Kinnegad teen strikes a chord with debut song

Shane King

At just 18 years old, Kinnegad native Niamh Wiley is the next rising local star and is already beginning to make her mark on the Irish music scene. With a deep love for music and the backing of her family, the St Finian’s College student is turning her talent into something special, all while keeping up with school.

Currently preparing to enter sixth year at St Finian’s in Mullingar, Niamh is focused on the Leaving Cert. But amid the strain of schoolbooks and study schedules, she’s also found time to do something extraordinary, which was releasing her first original song.

Music has been a constant thread throughout Niamh’s life: “I’ve always had an interest in music since I was really, really young,” she says.

Her father, she explains, played a major role in nurturing that interest: “He just loved listening to real 80s music, and that’s how I kind of ended up getting into it,”.

Despite never having taken formal singing lessons, “the most I would have done would be in my bathroom, that’s where I sing the most,” she laughs, Niamh's natural talent has shone through.

During transition year, she stepped into the spotlight in her school’s musical School of Rock, playing Rosalie Mullins, the lead female role.

Niamh’s first original song came about in a rather unconventional way. “I wrote it when I was in school one day during PE class,” she admits. “I never used to want to do PE, so I purposely sat out and just wrote the song,”.

The track is a love song, but more than that, it’s about emotional support, connection, and the lengths people will go to for someone they truly care about. “It’s about when you find the person who really cares about you and supports you,” she says. “It is explains the feeling of wanting to be with someone who means a lot to you.”

While many teenagers gravitate toward chart-toppers, Niamh has a deep appreciation for classic artists. “I love Billy Joel and Elton John. They would be my two main inspirations,” she says. “I’d consider myself a bit of an oldie when it comes to music.”

That said, she is no stranger to modern stars either: “If I was to pick someone more recent, I’d definitely pick Ariana Grande. I just love her and I loved her in the Wicked movie.”

Earlier this year, Niamh took her talents to the public stage when she entered the Ivory Sessions talent competition at the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan: “It was actually on my 18th birthday, April 24, and I came in third place in what was my first ever singing competition.”

The positive reception she has received, from the competition and from friends and family in response to her debut song, has fuelled her enthusiasm for performance. “Now that I’ve released one song and received such good feedback, I definitely think I’d like to write more.”

With the Leaving Cert looming, Niamh admits college is still a big question mark. “I actually have no idea, I haven’t looked at college at all yet. I’m just trying to get through the Leaving Cert first,” she laughs.

But one dream is clear: “I would love to have my own concert, to be on a big stage performing my own music. That’s something I would love,” she concluded.

You can listen to Niamh’s debut single, ‘You and I,’ available now on Spotify and YouTube.