 and I'm delighted to, uh, she joined me in the studio tonight live. You're very welcome indeed, Chelsea. Good evening, Tommy. Thanks a million for having me. I must tell our listeners. I've been playing your music on the radio for a while, but, uh, my first time to see a perform live is last Thursday night down at the concert in, uh, Bertford, uh, lightening fun. It was a good night. Wasn't it? Oh, it is a fantastic night. Brilliant concert. Come here. Tell me a little bit about yourself. How you got involved in the music at the beginning. I was reading somewhere that you want to a competition, on Facebook when you were 12. Yeah. Um, so I was 12. I won, um, a Facebook competition to sing alongside Lisa McHugh in the Millennium Forum in Derry. So that was a fantastic experience, a great experience to be up one stage, um, with Lisa. But I started singing when I was eight years of age with my grand and malice. Um, we released a four track EP for charity. Um, the money went towards the Friends of Letter County General Hospital. Um, and just sold that around the shops and stuff, and that's kind of how I got into the singing then was in festivals and guest spots and concerts and stuff with Granda from that. Um, and then when I was 12, I released my own four track EP. Um, it was Hillbilly Girl, it was called, um, and was kind of singing myself then rather than with Granda. Um, and that's kind of where it took off to, we break then to kind of focus on school and my studies and then I was kind of, um, kind of, um, kind of, um, kind of, um, kind of, um, school and my studies and stuff. Um, and then, um, when I was in college then, I released another, well, my first kind of debut single then, uh, passed the point of rescue, and that's how I got back into the, into the country, country scene then from that. So, uh, there was, uh, music in the family. I know your Granda, he was out in Nashville about 20 years ago. He was. We had wild trouble with a man. We couldn't get him out of the hotel. But, uh, anybody else in the family involved in the music? Not really, not just Granda and then Granda's sister, Josephine, she would, she would be singing as well. So, skip the generation. Mum and Dad can't sing at all, but came from Granda, I would say. And, uh, is he still singing? A wee bit. A wee bit. When he gets invited up on the stage, he'll never turn it down anyway. Anyways, so, moving on then and that was when you were younger. And, uh, when did you start doing, like, uh, the gigs on your own? Um, well, now, like, recent years, um, I released, uh, past the point of rescue. Nearly two years ago now, it was June, 2021, um, 2022. And then I released my debut album last January, um, where I belong, so it's been doing great. Thank God, um, released that. I had a launch night down in the Shandon hotel. Um, so it's my 11 track, uh, album. There was one, um, song on it that I wrote myself. Um, it was recorded next door in Fulton Studios with, um, Tommy Conway. And Tommy, he'd said, Chelsea, you're not releasing the album until there's one song that you've written yourself on it, so that's where I belong. Um, and then, yeah, that's it. Kind of took off from there, really. Yeah. And we just played a single there. He's a good old boy. I believe he did that with Brian up there. That was done with Brian Kerrigan, yeah, in Harmony Recording Studios. So I was in with Brian there a few weeks ago and got started on a new single. Um, so this will be coming nice soon in the next few weeks. Yeah, that's great. Now, I was just mentioning too earlier on, uh, you're going to be on the new edition of Glory Chair with Jim Divine. Tell us how did, how did that come about and how were you chosen for it? Yeah. So, um, I was, I play for my local St. Michael's Ladies team when I was training and I got a message on my phone from Jim and he was like, would you be off for doing Glory Chair? And I was like, oh, I couldn't record the pre-recorded shows. Yeah. Um, so met the other seven contestants and they're all so, so lovely. Um, and had a great experience down there. It was fantastic. So myself and Jim's show is aired now on the 26th of March. Um, so definitely, you're looking for something to watch. Definitely tune in. Um, so I'm really countdown's on now just to the 26th of March to, to see the show. And how did you feel on camera? Did you feel any pressure? You know, there's three judges who appear on TV. Yeah. This is the first time now to be on TV. Um, definitely like all the cameras just took a while to get used to. Um, and then when the judges are sitting watching as well, I can definitely add a bit more pressure, but no, um, I just said to myself, you only get one shot at it. So just get up and give it your best shot and enjoy every second of it. You know, the great thing about Glory Chair has been on there now and not sure if it's a 13th or 14th season at the moment you'd have the big names Derek Reign, Nathan Carter and that but for all, in recent years a lot of new artists are coming up and if you get to be a contestant and you don't even have to win it. No, definitely not. It's just that, if you ran it and it's exposure. It's such an amazing platform even from just announcing that I was going to be on it and from being down there, like there's so much that has come from it already. Um, and the likes of guests, bots and gigs and so on. So definitely, it's a fantastic platform and I'm just so grateful to have the opportunity to be on it. And as well as being on it too, I suppose you have to get somebody behind you like maybe grand air or somebody because you know you have to get people get out posters, promote, don't forget the vote for a That's it, definitely. Yeah, so the first the first episode's been broadcasted now next