Latest news with #StayForSomething
South Wales Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
CMAT ‘did not sleep' and felt ill before Glastonbury set on the main stage
The musician, real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, 29, played songs from her back catalogue, as well as singles from her forthcoming third studio album Euro-Country, when she took to the Pyramid Stage in June. She told BBC Radio 6 Music: 'It's worth noting that the two days beforehand, I was acting like someone who was about to go into war. 'I was shaking with the fear. I couldn't talk to anyone, I didn't sleep, like I was ill. 'I was so, so scared. I was so scared for the Pyramid Stage. 'I kind of just kept throwing my head in my hands, and like screaming and being like, 'Why did they let me do this?' 'And then by the time I walked on stage, the feeling, the first thought that occurred to me was, 'Oh my God, I'm so relieved that this is about to be over, because I don't have to be scared of it anymore'. 'And then, actually, weirdly, because I had had that thought, I was like, 'Oh, I can just enjoy myself, because it's about to be over and not in front of me anymore'. She added: 'Because of that, I actually did enjoy myself, and we were really well rehearsed. And it just felt amazing. It was amazing. 'It was a weird thing walking out, though, because someone was like, 'Oh, you should get about 20,000 people at that time'… and I walked out, and I've seen 20,000 people before, and I was like, I don't know, I don't know what this is. I've never seen this wall (of people). They just kept going.' CMAT said that she had 10 minutes to herself after the performance before she filmed an episode of CBeebies Bedtime Stories. A post shared by BBC Radio 6 Music (@bbc6music) She said: 'When I stepped off the stage, I was a bit shocked, and I was a bit winded, because the weight of everything came down on me as I was stepping down, and I literally curled up in a ball behind the sofa in my dressing room and made my sister close the door and was like, 'No one can look at me for five to 10 minutes.' 'And I just literally curled up in a ball and I didn't talk to anyone for like 10 minutes.' Towards the end of her set on the Pyramid Stage, CMAT waded into the crowd to sing her popular song Stay For Something and chanted 'Free Palestine' in reference to sustained Israeli strikes in Gaza. She later performed a secret set at the BBC Introducing stage. CMAT released her debut album, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, in 2022, and followed it up with Mercury Prize-nominated Crazymad, For Me in 2023. In July, the BBC denied editing out Irish language that features as part of the pop singer's new single, Euro-Country, when it was played on BBC Radio 1 for the first time. Her third studio album is set for release on August 29.
Leader Live
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
CMAT ‘did not sleep' and felt ill before Glastonbury set on the main stage
The musician, real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, 29, played songs from her back catalogue, as well as singles from her forthcoming third studio album Euro-Country, when she took to the Pyramid Stage in June. She told BBC Radio 6 Music: 'It's worth noting that the two days beforehand, I was acting like someone who was about to go into war. 'I was shaking with the fear. I couldn't talk to anyone, I didn't sleep, like I was ill. 'I was so, so scared. I was so scared for the Pyramid Stage. 'I kind of just kept throwing my head in my hands, and like screaming and being like, 'Why did they let me do this?' 'And then by the time I walked on stage, the feeling, the first thought that occurred to me was, 'Oh my God, I'm so relieved that this is about to be over, because I don't have to be scared of it anymore'. 'And then, actually, weirdly, because I had had that thought, I was like, 'Oh, I can just enjoy myself, because it's about to be over and not in front of me anymore'. She added: 'Because of that, I actually did enjoy myself, and we were really well rehearsed. And it just felt amazing. It was amazing. 'It was a weird thing walking out, though, because someone was like, 'Oh, you should get about 20,000 people at that time'… and I walked out, and I've seen 20,000 people before, and I was like, I don't know, I don't know what this is. I've never seen this wall (of people). They just kept going.' CMAT said that she had 10 minutes to herself after the performance before she filmed an episode of CBeebies Bedtime Stories. A post shared by BBC Radio 6 Music (@bbc6music) She said: 'When I stepped off the stage, I was a bit shocked, and I was a bit winded, because the weight of everything came down on me as I was stepping down, and I literally curled up in a ball behind the sofa in my dressing room and made my sister close the door and was like, 'No one can look at me for five to 10 minutes.' 'And I just literally curled up in a ball and I didn't talk to anyone for like 10 minutes.' Towards the end of her set on the Pyramid Stage, CMAT waded into the crowd to sing her popular song Stay For Something and chanted 'Free Palestine' in reference to sustained Israeli strikes in Gaza. She later performed a secret set at the BBC Introducing stage. CMAT released her debut album, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, in 2022, and followed it up with Mercury Prize-nominated Crazymad, For Me in 2023. In July, the BBC denied editing out Irish language that features as part of the pop singer's new single, Euro-Country, when it was played on BBC Radio 1 for the first time. Her third studio album is set for release on August 29.
