‘I remember the excitement of being asked to play the jazz festival for the first time’

Name: Fiona Kennedy

Age: Over 50

Lives: Western suburbs of Cork City

Job title: Singer-songwriter, performer, recording artist, professional musician.

Salary bracket: Varies a lot... from €20,000

Education background: Mount Mercy College Cork, University College Cork.

Hobbies: Reading, traveling, walking with my dogs, never know what I’ll explore next.

Describe your job in five words: Exciting, varied, fun, unpredictable, a rollercoaster.

Describe yourself in five words: Creative, genuine, resilient, easy-going, adaptable.

Personality needed for this kind of work? All of the above I think. You definitely need an inner strength and some serious self-belief to cope with the many knocks that inevitably come along the road. If you’ve got a gregarious and open personality, then that will be a great help for a career in performing too - that connection with the audience is the magic sauce at any gig, I believe! There’s an unspoken energy exchange between the musician and the listener, and all performers need to be open to that in my opinion. Being reliable goes a long way too. It might be a bit of a cliche, but that old saying still rings true - you’re only as good as your last gig!

How long are you doing this job? 35 years and now I’ve stopped counting...

How did you get this job? My career started early with gigs doing ‘spots’ in Cork Opera House during my school days. Throughout my university years in UCC, I ran regular songwriter nights in what was then The Courthouse Tavern in the city. Performances in other university campuses followed, and at this time I was also performing regularly in Cork’s iconic music venue Sir Henry’s, opening for big acts at that time like John Martyn and Moving Hearts. Another memorable moment around this time was being invited to perform at the Cork Jazz Festival for the first time - what a thrill! This was the biggest event of the year, and I distinctly remember the excitement I felt when my dad and I left the office of Jim Mountjoy in The Metropole Hotel. Jim was the festival’s founder, of course, and when he offered me a slot in the festival, I was absolutely over the moon! I think my mum and dad were even more excited than I was about it! Jim saw potential in a young Cork musician and gave me a great start.

My music was then brought to nationwide attention when I was the winner of “ScreenTest” on RTÉ television, Ireland’s first ever televised talent contest in 1985, compered by Mike Murphy and with judging panels nationwide. With the cash prize, I self-released my debut single on vinyl, with original songs on both A & B sides. A highlight around this time was opening for Kris Kristofferson at Siamsa Cois Laoi, a televised major outdoor concert in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, where I played to an audience of 50,000 with just my guitar - that’s a moment in time I’ll never forget! My own TV show on RTÉ was next on the cards, a one-hour TV special, “The Fiona Kennedy Show”. I still have a copy of the RTÉ Guide with my young mug on the cover! The deep recession in Ireland during the mid-eighties however, forced me to move on and I headed to New York, like many of my contemporaries. I was unknown in NY and so I was starting all over again from scratch but I ended up playing in some amazing venues during this time of my life, including CBGB, Tramps & The Stone Pony and recorded some of my songs in the famous Skyline Studios. Being invited to perform at an event for the Kennedy family (no relation!) during these years was another real highlight.

I missed my family, though and on my return to Ireland, I released my debut album, Crazy Love. I was then nominated for an IRMA Award in the best female vocalist category alongside Sinead O’Connor and Frances Black, which was a massive boost.

Fast forward to when my two daughters came along and my priorities shifted somewhat. This was when I began to put more focus on playing for wedding ceremonies, and I was thrilled to win the Weddingsonline Wedding Singer of the Year award.

As my girls became young women, I knew I wanted to get back to concentrating on my own music again and I released a new album The Beach. Things were just really taking off again when covid came along. I spent all that time writing new material for another album though and when Find Me was released it made album of the week on Lyric FM which was a great boost. One of the tracks, All Together Now was also on the RTÉ Radio 1 playlist for many weeks and reached No.4 on the Irish and UK airplay chart. Two further tracks from the album reached No.1 on the iTunes chart. After successfully touring that album around Ireland, another project that was floating around in my head started to come to life. That project became my theatre show, Natural Woman.

This show is a combination of songs, readings and projections celebrating a very interesting and noteworthy list of ordinary women who’ve done extraordinary things. Irish Women like Mary Crilly (founder of The Rape Crisis centre), Caitriona Twomey (Cork Penny Dinners), Mary Elmes among others, inspired me to write a collection of songs and the story of my own long career as a musician and songwriter is interwoven through the show too.

An album of the songs I’ve written for the show is almost ready for release with a new single from it just dropped.. The single is called That’s Not Love and was inspired by the incredible work of Mary Crilly.

Do you need particular qualifications or experience?

I think qualifications are helpful but not obligatory. Experience is hugely beneficial, but you only get that by throwing yourself into the job and getting out there playing your music.

Describe a day at work: It depends on the gig but if for instance, I’m putting on Natural Woman in a theatre that evening, my day would usually start a bit later as I’d try to get as much rest as possible in the morning, a late breakfast then I’d check in with everyone on the team like the musicians Billy, Paul and Ethel our narrator and finally the sound engineer to make sure we’re all ok for that night. Sorting out my hair and getting my stage outfits together comes next. My little sausage dog has to be walked as a priority then because Andy, my husband, and I will be gone for a long period of time and she really doesn’t like that! She’s elderly now, but still likes a good patrol around our area every day. I’ll have to spend time doing more social media posting then in the last minute run-up to the show and that’s followed by a rehearsal in the kitchen of all the songs to be played that night. Andy and I will always make sure to eat dinner before we head to the theatre for sound-check and load-in because it can be a really long night, and I’ll absolutely wilt otherwise. Then before you know it, it’s showtime!

How many hours do you work a week?

I’m always ‘on’ just like every other person in this business will tell you. I’m answering emails and doing admin at all hours. Rehearsing for gigs , writing new stuff, and learning new songs all happens randomly throughout the day too so I would say easily 8 hours a day.

What do you wear to work?

Depends on the gig. I love dressing up in the glitz and glam for the Cork Jazz Festival, but I’m usually a jeans and boots gal.

Is your industry male or female dominated?

Male for sure.

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1-10:

It can be. The ticket sales before a show are the most stressful time for me. Some venues will threaten to cancel a show if ticket sales are too slow and a lot of the time now, people don’t purchase a ticket until the day before or even purchase at the door on the night. It’s down to the performer to convince the venue that it’ll be alright on the night. It always is, but it can be nerve-wracking. I’d rate that an 8, but regular gigs a 3.

Do you work with others or on your own?

I play as a solo performer and also with a full band. Quite frequently too as a duo/trio, depending on the gig.

When do you plan to retire or give up working?

I never even think about that...my life revolves around music!

Best bits:

Hearing your own song being played on the radio is the BEST! Also, that buzz during a show when everyone is with you and you just feel the great energy in the room. Makes me feel connected and like I’m exactly where I should be at that time.

Worst bits:

The un-social hours! The look on bank managers’ faces when you say you’re a musician and you’re applying for a loan.

Advice to those who want your job?

Only become a professional musician if you truly love it and enjoy it. Try not to take negative criticism personally. A back-up plan for financial stability would be a good idea, especially for women who intend to have children in the future - take it from a woman who’s been there!

Any other comment?

I’ll be playing in the festival club at the Metropole Hotel for this year’s Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. You can see all the details on my social media pages under Fiona Kennedy Music or on my website www.fionakennedy.ie.