Life and how people treat others are the main influences on Irene Rae’s reflective and emotional sound. Irene explores the residual effects of seemingly thoughtless actions of humanity through her diverse songs , that float between delicate melodies and painful, bitter undertones in a heartbeat. Irene was no stranger to music after playing Alto Saxophone from the age of 12, she began to teach herself guitar when aged 22, sitting down and copying the sounds created by her heroes on CDs until finding the right chords, to accompany her singing, a natural part of her through Musical Theatre training. By her own admission, she still struggles to name all the chords she plays so naturally now, explaining how the music comes from within not from a song sheet or chord notebook, keeping the chords a mystery helps her to stay away from being clinical. Mainly it is Irene’s unique vocal range and power that has caught the attention of Local BBC and Independent Radio stations throughout the UK and music lovers a like. She has supported signed musicians such as Midge Ure, Hazel O’Connor, The Levellers, Rod Clements, Jon Power and Sonja Kristina in addition to touring up and down the country and relishing finding fresh and new audiences to play in front of. Almost 4 years on from where it all started, it is her voice that stays in audience’s memories and has gained her a loyal following throughout the UK and the USA. However the most important aspect of playing live, to Irene, is still the feeling and emotion that can be and should be conveyed: “I love playing with passion and feeling. To connect with an audience through my experiences and voice is what I strive for. The feelings that I express are raw, and so should be the vehicle of their expression.”
