Imelda May

Imelda May crafts a refined approach to rock that draws from vocal jazz traditions exemplified by Billie Holiday, the blues of figures such as Elmore James, and the rockabilly edge of artists like Wanda Jackson, allowing her work to stand apart from prevailing pop currents. She first cultivated an international audience while fronting the swing group Blue Harlem, prior to issuing her major-label solo debut Love Tattoo in 2008, a release steeped in fiery rockabilly that ascended to number one on the charts in her native Ireland. Subsequent albums sustained that momentum, with Mayhem in 2010 and Tribal in 2014 both reclaiming the top position there, the latter marking her fourth studio effort overall. On Life. Love. Flesh. Blood in 2017, she shifted toward a dusky fusion of contemporary rock and intimate ballads, incorporating contributions from Jeff Beck and Jools Holland, before releasing the spoken-word EP Slip of the Tongue in 2020 and reverting to evocative pop textures on 11 Past the Hour in 2021, which featured guitar work from Rolling Stones member Ron Wood alongside Noel Gallagher of Oasis and Miles Kane.

Born Imelda Mary Clabby in Dublin in 1974, she entered the local club scene at age 16, then pursued studies in art and printmaking before relocating to Britain, where a tour with rhythm-and-blues revivalist Mike Sanchez soon followed. Under the name Imelda Clabby she issued her solo debut No Turning Back in 2003, supported by a band that included then-husband and guitarist/co-songwriter Darrel Higham, trumpeter/multi-instrumentalist Dave Priseman, bassist Al Gare, and drummer Steve Rushton. After establishing greater visibility as leader of Blue Harlem, the album received a remix and reissue under the stage name Imelda May in 2007, opening doors to prominent live opportunities such as a tour alongside Jools Holland. In 2008 Blue Harlem accepted an invitation from director Baz Luhrmann to appear at the premiere of his film Australia, the same year May reached the summit of Ireland’s album chart with her second solo outing, the self-produced Love Tattoo on Universal, which retained Higham, Priseman, and Gare while adding keyboardist Danny McCormack and drummer Dean Beresford.

The momentum from Love Tattoo carried into Mayhem, her third full-length, which returned her to number one in Ireland upon its September 2010 release and simultaneously entered the U.K. Top Ten while logging a week on the Billboard 200 at number 108. Retaining her core backing musicians, the set offered a rockabilly-inflected rendition of Gloria Jones’ “Tainted Love,” a song that had gained fame through Soft Cell’s 1981 version. May and Higham welcomed their first child before the band reconvened with co-producer Mike Crossey, known for work with Arctic Monkeys and Foals; the resulting Tribal arrived in April 2014, securing her third consecutive Irish chart-topper and a career-best number three in the U.K., while introducing her first Top 20 single, “It’s Good to Be Alive.”

Following her divorce from Higham, who subsequently launched a solo career, May reemerged in 2017 with the more austere and candid Life. Love. Flesh. Blood, produced by T-Bone Burnett and enriched by appearances from Jeff Beck and Jools Holland among other associates; it peaked at number two in Ireland and number five in the U.K. She issued the Universal spoken-word EP Slip of the Tongue in 2020, drawing from personal notebooks to explore themes of heartbreak, obsession, and isolation. Later that year the single “11 Past the Hour” previewed her sixth studio album, followed in early 2021 by “Just One Kiss,” which united her with Noel Gallagher and Ronnie Wood. Co-produced by Tim Bran, whose credits include James Morrison and London Grammar, the full album 11 Past the Hour surfaced several months afterward.