FEATURE:
Spotlight
Áine Rose Daly
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THIS is a bit of a strange one for me…
PHOTO CREDIT: Fay Summerfield Photography
as I usually highlight artists in Spotlight who have new music coming out or have recently put something out. Most of the artists are rising and coming through, though there are some that are established but maybe not known by all. I always look for fairly recent interviews. Hopefully no longer than a year old, I sling everything together to give you an idea of what the artist is about and why you need to follow them. There have been occasions when I have featured actors that are also musicians. Apart from posting to Instagram why Florence Pugh should record some music and put it out, I have never written a feature in the hope that someone will see it and put more music out. Áine Rose Daly is a wonderful actor you may recognise from BBC’s Boiling Point. However, she is also a wonderful artist. Her most recent single, Reprise, was released last year. The music video came out at the start of this year. I am checking out her Instagram, and I have not seen any announcement that Áine Rose Daly is releasing a new track before the end of the year. Maybe a Christmas cover or plans for an E.P. or album. Of course, by the time this feature is actually shared, she may well have announced that we are going to get a new song very soon – or at the start of 2026. The reason I am jumping the gun in a way is making people aware of the music that she has already put out. I tend to find a lot of actors coming into music had music as their first love. It is a natural move for them. You can feel music runs through Áine Rose Daly’s blood. Something that resonated and connected with her as a child, you can feel the passion and love in her songs. So many new artists tend to sound like existing artists. Daly is definitely distinct and you can hear her own voice. The Jersey-born actor was raised by Irish parents. It is intriguing, as I have not heard of another artist with this mix of heritage/background.
Turning twenty-three on 11th December, Áine Rose Daly turns twenty-three. She is still incredible young, so there is no rush getting new music from her. However, I really love Reprise. I am also a fan of The One and her live cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Otherside. Her videos are amazing too. As an actor, she brings so much of those dynamics into music. I have said this repeatedly. Actors bring a certain conviction and physically into their music. It means also that they really shine in music videos. It is hard going from acting to music or balancing the two. I am not sure if Florence Pugh will get round to putting out some music, but like her, Áine Rose Daly is pretty busy. However, you know there is a song or two in her head – and maybe on paper! I get the feeling we may see something from her next year. However, go and check out what she has done already, as she has a wonderful voice and her music really stays with you. She definitely stands out from so many new artists. Would you class her as Pop? Maybe that is at the foundation, yet there is something deeper, more soulful and interesting in the mix. A wonderful range of colours and levels in her voice. This emotional range that means she is such a versatile songwriter and singer. I normally do not feature artists where there are very few interviews out there, as you do not get to know much about them. However, I am going to being one in that I discovered, before ending with a personal pitch and plea to Áine Rose Daly.
I know 2020’s Miles was her debut single. However, 2021’s Places was the first single that really caught the eyes and ears of journalists and fans. I know she has a tribe of music fans that want new music from her. Like Swiftries, does Áine Rose Daly have a term for her followers? Anyway, 2021 was a scary year. Lockdown and COVID-19, it was a strange time. Artists releasing music because there was nothing else to do, but knowing they could not promote it a lot or perform it. However, it must have been challenging trying to find energy and motivation to make music. Places really resonates. Its video is tremendous too. Urbanista spoke with Áine Rose Daly in 2021 about her powerful new release. A song personal to her would have given such strength to others. It is a song I can identify with:
“Speaking about the new release, she said, “I wrote this song a long time ago about my struggles with my mental health and how, at the time, I felt like it was holding me back from doing what I wanted to do with my life.”
Áine Daly is a London-based actor/singer/songwriter. Born and raised in Jersey, Channel Islands to Irish parents and coming from a long lineage of musicians and creatives, Áine has always been surrounded by music and arts.
The last few years have seen Áine’s acting career flourish, having been cast in multiple feature length films and most notably playing a series regular in Amazon Prime’s “HANNA”. Outside of her acting career however, Aine has always maintained her love for songwriting and considers it a major creative outlet for herself.
Having had some space to write more frequently during lockdown and whilst filming for another series of Hanna, Áine has put together a handful of beautifully crafted alternative pop songs and is ready to bring them out of the living room studio they were recorded in and into the world. Aine’s next release will see her join her older brother, singer/songwriter, Tadhg Daly in the list of Jersey born artists stamping their name on the London music scene”.
I am going to come to another 2021 interview in a minute. I want to go off on a bit of a tangent. I adore Áine Rose Daly’s acting work. She is one of these actors who deserves a massive film role. She is so talented and you are drawn to her in a way you are not with other actors. My favourite film ever is Frances Ha. Widely released in 2013, I love that film as Greta Gerwig, as the title character, is so compelling. Someone you feel sympathy and affection for, in spite of her flaws and child-like demeanour. That film hit me hard! I feel like Áine Rose Daly is an actor who could be in a film like this and have a similar impact. That may sound strange, but she is someone you fall in love with but also are awed by. A definite rising star, I hope that film and T.V. directors are knocking down her doors. Not only someone with great dramatic skill and that ability to make you shed tears, I also see this comedic side. I hope one that is exploited more. There is plenty of time ahead, though I feel Daly is going to blow up and appear in huge U.S. T.V. series and a range of films; from big-budget thrillers to more quirky or independent films. I can see her in a music biopic too, but I won’t say which artist I think she reminds me of, as it is sort of trying to manifest something or play this virtual agent. My point is that she has this incredible potential. Also a musical voice that extends beyond Alternative Pop. I sort of feel she has the dexterity to explore other genres. Songs more stripped down and jazzy. Allowing something more emphatic and soulful to come out. Maybe a direction she may consider in years to come. But this is me highlighting the great work Áine Rose Daly has already done. This takes me to another interview worth highlighting.
