Introducing #29 – Hannah McPhillimy

Hahaha I am deeply aware that my name sounds made up, but I swear that ‘McPhillimy’ is completely legit!! I wouldn’t have inflicted it on myself that’s for sure – not a good one for googling…and sort of has a Daniel O’Donnell ring to it – but I was far too lazy/indecisive to think of something else.

I started playing music by pushing my older sister off the piano when I was about 6 and demanding lessons; I used to be pretty fearsome! Finding my own sound came a lot later, I’d say it was in my mid-teens when I began to properly explore songwriting, but – due to sheer terror – it wasn’t until last year (when I was 22) that I performed them publicly and made a recording. It’s really those two processes that have helped me craft it into something I’m now comfortable with calling my own and is maybe a bit more distinctive. But it is definitely still ongoing!

I have one E.P with 5 songs, called ‘Seeing Things’ that was released on the 24th April.

My first proper gig in Redeemer Central during culture night last year was pretty memorable but mainly because my piano collapsed. Hard to recover from! But, I think the most interesting gig I did was on Belfast barge for world women’s day, in association with Tell It In Colour. The night was centred around inspiring women telling stories of hope and I got to play the music and tell my own story at it. It was just lovely. Good brownies too.

▶ Can you talk about a Highlight and a Lowlight of the journey so far?

I really did love launching my E.P in McHughes last April. I had complete mixed feelings about it because on the one hand it was something I had always wanted to do coming together but on the other hand, I was petrified it was just going to be me serenading my mum. But! I had such a good team of friends helping me out, promoting it, playing in it, baking for it and in the end it sold out – I was so chuffed! Supporting David C. Clements was pretty great too – big fan of his tunes.

Lowlight…perhaps not a lowlight in terms of experience, but lowlight in terms of the quality of my playing would be a gig I did in the Black box. I don’t quite know how it happened but I ended up following a victorian burlesque act – she started as an alien and she ended as a topless women wearing green, sequin tassles. I got a bit flustered then, not my best performance!

Oooh yes! I would have Lisa Hannigan singing, Ray Charles on piano and Charles Mingus on double bass. I would like to have Chris Thile involved somehow on mandolin too. If Lisa can’t do it, I’ll have Amy Winehouse please.

Buena vista social club, Bruno Mars and Feist.

▶ What will be the 3 strangest things on your rider when you’re able to make any demand?

Oh my, so many options. I’d like tea on tap, a good armchair and a fire-pit. Apparently I’m sixty.

I really do love Feist. It’s nice seeing a female holding her own musically and making intelligent, innovative pop. Although, I think I owe Eva Cassidy something – she was my segway into 1920s/30s american songbook stuff, which was the first music I felt like I discovered and loved for myself. I like the way Brooke Fraser carries herself too, she’s really down to earth and has a lot of integrity. I think I have gone over my quota.

Oh boy big question, I am still figuring that out. But, overall, I reckon it is a complete privilege to get asked to play your music for other people – so for me success is when there is any demand for your music and then honouring those opportunities, doing the songs justice, giving a good performance no matter who I’m playing to or where I’m playing at. And it is the best feeling in the world, when people feel some kind of connection, some kind of part of that.  That is my favourite thing.