RTÉ News
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
CMAT 'didn't sleep' and felt ill before Glastonbury set on the main stage
Irish singer CMAT has said she "didn't sleep" and felt "ill" in the days leading up to her performance on the main stage at Glastonbury Festival. The musician, real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, 29, played songs from her back catalogue, as well as singles from her forthcoming third studio album Euro-Country, when she took to the Pyramid Stage in June. She told BBC Radio 6 Music: "It's worth noting that the two days beforehand, I was acting like someone who was about to go into war. "I was shaking with the fear. I couldn't talk to anyone, I didn't sleep, like I was ill. "I was so, so scared. I was so scared for the Pyramid Stage. "I kind of just kept throwing my head in my hands, and like screaming and being like, 'Why did they let me do this?' "And then by the time I walked on stage, the feeling, the first thought that occurred to me was, 'Oh my God, I'm so relieved that this is about to be over, because I don't have to be scared of it anymore'. "And then, actually, weirdly, because I had had that thought, I was like, 'Oh, I can just enjoy myself, because it's about to be over and not in front of me anymore'." She added: "Because of that, I actually did enjoy myself, and we were really well rehearsed. And it just felt amazing. It was amazing. "It was a weird thing walking out, though, because someone was like, 'Oh, you should get about 20,000 people at that time'… and I walked out, and I've seen 20,000 people before, and I was like, I don't know, I don't know what this is. I've never seen this wall (of people). They just kept going." CMAT said that she had 10 minutes to herself after the performance before she filmed an episode of CBeebies Bedtime Stories. She said: "When I stepped off the stage, I was a bit shocked, and I was a bit winded, because the weight of everything came down on me as I was stepping down, and I literally curled up in a ball behind the sofa in my dressing room and made my sister close the door and was like, 'No one can look at me for five to 10 minutes.' "And I just literally curled up in a ball and I didn't talk to anyone for like 10 minutes." Towards the end of her set on the Pyramid Stage, CMAT waded into the crowd to sing her popular song Stay For Something and chanted "Free Palestine" in reference to sustained Israeli strikes in Gaza. CMAT released her debut album, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, in 2022, and followed it up with Mercury Prize-nominated Crazymad, For Me in 2023. In July, the BBC denied editing out Irish language that features as part of the pop singer's new single, Euro-Country, when it was played on BBC Radio 1 for the first time. Her third studio album is set for release on 29 August.
