Ballina’s blues singer/songwriter Norma Manly returns with new single

Norma Manly is a singer-songwriter from Ballina.

She released her first EP, Blue, in 2018 and, more recently, a new single, The One.

This week, Norma sat down with the TipperaryLive to discuss her musical influences and plans for the future.

Musical Influences
Norma's music has a distinctive modern blues/ jazz sound. She says she has been influenced by many artists and genres but is particularly drawn to Nina Simone.

"She is definitely not the most melodic singer in the world, but she struck a chord with me. She has such a rawness and emotion about her.

“ I was really drawn to her because she was so distinctive from what I had been hearing before that. I had been listening to a lot of music before her, but she pulled me into my tracks," said Norma

Apart from Nina Simone, Norma says she is influenced by classical music and bands like Portishead.

"It’s those kinds of singers. I suppose anyone can sing a song, but some people take it to that extra level, that real emotion and how they use words and how they can be gentle or dramatic," said Norma.

Starting out

Norma says she was involved in music at a young age through youth clubs and choir but took a break after school.

About six years ago, she started performing again at open mic nights and shortly after, Norma joined a band and started writing her own music.

"I’d hum away. I'd have melodies forming in my head fairly naturally and never really tapped into that, so I suppose I just sat down and I put pen to paper, and from then on, I was in that process, and I haven't stopped since," said Norma.

Although a solo artist, she plays regularly with guitarist Brendan Pooley, bass player Andy O’Brien and drummer Ian Connelly.

The One

Covid-19 may have stalled live sets, but Norma says she used that time to write more music.

"Then covid hit, so we were quiet for a while, but it gave me time to write a bit more, and two weeks ago, I released a new single, The One," said Norma.

For Norma, The One is about anticipating finding the person you are supposed to be with.

However, Norma prefers people to make their own meaning from music.

"When it comes to talking about songs, I don't really delve too much into them because I think it’s important for people to take what they want from the song.

"I think sometimes if you get too much information about a song, it’s hard to get your feel for a song," said Norma.

Live Shows
When the country opened up again, there was a demand for Norma’s sound as a support act.

"When things started opening up again, we got an awful lot of gigs, we did a lot of support for bands, and it gained a lot of momentum for us because we weren't getting an awful lot of that beforehand.

“Before, I was looking for gigs and this time they were looking for me," said Norma.
Norma says they are easing their way back into live music with a gig in the Washerwoman in Ballina on April 29.

The One is out now on Spotify.

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