Imelda May interview: The Music That Made Me

Imelda May interview: The Music That Made Me

In the first of our new series, Imelda May reveals the musical moments that shaped her as an artist, and a person.

Today, she’s one of Ireland’s most successful artists, but Imelda May’s singing career started on a chunky brown Fisher Price cassette recorder.

May remembers growing up in Dublin and sitting with her ear against the record player listening to Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Tina Turner and Janis Joplin.

“I would listen to them over and over and over again to try and figure out how they did it… and then I’d turn it into my own,” she explains.

“That Fisher Price toy changed my life because it had a record button,” May recalls.

She’s gone on to tour the world, top the charts in her homeland, host a TV show and convert Bob Dylan and Bono into fans. She’s performed with some of the most important musicians in the world – U2, Lou Reed, Sinead O’Connor, Robert Plant, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Jeff Beck and Ronnie Wood.

May tells us how Clare Torry’s vocals on Pink Floyd’s The Great Gig In The Sky are “like a one-night stand”, compares every U2 show she’s ever seen to “a spiritual experience” and reveals who won when she and Eartha Kitt compared legs.

Imelda May: The Music That Made Me 00:00
Listening to Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin on Vinyl 01:18
Singing along to Stop by Sam Brown 03:04
Clare Torry's vocals on Pink Floyd's The Great Gig in the Sky 05:35
Comparing legs with Eartha Kitt in London 08:04
Going to bits watching U2 in New York 10:35

Read more at https://www.bigissue.com/tag/the-musi...

Imelda May’s sixth studio album 11 Past The Hour is out on Decca Records on 16 April.

Video clips

Imelda May - Music video by Imelda May, Noel Gallagher performing Just One Kiss. A Decca Records recording; © 2021 Universal Music Operations Limited

Aretha Franklin performs "I Say A Little Prayer," October 9, 1970.

Eartha Kitt - Alone
Live At The Cheltenham Jazz Festival
Licensed to YouTube by
The Orchard Music (on behalf of Cherry Red Records); PEDL, Downtown Music Publishing, UMPG Publishing, Warner Chappell, BMI - Broadcast Music Inc., ASCAP, Sony ATV Publishing, and 4 music rights societies

Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine (Live, Miami 1994)
Live Recordings, 1987 & 1994 Unreleased Studio Recordings
Licensed to YouTube by
Pink Floyd (on behalf of Pink Floyd Records); ASCAP, Sony ATV Publishing, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, LatinAutorPerf, LatinAutor - SonyATV, and 10 music rights societies

Sam Brown - Stop (Edit)
Writers: Bruce Brody, Sam Brown, Gregg Sutton
Licensed to YouTube by
UMG (on behalf of EMI); SOLAR Music Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing, UMPI, LatinAutorPerf, UMPG Publishing, IMPEL, Abramus Digital, CMRRA, LatinAutor - UMPG, LatinAutor - PeerMusic, BMG Rights Management (US), LLC, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, BMI - Broadcast Music Inc., ASCAP, and 22 music rights societies

U2 Elevation Tour - Live from Boston - June 2001
Universal Music Group