By Amy Pollock
A MILLISLE musician has shared her whirlwind experience of releasing new music after working with a producer whose past collaborations include Amy Winehouse, Dermot Kennedy and Paloma Faith.
Songwriter Taylor Lally (27), who has been writing songs since she was 13, has become established in both the local and regional music scene over the years, having achieved sold-out shows at The Court House in Bangor and artist in residence status at Belfast Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.
Now, Taylor’s music career has taken a new, exciting turn, having recently released her new song Yabadabadooda after working with esteemed songwriter, mixer and producer, Ian Barter.
Explaining how the collaboration came about, Taylor said he discovered her music through the magic of social media.
“I’d just come back from recording in Luton with Dan Myres, waiting on mixes and masters, when I got a message on Instagram from Ian Barter. He said he’d listened to my music and really liked it, and he offered to record a song and help me find a cool sound,” she explained.
“I looked him up, and when I saw he’d worked on Amy Winehouse’s first album Frank, my mind was blown. I didn’t think twice, I booked flights and went straight out to record Yabadabadooda and Hearts Are Not Meant to Bruise.”
They recorded the new material in Ian’s studio in Pangbourne, Berkshire, where Taylor said they both ‘built the songs from the ground up’.
“We both played the instruments and built the track layer by layer together. “Working with him has been amazing, he’s such a talented producer,” she said.
Yabadabadooda, which was released on September 5, sees Taylor introduce a fresh sound, blending lo-fi, hip-hop and alternative pop while staying true to her witty, Lily Allen-style lyrical storytelling.
She said the idea for the chorus came to her years ago, which was inspired by a previous partner.
“[He] claimed he could speak a spiritual new-age thing called ‘light language’. He used to send me these funny, mysterious voice notes, and I thought it was both hilarious and intriguing,” she said.
“The chorus stuck with me because it was catchy, but the verses only came together a few months ago. I knew it would work perfectly with Ian, especially because I wanted it to have a radio-ready feel.”
Describing her new track, she said: “It’s more lo-fi, chill pop with an indie vibe. I’m glad we got it out before summer ended because it has that sunny, feel-good energy – even if it has been bucketing down with rain recently.”
With her new release proving popular so far, Taylor said she is looking forward to returning to The Court House on October 2 and performing at several other shows in Northern Ireland throughout winter, as well as supporting Mary Coughlan in Sligo, Belfast and Derry/Londonderry.
Yabadabadooda is available now on Spotify and on all major streaming platforms.
