Last night, DU Music sat down with one of Dublin’s up-and-coming artists, Gemma Dunleavy. From the get-go, Dunleavy was an easy-going interviewee. Complete with an appearance from her dog and Mam, the conversation was filled with interesting insights and hilarious anecdotes.
Anna Horan-Murphy, ents officer for DU Music, began by asking Dunleavy how she got into music. Dunleavy traced her interest back to the tender age of six, saying: “From very early on, it felt possible for me to be in that realm because people from where I was from were doing that.”
When asked about her musical influences, Dunleavy listed a wide range of artists. ”When I first started playing the guitar, I was really influenced by Laura Maryln and Johnny Flyn”, she said, before adding that “as a child [she] loved Destiny’s Child and loads of old soul”. She also referenced the Irish artist For Those I Love as someone who is ”really resonating” with her at the moment. She spoke with admiration about the rawness that he brings to the table as it’s “hard to find authenticity in music right now”.
Dunleavy expressed frustration at the exploitation of the working class in current art and music. “People think it’s cool to be working class now”, she explained, describing how her culture has been made into an “aesthetic”. Born and bred on Sheriff Street in the North Dublin’s inner city, Dunleavy spoke about the prejudice she has faced throughout her life because of her postcode. She said that it has been a driving force behind her music career. “It almost makes me more determined”, she said. “The talent down here is next level – from sports people, to musicians.”
Dunleavy explained that the sense of community in her area growing instilled a great deal of pride in her. She went on to say that she likes to use her platform to show that the people she grew up around have “more character and grit than any education, money or wealth could buy you”. These influences can be heard throughout her music, but particularly in her latest EP, Up De Flats.
For the moment, Dunleavy announced that she is “working on another music project” and a few accompanying music videos. She is also looking forward to finishing a documentary that she has been working on since the release of her EP in July.
When Horan-Murphy asked Dunleavy if she felt the music industry was elitist, Dunleavy responded that she hasn’t had a broad enough experience of the industry yet to agree or disagree with such a generalised statement.
She did, however, admit that she has had to become a ”chameleon” to fit into certain music circles. “I know there’s judgement there”, she said. “I’ve heard people use slurs and hurtful words in front of me.” However, she also went on to say that often people wouldn’t bother to be elitist towards her because they know that she “won’t let anybody treat her ‘less than’ because of where she is from”.
Finally, Dunleavy answered the question that all of us who hail from beyond the pale have been waiting for: has she ever felt like she had to change her accent to fit in better? “I think I did a lot of neutralising when I was younger”, Dunleavy responded, explaining how she was always told to ”speak nice” before going on stage for any sort of performance. Though when she moved to Liverpool, Dunleavy recalled, her accent became a ”badge of honor of where [she was] from”. Like all of us however, she admitted to having a peppy telephone voice.
As a parting message to anyone who has felt like they’ve had to alter their accent upon moving to Dublin for college, Dunleavy said: “Anyone who makes you feel like you have to change your accent is a dope anyway” – a statement that rather sums up the fun and feisty nature of this Zoom conversation.
Gemma Dunleavy’s latest EP Up De Flats is now available to stream on all major platforms.
