Music with Eddie Rowley

‘IT’S A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’, the James Brown song says. And country star Lisa McHugh couldn’t agree more.

Lisa is Ireland’s most successful contemporary female country singer, but the talented and glamorous young woman says she’s had to work harder than the boys in the business in order to be taken seriously as a performer.

“I’ve done over a thousand shows in the last five years and it’s not been an easy road,” Lisa reveals.

“But I’m a very determined young woman and when people see that you have a strong work ethic it wins them over.”

Born and reared in Glasgow by Irish parents — her mum is from Falcarragh, Co Donegal, and her dad a native of Castlederg, Co Tyrone — Lisa came to Ireland at the age of 22 with the dream of launching her career here.

Stylish Lisa’s arrival was around the same time that Nathan Carter moved over from Liverpool with a similar ambition.

The young pair met in Ireland and became an item for several months.

Although their relationship didn’t last, they are still best pals. Last year they recorded a duet called ‘You Can’t Make Old Friends.’

“We saw each other for a few months, but it became too difficult as we both got so busy with our careers,” Lisa says. “We decided to go our separate ways, but we both live in Enniskillen now and are great friends.”

Meanwhile, Lisa’s singing career is flourishing with fans promised a new album at the end of the summer. To whet the appetite, she has just released a single called, ‘High Cotton’, which was originally a hit for American country music group, Alabama.

While keeping to the Americana roots, Lisa has put her own fresh stamp on the song. It is now available for download from iTunes.