Getting To Know... Tara O'Farrell

She's Ireland's next up and coming tabloid sensation, you may have seen her in the finals of this years Miss Universe Ireland,  she's gracing the cover of iclothing.ie and she's a business student! Today I'm getting to know...Tara O'Farrell.

Modelling

Tara caught my eye over the last few weeks, the 24-year-old model has a striking look, with gorgeous green eyes and a stunning body. Sharing the tabloid space with the likes of Nadia Forde and Georgia Salpa, Tara is on her way to making it big time in the Irish modelling industry.

Tara is apart of Andrea Roche's modelling agency and has shot into the spotlight since getting to the Miss Universe Ireland competition. Just last two weeks ago the stunning brunette was snapped in sexy black lingerie wearing a fire cap, but Tara tells me that; although Georgia Salpa has a great career stripping off, she doesn't think it's for her:

"Georgia Salpa is brilliant at what she does, she's the best at what she does. I just don't think that really suits me. I don't think I'm that sexy type of girl."

When asked if she sees herself as a sex symbol , the Dublin Business School student replied: "No way," even though the green-eyed model looked very sexed up in the fire station shoot, she says it was only a bit of fun:

"That was just a laugh, I didn't realize I was actually going to be in a fire station, when I got there I found out there and then.I love doing fashion shows they are my favourite things to do but press calls are so fun, they can be so random."

Tara sizzled in this sexy fire-woman shoot!

Hailing from Drumcondra, the music enthusiast also admitted that she never set out to win this year's Miss Universe Ireland contest! Representing Miss Bourjois, Tara says she was asked to enter the competition but never planned on taking the title:

"Winning never came into it for me. I was asked to do it, a lot of the other girls put themselves forward and it was important to them. I was happy to be asked, but I knew I was too old to win."

Instead Listowel sports star Aoife Hannon scooped the lucrative crown, and will soon be heading to Brazil to represent Ireland in the Miss Universe final. Despite not making it to the final three in the competition, Tara says her career is booming since appearing in the publicized contest.

"Since I did Miss Universe Ireland, I've been doing a lot of press calls, and that's why I'm in the papers now."

Tara at the Miss Universe Contest

Another perk that came from Miss Universe was her modelling deal with iClothing.ie, she and a couple of other contestants were chosen to represent their new summer line and Tara's photo is spread on the front page of the fashion website.

Fashion & Beauty

As Tara begins to take centre stage in the media spotlight I asked the slim model what are her fashion favourites. When it comes to shopping Tara says she finds great bargains on the high street and then splashes out for classy events:

"When I get the chance I love to shop. My favorite shops would be Topshop, BT2, New look and I love getting bargains in Pennys. When I am going to an event or special occasion I always check out The Ivory Closet.It is an online shop that allows you to rent an amazing designer dress for a fraction of the price.New look is great for shoes and boots and Office is great for amazing heels."

She sounds like a girl right after my own heart! As well as being a professional model and a business student, Tara is also a freelance make-up artist. So I had to ask, what beauty product could she not live without:

"I am a freelance makeup artist and have worked with a number of different brands I have gone through so many phases with products.The ones that have stood the test of time though would be Estee Lauders Advanced night repair serum which I use every day and night without fail.I also love Bare Minerals foundation as it's light on the skin and has an SPF 20 which is really important to me.I love Urban Decay for eyeshadow and Mac for lipstick and lip gloss."

Acting

It's not just modelling that interests the Dublin girl. Tara admits that she has taken acting classes before and has set her sights on an acting career. The babe revealed that she has taken acting classes before and would like to pursue that part of show business:

"I went to the Gaiety Theatre School of acting for a year. Acting is definitely something I will pursue but right now I'm focusing on modelling. But I'll definitely keep my options open."

Adding that she may incorporate some acting skills into the modelling world: "I definitely want to stay in fashion and maybe even do commercials."

Love

The striking brunette, who just wrapped up her first year in Dublin Business school, also has a boyfriend of five years, as well as a blossoming modelling career. Despite her busy schedule, Tara says her musician boyfriend is okay with her hectic lifestyle:

"I'm taken. He's a musician himself so he kinda understands the industry that it is, he's cool with it."

But how does she find the time for romance, in between her photoshoots, fashion shows and freelancing? Firstly, Tara says you have to be secure in your relationship. Models Vogue Williams and Georgia Salpa are both dating men in the public eye and Tara, too, is dating a musician. Is the secret to a successful relationship in the media, dating another star?

"My boyfriend is a musician and completely understands this industry which I think helps.Most of the models I know that are in relationships are with men that aren't in this industry and they don't have any problems.Once you are secure in your relationship your job shouldn't affect it."

"Friendship in a relationship is really important.We are best friends and have such a laugh together.Common interests are also important.We both love music and spend a lot of time talking about it and watching music documentaries.We also make sure to make time in our week for eachother no matter what."

Success

And finally I asked Tara to give advice to the young models out there looking to gain as much success as she had. Everyone knows that there is a huge pressure in the industry to be stick thin, so do girls need to be prepared?

"Modelling has opened so many doors for me so quickly and I am really enjoying it.I haven't found it tough at all quite the opposite to be honest.I would recommend it to any young girl once they are secure in themselves.You have to be able for rejection and understand that you aren't going to get booked for every job."

So that's it girls be secure and confident and keep following your dreams! Watch out for stunner Tara, I have a feeling she is going to be a huge figure in the social scene and the fashion world very, very soon!

