Today we are super thrilled to introduce you to Graham Coe – an indie choral folk singer-songwriter from Ireland. We discovered Graham while browsing for new music on Musosoup. I got to admit that I had to stop and listen to his latest single ‘Here I Am’ for several times in a row. There was something so magical. Simple and brutally honest. Fragile. Comforting and uplifting. So you can imagine how happy I was when Graham agreed to share his story.
You started your music career during the year that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Tell us about the journey until the moment ‘A Moment in Time’ saw the light of day!
As a teenager, my friends and I were in various original bands together writing our own music. We played a lot of the well-known venues around Dublin at the time and had great fun. However, life became a bit more serious so we formed a wedding band to earn a few bobs. We played weddings for the best part of 12-13 years all over Ireland doing over 100 gigs a year. At the end of 2019, I left the wedding band and when covid arrived it gave me the opportunity to pursue writing my own original material and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it since.
What made you decide to start sharing your music in the midst of the global pandemic?
The pandemic gave me the time and breathing space to write new music and I just felt I had something to get off my chest and share with people.
Let’s Talk about ‘Here I Am’. What does the song mean to you?
‘Here I Am’ was written in response to how I was feeling at a certain point during the pandemic and my need at that point for a spiritual guide. The feelings of isolation, frustration, and desperation all resulted in the writing of this song.
Do you remember the moment when you decided that vulnerability and honesty are the way to go in your songwriting?
It was never a conscious decision but both of my first two songs are completely written from the heart. It’s just the way I write and I enjoy writing about my own life experiences and personal journey.
In the latest song, you say ‘I need some change’. If you could change anything, what would it be?
To be able to hug friends and family and see my brother over in Australia who I haven’t seen in a long time due to the pandemic.
2020 has been an extremely challenging year. What kept you sane and how did the lockdown impact your creativity?
I’m lucky to have a garden so getting my hands dirty and working out in the garden has kept me sane. Writing songs has also helped in being an outlet for how I’m feeling during the incessant lockdowns.
What would you like to be remembered for?
A singer-songwriter and loving father of three gorgeous children who was honest, truthful, kind, and loved life and people.
Music to me is a tonic, a best friend, and a passion that is always with me.
GRAHAM COE
You have such a unique blend of indie, folk, and choral elements. Tell us more about how you discover your sound?
I just love singing and I never intentionally went out to sing a certain style although after being in a band for so long I did just want to keep things simple and just focus on vocals and acoustic guitar for the most part. I decided to use my voice almost like a string section of an orchestra to add backing to my songs and help fill them out without a need for extra instrumentation. I’m basically still keeping faithful to just vocals and guitar that way.
Who were your biggest musical influences while growing up?
When I was a young teenager my brother played lead guitar in a band and I thought it was the most exciting thing ever. He also had tonnes of records and an amazing music system that I got to use on occasion so it was thanks to him that I got to listen to lots of great records at such a young age. I looked up to him hugely and I’ll never forget the day he said to me “check this record out” and he played the opening guitar intro of Foxy lady by Jimi Hendrix and it blew my mind. I had never heard anything like that before and I wanted more!!!?
Tell us more about the creative process. How does it start?
Any song I write always begins with a feeling. The lyrics and chords I then write are a reflection of this feeling although sometimes the song can go wayward and follow a different direction to how it started but I just go with it and see where it takes me.
What does success in the music industry mean to you?
Having a regular audience of people who like and buy my music and making a living through it.
Do you have a song that when you hear, you’d be ‘Damn I wish I’d written that’.
Close your eyes. Imagine its 20th of January 2022. How would you summarize 2021?
A year that gave me the opportunity to do what I love in songwriting. It was also a challenging year as I missed seeing so many friends and family and those normal social interactions that we can take for granted.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our audience?
Watch out for my next single which I hope to release as soon as possible. It’ll be a nice surprise to everyone as it’s quite different from my first two releases.
Make sure to connect with Graham Coe
This coverage was created in collaboration with Musosoup as part of the #SustainableCurator movement.