The Irish Indie-pop artist chats through his debut album, movie soundtracks, and so much more!
Having quickly establishing himself in Ireland with his indie-pop singles back in 2018/19, Somebody’s Child’s EP, ’20-Something’, reached the listeners of BBC Radio 1 and Radio X in 2020. Somebody’s Child has a fresh sound, a mesmerising voice, and a real passion for getting listeners up on their feet…
Lizzie: For those who are new listeners, can you talk a bit about the making of Somebody’s Child and where the name came from?
Cian: Yeah, sure. Initially the idea was to alleviate any pressure to write in a certain style. As a solo songwriter back then I was under a lot of pressure to find a ‘sound’, so instead I made a moniker which allowed me (at least in my head) to not have to worry about having a sonic identity when I didn’t feel I needed one creatively. It was supposed to be anonymous, I used to not show my face at the very beginning. I didn’t want it to be suggestive of a band, or a solo musician, or even male or female or whatever. Just a creative entity.
“I didn’t want it to be suggestive of a band, or a solo musician, or even male or female or whatever. Just a creative entity.“
Cian Godfrey – Somebody’s Child
Lizzie: You’re finally releasing a debut album! After listening to the EP’s, it really leaves you wanting more. How ready are you for the release?
Cian: All is shaping up well. It’s been a long time coming, so it’s quite a precious time for me in so far as my relationship with those songs go. Soon they won’t be mine anymore and they’ll be the listeners, so I’m trying to cherish my time with them wisely and not listen to any noise about them.
Lizzie: What film would your upcoming album be the perfect soundtrack for and why?
Cian: Anything Denis Villeneuve directed I would hope, but probably not realistic. Maybe if A24 made a coming of age film based in Ireland. I’d watch that. Like “Normal People” but cooler and less sexy.
Listen/watch ‘Broken Record’ here:
Lizzie: How would you describe the experience of performing your first headline tour of the UK and Ireland last year?
Cian: It was amazing. Great to finally be back performing and developing a special bond with fans and band members alike. Looking forward to the next one. Over double the amount of dates this time so hopefully we don’t kill each other by the end of it. We’ll have to replace some beers with herbal teas every now and again.
Lizzie: It must have been a drastic change from a couple of years ago, what was it like releasing 20-Something EP during lockdown?
Cian: To be honest at that stage it was like June 2020, so there was still a sense that things would be better soon. Thankfully that EP actually put us on the map, digitally at least, so it helped us float for a while. That being said, after 2 years it’s hard not to imagine where we could have been without the interruption, but such is life.
Lizzie: When you aren’t making music, what do you spend your time doing and does that feed into your music?
Cian: I read a lot, movies are a big part of my life too, and more recently going to the gym and exercise. Movies certainly feed into the music alright, Blade Runner 2049 was a visual influence for us sonically throughout the recording of the album, for example.
“Blade Runner 2049 was a visual influence for us sonically throughout the recording of the album“
Cian Godfrey – Somebody’s Child
Lizzie: Who would be your dream collaboration and why?
Cian: I would say maybe Bowie. I just have a feeling his openness to creativity would compliment my attitude towards it and we would make a great tune. Who knows, but I’d like to think we’d hit it off.
Lizzie: What message do you want your listeners to take away from your music?
Cian: The meaning behind the lyrics are often purposefully cryptic. This is both to make it interesting for myself, but also for the listener to be able to make it about whatever they’re going through, so I just hope they get what they need from it, and nothing more.
Lizzie: Looks like you’ve got a busy start to 2023, what does the rest of the year hold for Somebody’s Child?
Cian: We’ve got some live plans that aren’t yet confirmed, but it looks like we’ll be travelling a bit. Creatively, we’ve made a start on the second album which I’m already excited about, without getting too ahead of myself!
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