Lyra (singer)
Lyra | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Laura McNamara |
| Born | Bandon, County Cork |
| Genres | Electropop |
| Years active | 2016–present |
Laura McNamara, known professionally as Lyra, is an Irish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Early life and musical development
Lyra grew up in County Cork, Ireland. In an interview with the Irish Independent, she told of her early love of singing and performing.[1] She has also said that her experiences singing in her church choir, and in speech and drama lessons were formational in the development of her singing.[2] She has highlighted her love of Irish "luminaries" Enya and Sinéad O'Connor,[3] artists whom critics, among others such as Kate Bush and Florence and the Machine, have subsequently likened her music to.[4] Although she wishes to maintain a degree of mystery,[5] she has confirmed that 'Lyra' is one of her given names.[1]
Early career
Although she doesn't like to discuss it publicly, in 2004, Lyra appeared as a contestant in the second series of the RTÉ singing competition show, You're a Star under the name, Laura Brophy.[6][7] She was eliminated in the heats of the competition, however judge, Linda Martin selected her as her wild card pick to advance to the live shows.
Brophy performed 'Country Roads' by John Denver in the first live show to positive critiques. In the third week of the show, Brophy performed 'Past the Point of Rescue' by Hal Ketchum and once again received positive comments including judge Louis Walsh, describing her as a "young Shania Twain". In the fourth week of the live shows, Brophy performed 'Angel' by Sarah McLachlan. After the performance, the judges concurred that it had been her best performance yet. In the fifth week of the competition, Brophy performed Imagine by John Lennon. This would be her final performance on You're a Star, as she was eliminated in the results show.[8] She finished in seventh place overall, the same position her sister Sarah had finished the previous year.[9]
Career
Lyra released her first EP W.I.L.D on 15 July 2016, but gained most of her recognition following the featuring of "Emerald" on the second episode of the RTÉ drama Striking Out, and the subsequent featuring of her music. The same year, "Emerald" was also used in Teen Wolf, The X Factor and The Only Way Is Essex, and helped to gain her exposure.[10]
She appeared on the 30th anniversary rework of U2's The Joshua Tree alongside other Irish artists Imelda May, Gavin James and Kodaline.[11]
In 2017, Lyra signed a label deal with Polydor Records and Universal Music.[12]
She has appeared at such festivals as the Great Escape, Music Cork, Latitude, and Electric Picnic.[10]
Lyra has appeared as a guest performer on Dancing with the Stars[13] and Ireland's Got Talent.[14] Her song "Falling" was featured in the midseason finale of Season 16 of Grey's Anatomy, and on ITV's Love Island.[citation needed]
In 2020, her song New Day (a cover of an old Jackie Lomax song) was released as a single, after it was used in various TV-commercials in the UK (Sky Sports) and the Netherlands (bicycle manufacturer VanMoof).[15]
In 2021, Lyra was announced as one of the judges on the Virgin Media One talent show, The Big Deal, joining Boy George, Aston Merrygold, Deirdre O'Kane and Jedward on the panel.[16]
Her single "29 Box" was released on 7 October 2022 and was played on LM/FM on 3 October 2022. She followed this with the single "You" on 10 March 2023.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| IRE [17] | ||
| Lyra |
|
1 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Rabbit in the Headlights" | W.I.L.D |
| "Emerald" | ||
| "Broken Down" | ||
| "Whitelady" | ||
| 2019 | "Falling" | Non-album singles |
| 2019 | "Never Let Go" | |
| "Mother" | ||
| 2020 | "New Day" | |
| 2020 | "The Magic of Christmas" | The Magic of Christmas |
| "Stay Another Day" | ||
| "Walking in the Air" | ||
| "Merry Christmas Everyone - Live" | ||
| 2022 | "29 Box" | Non-album single |
| 2023 | "You" | Lyra |
References
- ^ a b "Beyonce with a Cork accent... Could Lyra be Cork's next musical superstar?". Independent.ie. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ Murphy, Lauren (6 December 2019). "Is she Ireland's next big pop star?". Red Bull. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ McGoran, Peter. "HOT FOR 2017: We meet rising Cork artist Lyra". Hotpress. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ "Cork Independent – Lyra shines bright". CorkIndependent.ie. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ "Lyra is excited about her return to Cork". www.irishexaminer.com. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ "De-Lyra and excited!". The Southern Star. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "YOU'RE A STAR IN THE MAKING; GET VOTING FOR YOUR FAVOURITE SINGER AS EURO HOPEFULS LINE UP FOR THE BIG PRIZE. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ "Ireland". esckaz.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ News, Eurovision; News, Participants; Participants, Eurovision; Fans. "Eurovision Song Contest 2021 news by ESCToday.com - The Netherlands". Eurovision News, Polls and Information by ESCToday. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Gallagher, Katie (5 May 2019). "Singer Lyra says her career blew up after appearing on RTE's Striking Out". irishmirror. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "Who is Lyra? 5 Things you Need to Know - Universal Music Ireland". Umusic Ireland. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ ""lyra" AND "polydor" - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ "Lyra is excited about her return to Cork". www.irishexaminer.com. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ Time to ride the future, VanMoof, retrieved 3 October 2021
- ^ "Boy George, Jedward, Aston Merrygold, Deirdre O'Kane and Lyra join new entertainment show The Big Deal". Hotpress. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.