It is another one back in 2021. There were a few interviews around Places, though I am going to bring stuff more up to date. Noctis chatted with an amazing artist just starting out. During the pandemic, we were all looking around to music to provide comfort and direction. I know many people would have gained strength and solace from Áine Rose Daly. Places is a magnificent song that must have been challenging to write. However, I listen to the song now and it really does move you. The effect it has on listeners is amazing:
“In recent years you’ve built a rather successful acting career, most recently as Sandy Phillips in HANNA. How do the aspects of acting and music compare in your life?
For me, acting and music feel very far apart from each other. I have a lot more confidence when it comes to acting. Maybe that’s just due to having more experience in that area but it definitely comes easier than the music stuff. I’ve had to work a lot on building my confidence up surrounding my own music. It’s always been a massive part of my life but for some reason it feels harder to share that. It’s so personal and makes you feel on display in a way that I never experience with acting. It’s always been a toss up for me on whether I wanted to pursue acting or music but every time I would focus too much on one, I would miss the other. I feel like I need them both in the forefront of my life as that’s when I’m happiest, so here I am, trying to do both and I don’t see myself ever stopping either.
The release also tells the story of a difficult moment in your life where your mental health was becoming a monumental challenge. How natural did it feel to tell the world such a personal story?
It felt pretty natural to tell this particular story to the world really. For the past few years now I’ve become very open about a lot of my mental health struggles and it feels so good to share all this stuff. It’s sounds so lame and cliché, but it really is a case of wanting to talk about all the things I wish I had heard people talking about when I was growing up. Sometimes I think back and feel like maybe it would have made a difference and maybe I wouldn’t have had such a hard time with it all if people talked more about mental health issues and all that encompasses when I was younger. So if I can be a person that makes someone else feel a bit better about what they are going through, or be someone that they can relate to, I’ll absolutely take that role on.
You’re just one of many artists from Jersey stamping your name into London’s music scene. Why do you think the area creates so many talented artists?
I think growing up on an island as small as Jersey is a very strange thing to experience. I see this especially since moving to London and seeing how different it is here. I think this definitely gives people a unique creative perspective which can help the birth of amazing art. I would say a big thing is also the scenery in Jersey. It’s an extremely beautiful place and therefore very inspiring.
Your brother Tadhg Daly is also a music artist, do you think a collaboration would be on the cards at any point in the future?
I would absolutely LOVE to collaborate with Tadhg. It’s definitely inevitable. He is one of my best friends and we spend a lot of time together and run in the same creative circle but an official collab is definitely on the cards, it’s just a case of picking the right moment!
What can we expect to come next from you?
Expect more acting and more music! I’ve still got a lot going on with season 3 of Hanna as well as the release of the film Boiling Point coming very soon so hopefully you’ll be seeing a lot of me! I’m working towards an EP at the moment which means a lot more music coming from me too! I’m so excited about everything that’s going on, it’s all very cool stuff!”.
It is great when we get to look at artists who are from outside of London. Parts of the country not usually discussed. The Isle of Wight has been in focus the past few years due to bands like Wet Leg and Coach Party coming from there and succeeding. Jersey has given us Nerina Pallot, though I think there are other artists from the island that are waiting to come through. Now Áine Rose Daly would put fresh eyes on Jersey. A place I visited as a child and really love. As part of the filmmaking duo, Syvret Rose, alongside Jordan Cox, Áine Rose Daly released the short crime thriller, More Than It Hurts You. The film “tackles complex and often misunderstood experience of living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), drawing deeply from personal experience, particularly Áine’s, who has lived with the condition since childhood”. Maybe she is geared towards filmmaking and acting at the moment. As I said before, she is this remarkable actor and one with a massive and busy future ahead. Genuine success in the U.S. and so many great roles you can see her slaying. A life as a director and someone who I feel is going to have such a multi-disciplined career. I cannot find any newer interviews where Áine Rose Daly discusses new music. I hope it is on her mind for 2026. I am aware she probably will not see this feature either, so it may all be moot! However, I did want to put her name out there in the context of her extraordinary music (and for anyone looking to make a new/alternative to Frances Ha, cast her as she would be bloody brilliant!). Reprise is the most recent chapter from one of our best young artists. Four or five songs under her belt, she could put out an E.P., or record some new tracks and release an album; infuse the older with the new. It would be amazing to hear some new music from Áine Rose Daly. It may be at the back of her mind right now, though I – and many others too – do live in hope that it…
COMES to fruition.
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