Any journalist will tell you about the unbearable wait of those final few minutes before an interview. A liminal loophole where two minutes can feel more like two hours. They will also tell you that the wait only grows more surreal when you are about to interview someone you are a fan of, and on this occasion, that’s exactly the situation I’m in.
Having just landed following a flight from Mexico, birdsong provided the backing track to our conversation, their tune travelling to me here in London from Murphy’s native Ireland. "Where are you from then?" she asks me seconds into the call, echoing a pitch-perfect imitation of my own Northern accent. Very rarely do people get the Leeds lilt quite right, but Murphy nails it, dropping in and out of the accent throughout our conversation.
"I am a natural mimic," she explains when I ask whether it’s her voice that can be heard at the start of her latest single ‘The Universe’, which she confirms is. ‘The Universe’ joined ‘CoolCool’ as our introduction to her forthcoming sixth studio album Hit Parade, set to drop on September 8th.
"I do think it’s very close to singing, mimicry. If you are good at copying a sound with your voice, that’s pretty much what singing is…When I started in Moloko, that’s all I was doing. I was just doing stupid voices and characters. I even signed the record deal before I started singing, so it’s funny that I have developed a voice for singing.”
A constant figure on the scene since the nineties as one half of electronic duo Moloko, Murphy has carved out a unique spot in the pages of music history. Never one to shy away from experimentation, from strings and synths to record spins, Murphy has created a legacy of universe-building - which has earned her maverick status with an army of dedicated fans to match.
I signed the record deal before I started singing, so it’s funny that I have developed a voice
Her previous albums, as well as the one on the way, play with Ibiza sun-tan grooves, feel-it-in-your-stomach techno rhythms, dance floor beats for daydreamers and effervescent electro thrills. She keeps the beat (and your feet) moving, through sound, styles and time. Speaking on her forthcoming album, she says, "It came together at a point after Róisín Machine, which was my last record cycle… it was like a little magic fairytale, honestly."
When we speak, she is preparing for a soon-to-be-released music video. "I am going to shoot this very big video here [in Ireland] and put a parade on in the town I grew up in. It’s a bit like an Irish parade, but the song is quite hip hop…it’s a big thing, a big thing, I am involving the whole town."
Hit Parade has been six years in the making and crafted in collaboration with DJ Koze, who Murphy describes as having the "best ear she’s ever known". They worked on the album together remotely; the intimate, reflective and "hobbyish" approach allowed Murphy much room to play.
Keeping in mind that collaboration is integral to Murphy’s lore (get it?), she explains: “It’s everything to an artist like me,” she says, “what’s wonderful, as a solo artist, is that you can move on to another set of collaborators, into another world, and take essentially what I do every fucking time, talking about freedom and vulnerability.” Pushing the boundaries is part and parcel of her process, and she’s firm on sticking to that recipe. “I allow that, and I allow myself to be out of my comfort zone. I always work with people who I don’t understand.”
Murphy’s music undoubtedly goes hand in hand with the visuals. And from what we have seen so far and what’s still left to come, Hit Parade will be nothing short of a visual feast. This is Róisín Murphy we are talking about after all.
A fanatic of the visual arts herself, from album covers to costume changes (her most recent shows see nine changes in total), Murphy is an immersive performer cloaked in fantastically fun, musically addictive and often surreal joy.
The visuals from her new album came from one of those moments of complete creative synergy: "I was like everyone else in that moment, on the internet and seeing this mad AI imagery starting to burst out everywhere. I found this artist whilst browsing. A real artist. She was playing with AI, she’s called Beth Frey."
"There was something about the world she was making that was like the world of Hit Parade. It was just magic. Like it was pure magic to find this world that had that synesthesia about it, that touchability, ASMR — whatever, just a temptingly weird thing. So I asked if I could use the images and did a photoshoot with myself to fit.”
I allow myself to be out of my comfort zone. I always work with people who I don’t understand
Now, on to what a typical start to the weekend looks like for Murphy, it’s all about unforgettable food and great music. "My Friday night would be about good food," she tells me, "I live in Ibiza now, so there are plenty of options on a Friday night."
She recalls one of her favourite Friday night memories, following a Moloko gig: “We had DJs called Krust & Die, who were drum and bass guys, part of the original wave of drum and bass, but at this party, they only played rare groove disco – it was the best rare groove set I have ever heard.”
As for what Murphy wants you to feel when you no doubt add Hit Parade to your own Friday night playlist, "There’s never really a singular message when you’re writing individual tracks, but when it comes together at the end, then the message reveals itself to me. I think the message is just enter this universe, go in there, listen and feel. It’s a feeling, the sound of synesthesia. Go in, and let go.”
Listen to Róisín Murphy’s full Friday night playlist here.
Chronixx and Free Nationals - Eternal Light
“Not just Friday night but any night is better started with this evergreen, modern classic!”
OutKast - Liberation
“This one features Cee-Lo Green and Erykah Badu with the funkiest and perhaps the most important group of our generation, what more do you want? Sublime.”
Jitwam - Enchanté
“Friday evening can be a romantic evening, with a twist of sophistication of course.”
Keinemusik (&ME, Rampa, Adam Port) - Confusion feat. Ali Love
“It’s Friday so you don’t want to peak too early. This will plant the seed for Saturday in a subtle way.”
Lady Wray - Through It All
“Dance down to the pub with this pure and positive mood in your headphones, and dare I say, you got your weekend started right!”
