Magazine. While The Irish News reported, “her appearance on the show went down a storm.”

“That was an amazing experience,” says Bradley. “Every year, I’ve watched the Hootenanny since I was really young. It was just really cool to get to meet stars like Rod Stewart. He was lovely and friendly. I got to chat to him a wee bit before the show. He was asking me how I got into old blues music.”

Still in high school in Ireland, this amazingly talented 17-year-old is taking a brief break to visit to the U.S. and make her Maui debut on Sept. 27 at the ProArts Playhouse in Kihei.

Winner of the Irish Rising Star for 2024, her notable fans include former Rolling Stones’ bassist Bill Wyman, who posted “I’ve recently come across a brilliant young artist called Muireann Bradley.” Grammy nominated Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen – “That kid is really good and I don’t mean really good for a kid, I MEAN REALLY GOOD.” And American acoustic blues icon Stefan Grossman posted, “I can now retire: the torch has been passed.”

While her school friends are listening to the latest pop hits – they think she’s a bit weird she says, “all my friends would probably listen to stuff like Taylor Swift” – Bradley is enamored with singing classic American country blues and developing her dexterous finger-picking guitar style.

Raised in a small town in rural Ireland, she explains, “I got into it through my dad. I grew up listening to him play old country blues music, and I grew up listening to old country blues musicians like Reverend Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt, and Robert Johnson, and all them.”

What was it that peaked her interest?

“I just kind of grew up surrounded by the music,” she says. “I was introduced to it at a really young age, and didn’t hear anything else until I got a lot older. It’s the only thing I ever heard for years.”

Besides playing country blues, she’s an accomplished boxer, who competed in the National Girls Championships. “I was really into boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” she says. “I was pretty into that when I was about 10 or 11, 12. Then when (COVID) lockdown hit, I couldn’t do any sports anymore. So I went back to the guitar. I started playing guitar when I was about 9.”

Bradley’s ascension to acclaim began with posting YouTube videos. “During lockdown when I began playing again I decided to put up videos just to see if I got any attention,” she says. “I did and a lot more than we’d expected.”

Bradley’s remarkable videos caught the attention of a small indie American record label who signed her at the age of 13. “That’s kind of how it all took off.”

Now she has signed with Decca Records, part of Universal Music Group, whose artists include Diana Ross, Gregory Porter, and Melody Gardot. The company bought up her old contract and rights to her “I Kept These Old Blues” debut album. “They’re going to re-release it and probably add some bonus tracks,” she says.

Released to unanimous praise, The Guardian reported that her debut “is unavoidably impressive.” The Irish Times praised, “Bradley’s playing is, especially for one so young, remarkably accomplished.” Americana UK noted, “Much like Dylan as he blew into New York in the early ’60s, Bradley is on the precipice of something great.”

On “I Kept These Old Blues,” she delights in interpreting vintage songs by Elizabeth Cotton (“Shake Sugaree” and “Freight Train”), Mississippi John Hurt (“Candyman”), Blind Willie McTell (“Delia”), and Robert Wilkins (“Police Sergeant’s Blues”). All were recorded live in one or two takes.

“It was in a little home studio only a few minutes down the road from where we live,” she explains. “It was really raw. We didn’t have any weird tricks or anything. I had an idea that I wanted to do each song in the first or second take because that was how the old blues guys would have done it in the ’20s and ’30s, because they only would have been able to record one or two takes.”

“I Kept These Old Blues” reached number one on the Amazon’s U.K. download chart, got into the top 10 on the U.K. ITunes chart, and broke into the Amazon New Folk Music Chart in the U.S. Her performances online have been viewed over two million times.

Taking her music on the road she says, “It’s really nice to see how the crowd reacts to me playing my songs. I just love the reaction that I get. I get a wee buzz from playing for people as well. I just really enjoy it.”

On her first visit to America, Bradley is only playing shows in San Marcos, Calif. and Hawaii. “I’m really excited to go there,” she says. “It looks really beautiful. I can’t wait.”

Muireann Bradley makes her Maui debut on Sept. 27 at the ProArts Playhouse at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $52, $40, $30 and $25, available at https://proartsmaui.littleboxoffice.com.

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