Hailing from the small town of Ballybofey in County Donegal, Muireann Bradley has manoeuvred from playing in her bedroom to performing on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny at the beginning of 2024, establishing herself as one of Ireland’s brightest emerging stars. On 21st February 2025, she is re-releasing her acclaimed debut album, I Kept These Old Blues, via Decca Records/Verve Label Group, remixed and remastered by Grammy‐nominated mastering engineer Kevin Reeves. We caught up with her to find out all about the process of re‐recording the album and what she has coming up for the rest of the year.
I Kept These Old Blues demonstrates the kind of assuredness and skill one might expect from a musician five times Muireann’s age, yet in reality she has only just turned 18 and is managed by her father. “It’s fun – I’ve always been close to my dad. It’s nice travelling with someone you’re close with. He really took care of me when things were starting off,” she explains.
“I’d never really performed before the Hootenanny, apart from two or three small shows. That was when things properly took off.” Muireann views this as her biggest moment so far: “I have watched it every year for as long as I can remember, so it was crazy for me. Getting to meet Jools Holland himself, and all the amazing musicians, was incredibly nice.” She credits her father for helping her take her time with her career following this moment: “I was getting big offers and big venues I wasn’t ready for – I would have had a panic on stage! But they made sure I built things up over time.”
After growing up with country and blues music in her house, it was her father who initially taught her how to play. “It’s the type of music I love listening to and playing,” she says, citing Reverend Gary Davis as her biggest influence. “He did some recordings in the ’30s, and then became famous again in the ’60s. Mississippi John Hurt is another influence as well – he also did some recordings in 1928 and he also became famous again in the ’60s.”
As Muireann names some other influences – who themselves would have learnt from the likes of Reverend Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt – it becomes clear just how vast the history of the blues genre is. Now, she is part of the next generation of blues musicians, though she feels there is little of an audience for the style among people her age. “I’d love to get people my age into this music,” she explained, echoing the story of other musicians like Laufey, who successfully brought jazz music into popularity among a new generation.
Muireann’s playing style, which relies on fingerpicking techniques, has received many comparisons to the greats of the genre. It all originated from her father: “The first thing he taught me was how to fingerpick, not strum (which is how most people learn). I play a lot of covers, and I always try to put my own spin on the songs, to make them my own.”
On 21st February 2025, Muireann is re‐releasing her acclaimed debut album, I Kept These Old Blues, remixed and remastered by Grammy‐nominated mastering engineer Kevin Reeves. “I don’t like listening back to that album! I was so young when I recorded it – I’d just turned 16. It’s laid out in chronological order, and it took me almost two years to record it. This was partly because it was during lockdown and I couldn’t record as I normally would. I also had Covid a few times, so I couldn’t go anywhere. I really hear the difference from the first recording, in my voice and guitar playing – both are much better now. I’m improving all the time.”
Muireann recorded each track in one take, inspired by the greats of the blues genre. “I wanted to do it because all of the songs I’m playing are from the 1920s and ’30s – when they were recorded, artists would have only been able to do one or two takes. I wanted to try and emulate the musicians from back then. I think on the first or second take you don’t get the chance for it to be perfect. You hear little mistakes and flaws, but I think that’s nice and human – more human than the pitch‐corrected recordings you often hear in pop music.”
The album also includes a new track – a cover of ‘When The Levee Breaks’ by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy. “I thought it would be nice to include a new track, so you can see the progress I’ve made since the original release of the album. I think you’ll definitely hear the difference. It’s more updated, I suppose.”
Muireann is hand‐numbering the first 1,000 copies of the physical release of the album, turning her music into a rare collector’s item. “I thought it would be a nice thing to do! For me, if I was buying an album from someone I loved, I’d love to get a signed copy. So, I thought it would be nice for people to have.” While she doesn’t collect physical music herself, it’s something she’s recently been considering getting more into: “Vinyl is a much nicer way to listen to music than clicking a button on your phone,” she says.
Once the album has been re‐released, Muireann is heading on tour. “I’m going to Australia for two weeks, then I’m off to Miami for the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea cruise. That’s probably my busiest time so far. It’s going to be a really busy few months – I’ll be away for the whole of March, but it’ll be exciting.”
I Kept These Old Blues by Muireann Bradley will be re-released on 21st February 2025. Listen here.