Irish Independent
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
CMAT at All Together Now: Singer performs politically charged single name-checking ‘All the Berties'
The song is particularly poignant given its political context: 'it's about the financial crash and the fallout the country is still feeling the marks of today. 'I don't think of myself as a political songwriter, ' Thompson said to the thousands of festival attendees gathered in front of the main stage, but there are things the artist stands for, and she's not afraid to champion them. On the 'agenda' for the evening: trans rights (with a t-shirt on sale that will have its proceeds donated to Teni) and 'as always, Free Palestine' as she led the crowd into 'free free Palestine' chants. But the debut of Euro-Country is no afterthought. The performance came on the same day that Bertie Ahern emerged as the preferred Fianna Fáil candidate in the presidential election in November. The Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll showed 12pc of people believe that the former Taoiseach should be a contender to replace Michael D Higgins in the Áras. 'I'm so sorry that this has struck a chord with so many of you,' the Dunboyne native said to a heaving main stage crowd. She launched into the song, which includes lyrics that reference the former Taoiseach: 'All the big boys/ All the Berties/ All the envelopes, yeah they hurt me/I was 12 when the das started killing themselves all around me.' There were more cases of suicide during the bust period, according to the National Suicide Research Foundation, who cite 476 more male suicides than had there not been a recession. Thompson also makes a call back to the lack of public infrastructure and perpetual struggle with access to housing among those in their twenties and thirties: 'And it was normal/Building houses/They stay empty even now.' 'Nobody I grew up with basically lives here anymore, everyone has had to emigrate. Nobody can afford to live here, everybody is leaving home. And everyone who is left behind is left with less and less public services, healthcare and security in everything that you need to live a life not in danger,' said Thompson. 'I believe this is directly the fault of the Irish government that we had 20 - 25 years ago. And I can't explain to you the politic [sic] of what happened back then, I can only explain to you my memories of growing up as a kid during the crash that we all experienced, and it was a horrible, horrible time for the entire country.' 'I believe that people in their 20s and 30s have been really adversely affected by it. And the personal, emotional effects of it are something that I am interested in as a songwriter, because I think that we can learn from it.' 'All of that is to say, we've never performed this song live before, and I wanted to debut it here because I thought it was important.' When all was said and done, there was one more track to enjoy. 'I was wondering if after all that trauma you wouldn't mind doing me one more favour' she quipped, as she introduced Stay For Something, and gave the audience a melody to sing back. The crowd dutifully channelled a shared grief into a stirring rendition before lights out.
The Irish Sun
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Cancelled presidential bid', cry fans as singer CMAT takes jab at ex-politician in new song
IRISH singer CMAT has taken a dig at former Fianna Fail leader Bertie Ahern in her latest single. The Stay For Something singer, whose initials stand for Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, is set to release her third studio album Euro-Country on August 29. 2 CMAT has taken a dig at Bertie Ahern in her latest single Credit: Getty Images - Getty 2 The song is the most recent single from her upcoming album And ahead of the album's release, CMAT has been dropping a steady stream of new singles for thrilled fans. From her chart topping Running/Planning, to her witty and controversial hit The However, with just a little over a month until the highly anticipated record drops - CMAT has taken aim at former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in the album's latest single. To announce the release of the title track Euro-Country, CMAT shared a snippet from one of the verses which tells the story of the 2008 crash from her perspective as a pre-teen in a small town. READ MORE IN MUSIC Ahern is mentioned by name and loosely features in the music video for the song. As Dunboyne native CMAT passionately spins around a sparsely decorated room, she belted out the lyrics: "All the big boys. All the Berties. All the envelopes, yeah they hurt me." Making reference to the hardships people faced, she continues: "I was 12 when the das started killing themselves all around me. "And it was normal. Building houses. That stay empty even now, yeah. And no one says it out loud but I know it can be better if we hound it." MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN In the song's music video, the 29-year-old donned a long-sleeved baby-blue top that featured the bejewelled wording "Bertie". And it's not the first time the singer has made her feelings about the former politician known, as in a 2023 interview with Hot Press she scolded the idea of him ever running for president. She said: "I would make it my personal f***ing mission to make sure that he doesn't win." Her forthcoming album deals with the legacy of the boom and bust of the Irish economy in the early noughties through a kitsch euro-trash dream. She previously "My dad had a job in computers, we didn't really have any money, we weren't affluent, but we were fine. "Everybody else on the estate we lived in worked in construction, or in shops, and they all lost their jobs. Everybody became unemployed. "Then, in the village I grew up in, there was a year or 18 months where loads of the people I went to school with, their dads started killing themselves because they'd lost everything in the crash." EUR-JOKING Sharing the snippet of the new song with fans, she wrote: "The fourth single from my forthcoming album, conveniently also named EURO-COUNTRY, is coming soon." Friends and fans raced to the singer's comment section to share their reactions. Darragh joked: "You've cancelled Bertie Ahern's presidential bid and we thank you." Georgina commented: "I was 20 in 2008 and was still trying to figure out a path for myself and remember all of this too well. "I've never felt lyrics to a song so deeply. This is just incredible." Another fan added: "Bye bye Bertie." Despite much speculation Ahern or Fianna Fail are yet to confirm their nomination for the upcoming Irish presidential election.