week, so the 12th of March that's Michael English campaign going, hopefully have the posters in the leaflets and just get them out. I have two fantastic sponsors so far. And the Shandon hotel, they're my main sponsors. Excellent. And Brian Chrysler also sponsoring me too. And there's a few other local businesses that are lined up to hopefully get behind me and back me as well. So it's just fantastic to have local businesses and stuff on board as well to help get the campaign going. But yeah, that's it. And as you say, you need this as well as going out doing going on front of the camera yourself. You know, it's important to have like that for you to get true to the next round or that because I know I know there was a lot of artists over the years. You know, there might be from the North and a lot of the people in the North might watch Teenagee. Yeah. So, you know, basically a lot of the voters you're going to get is going to be from Donegal. That's it. So it's the voting now is all done through the app that you can get on your phone. So that's it. Just getting the word out now and getting just the word out there and hopefully getting the support now and get the votes to get through. Yeah. And to move to a nice new studio outside Galway, I remember I was invited down one time a couple of years ago when they were doing it in the Keys. And they've moved to a new studio now. It looks a nice venue. That's lovely. That's my first time to have been in a studio kind of like that. And it's crazy the difference from the TV to the studio. But no, it was fantastic and even the producers and everyone was just lovely. Like I wish I could go back down and do this the three days again. They were just great experience. And I was saying Jim is actually your mentor but who's your stable mate stable mate in the competition? Jim hasn't been another artist on as well. Yeah. So Jim has myself and Jared and then there's another local singer from Donegal Jason as well. He's from Hamilton. You know, but no, it was fantastic and all the contestants, you know, like we really really seemed to just get on like a house on fire which definitely made it a lot easier. Is Jason with Jim or is he with somebody else? Jason's with Claudia. Claudia Vaughan. Very good. Our very own David James did great last year. He did. James contestant won it. Yes, Sean Fahey. David just, it was great to see him on the show and even now still like David's been in the clanry a few weeks ago too. So David's just been a fantastic help and a fantastic support and that's all really, really appreciated. Yeah. And coming up to all these guest spots are important. Like Jim will, I'm sure any gigs Jim is at, he'd be taking you along and that concert you were on last Thursday night. You know, it was my first time to see you live as well. Even though I've been playing your music, it's my first time to see you live. And yeah, just telling people that maybe like, there's some people there at the concert that didn't know I was on it and now, well hopefully that they do. And so it's just important really just to get your campaign going now and see where it goes. But as you said, like you don't even have to win this such like it's just a fantastic opportunity from just the get-go like. And who would have been, who would you, who'd been one of your favourite singers now growing up but had been a country artist or would it be, Dolly Pardon and Lisa McKee was always a big fan from when I was so young like and still is, I would still listen to Lisa all the time. So yeah, they would be the top three influences as such. Yeah, I must agree which literature she would find singer indeed. Fantastic. And did you ever try any of your songwriting at all? Did you ever try getting into that? Yeah, so I have one song that I wrote that's on my album where I belong. That's the only one I've written so far. I've definitely written a few but they're still lying in the copybook. They haven't made it as far as the studio yet but definitely it's on, it's on the plan to hopefully release a few more, more originals and see where it goes. And Glordshire, that's going to be on for a couple of weeks and anything lined up coming into the summer? A few festivals and concerts coming into the summer now. Soon, now I know St Patrick's weekend. I'm delighted to be joining Jim in the Gondale in May. So that will be a fantastic weekend. It'll be a really good night. It's my first time down there but I've heard it's meant to be some spots. So really looking forward to getting down there and yeah, a good few things in the pipeline. Really looking forward now to just seeing what happens. I must just say if any of the folks from the Clunmani Festival is listening in, get to help you around town. She's a fine singer and she would do well for you there, one of the nights supporting one of the big acts. Thank you. I'm just saying my phone is ringing down. It was not knocking me off from my stride and I'd say your granddad and all the family are very proud of you. Yeah, definitely. They're definitely top supporters anyway. They'd be travelling all across the country with me. So it's fantastic just to have the support. It really means a lot even the journeys to and from the gigs are a lot easier when you have company with you. Camilla, I'm going to play your current single now. Do you want to dedicate it to anybody? Dedicate it to my friends and all the boys and girls and shining stars where I work. They're big fans as well always listening away so dedicated to them. Well Chelsea it's been great having you up and continuous success. I'll be voting for you anyway. Thank you. I'll be giving you a mention here to get out there and vote for Chelsea. Thanks a million Tommy. Right. Hello there. This is the life.