Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A NEW DIRECTION
From her early Moloko experience with Marcus Brydon to her latest work with Maurice Fulton, ‘Northern girl’ Murphy has fully emersed herself in her music
One of the bright lights of this summer’s festival circuit was Roisin Murphy’s set at the inaugural Waterford festival All Together Now. It came in the midst of a hectic time for Irish alt.pop star Murphy who had tweeted her followers “I’m crying a lot, tiredness. I feel like I’m banging my head against the wall. “I make good and surprising records, I kill myself to make visual [work], in which I prove it’s about ideas and soul because god forbid anyone should give me a budget. But I get indifference in the industry.” Speaking to The Beat, Wicklow born Murphy, 45, seems to have got a handle on things and is happy with the reaction to her latest avant garde offering – a series of four 12” singles produced by the revered Maurice Fulton. “I’ve wanted to work with Maurice for many years but it just hasn’t happened up until now,” she said. “He’s a really authentic voice in club culture, and he’s just ridiculously funky, what he does comes so naturally to him. “The added bonus is that he’s based in Sheffield which is where I started my professional music career with Moloko. “Travelling up there on the train for me felt a bit like going back in time to those days again, which was really lovely.” Murphy moved to Manchester at the age of 12 with her family and quickly became immersed in the local music scene. She remained in the North of England when her parents split up and moved back home three years later, taking her own council flat and becoming yet more fascinated by the clubs of the North West. At 18 she moved to Sheffield where she met Marcus Brydon with whom she formed Moloko. “Moloko was more a relationship than a band,” Murphy explained. “It was me and Marcus, boyfriend and girlfriend. “I met him at a party and immediately we started to make stuff, I remember going with him to his big fancy studio and being recorded saying ‘do you like my tight sweater’. “The next weekend we were up again in the middle of the night – you can imagine why – we went back in to the studio again and that’s how it all started really, I fell into it. “I was 19 when I met him, he was 33 – it was quite scandalous really but I wasn’t a normal 19-year-old, I’d been on my own since I was 15. “I was a reaction to, and something different from, all the stuff he had done as a producer before hand. He gave me the freedom to be creative and he trusted me to be his muse in a way. When her relationship broke up Murphy came up for air, working on solo projects alongside producer Matthew Herbert. Her 2007 hit Overpowered followed and so began her solo career. Murphy has remained prolific throughout her career, juggling her busy schedule of gigging, writing, producing and directing her projects. There are no signs of her stopping. “It’s all or nothing with me,” she said “I’ve had a really busy year this year. Somebody asked me recently ‘what would happen if you just stopped?’ I didn’t really have an answer. “I think I’d probably go to bed and draw the curtains forever. “I don’t have hobbies as such; I don’t know how to cook, I don’t know how to garden – I don’t even know how to drive. “I do my music and spend time with my kids and that’s pretty much it.” Roisin currently lives in Cricklewood with her Italian boyfriend of eight years and their children; five-year-old Tadgh Properzi, and eight-year-old Clodagh Henwood, whose dad is Roisin’s ex Simon Henwood. Without the backing of a major label, budgets have constrained what is achievable to a degree, however Murphy has thrown herself into aspects of the production process that would previously have been outsourced. In directing her own music videos, the disco siren has discovered a way to give herself yet more work to do, yet in her mind they are just another creative outlet. “I’ve been directing videos for a good long time and directed videos for the last two albums myself, there’s just been no money to make them so I’ve been doing my best. “Also it’s pure creative curiosity on my part as well, it can be very hard work, particularly with the budgets I’m working to but it’s highly addictive.” Realising her wish to work with one of her favourite producers in Maurice Fulton was a career highlight for Murphy, was she happy with the result? “My mother was anyway. She was straight on the phone, God help, her to say, ‘Oooh it’s brilliant’. “I had all my aunties writing to me on Facebook to tell me what they thought as well – it’s obviously got broad appeal. zroisin Murphy headlines Metropolis festival at Dublin’s RDS which runs from Saturday October 27 – Sunday October 28. Tickets from €49.50 available at Ticketmaster. Murphy’s four 12” releases produced by Maurice Fulton are available to download across all digital platforms.
‘I was 19 when I met him, he was 33 – it was quite scandalous really but I wasn’t a normal 19-year-old, I’d been on my own since I was 15.’