Getting to know... Bressie

On this week's Getting To Know section I chatted with the incredibly talented and seriously hot Irish singer Niall Breslin, also known as Bressie.

The Westmeath man is a sports-star turned smash hit singer, known her his role as the lead singer of The Blizzards. With his first solo single on sale tomorrow, a new music video, and a new life in London, Bressie is living the life at the moment.

London

Hunky Bressie made the tough decision a year and a half ago, to pack up his things and move to London to pursue his music career. After landing hit tunes in the chart with The Blizzards, it seemed like everything was going perfect for the former Leinster player, but he tells me that; to make it big he needed to be apart of the UK music scene.

However the singer says he really is an Irish man at heart no matter what:

"I really do miss Ireland. But I wanted to work with different artists, and get into r'n'b and other genres. I'm very comfortable over here, it's just like Dublin."

Although he never set out to release a solo album, after working as a producer on other artists’ albums in London, he quickly “missed performing”. Soon Bressie was back writing songs again, and with a solo album on the way, the singer says he is glad he made the move to the UK, despite leaving his loved ones behind:

"I left a really good support mechanism at home, all my friends and family. But I had to make the decision, I didn't want to leave Ireland but I had to get better as a writer."

Music Producer

But don't worry guys and gals he will be back to the emerald isle eventually, adding that he is “definitely moving back to Ireland” in the next few years as he hopes to "manage" up and coming Irish acts and set up his own studio, working as a producer rather than an artist.

Yes there is a lot more than meets the eye with our Bressie. He tells me that he wants to move back here and help train artists who's talented hasn't been developed enough:

 "I would love to come home and set up a studio, I would love to work with Irish acts and develop them. An awful lot of brilliant artists' talent aren't developed enough and unfortunately they just fall aside, because they just didn't get that little bit of help. I want to take people for 12 months work on their stage prescense and song-writing skills. I really want to work with acts that I believe in."

New Music

After living in the UK for over a year and a half, Bressie (29) is now releasing his first solo single ‘You Can’t Stay Young (Forever)’ tomorrow. The former sports star admitted that he has tried to stay away from his previous music style:

"I have been working with other artists from different genres over here, and I felt that I didn't want to release another rock/pop album like The Blizzards, there's just no point."

But despite moving away from the same music as his band mates, he says he is going to miss them on stage when he returns to Dublin for a one night gig in Whelan’s on June 29th: 

"It's the first gig without The Blizzards and it's my first gig in over a year and a half, and it's in one of my favourite venues. It is time I came back, but I'm not going to lie, I am nervous.”

The gig is almost sold out and Bressie says the whole event will be both difficult and exciting:  "I am scared fucking shitless. I have so many emotions about it."

Single

Yes lucky for us girls, Bressie is "very single". But don't get your hopes up, he is single out of choice. With spending every waking hour writing his new album, set for a September release, the gorgeous bachelor admitted that he doesn’t have the time for a love life, as he gets “immersed” in his music: 

"I am very single, no one could even imagine going out with me at the moment, I'd be a complete bastard. I wouldn't put any girl through this."

Bressie added that once the album is out and he's finished recording he'd be more than happy to meet someone nice:

"There's a time and place for love but right now it couldn't happen. I've done it before where I've gone out with girls when I'm this busy and it's just not fair on them. I get so stuck into my music. Once the really hard work is done I can relax a bit. But the last thing I want to do is go home after recording in the studio, then fight with a girlfriend after not seeing her for a week then coming back into the studio the next day."

Can't Stay Young (Forver)

Bressie’s debut solo single ‘Can’t Stay Young (Forever)’ will be released tomorrow and he says it’s already being dubbed a summer hit:  

“Everyone's saying the new single will be a big summer song, I never set it out to be that way. I actually wrote it back in November.”

He admits to me that he loves the buzz of being on stage and can't wait to hit Whelan's on Wexford Street, Dublin on June 29th. So make sure to come along and cheer on Bressie.

PS!!

Check out his brand new music video here:

Getting To Know... Raquel Rocca

Welcome to my new segment 'Getting to know...' where I meet with stars to get the lowdown on their life, career and their dreams! This week I thought it was time to get to know Raquel Rocca.

The 23-year-old songstress from Limerick shot to fame in the last year thanks to a massive fan base via Youtube.

Raquel first uploaded a cover of Miley Cyrus' ‘The Climb’, and got over 2,000 hits in one day! The ambitious singer began uploading more and more videos and eventually reaching 100,000 views, getting her a lot of attention.

To top that all off Raquel recently released her new track 'City Of Angels'. She launched the single in Limerick's new social spot Pier One Limerick! She also debuted her first ever music video, filmed in Limerick. And she's been supporting X-Factor star Katie Waisell on her Irish Tour.

So many amazing opportunities and so much talent. Let's get to know... Raquel Rocca:

Q: Where did you grow up? What school did you go to?

"I was born and still live on the Ennis Road it's such a lovely area and so near to town as well. Best of both worlds. I went to a lovely little private school called St Philomena's which also is home to the first stage I sang on aged 3.It was great I went back there recently on my school promo visits and to sing up there again was very emotional I loved it though the kids treated me like I was some megastar when really I'm just a young Pop singer from Limerick chasing a dream."

Q: You've attended Spotlight Stage School and Centre Stage in Limerick, so obviously you have always had a great talent. But when did you realize that you really wanted to be a singer and that you could actually make a career out of it?

"Well I've been singing since I was tiny, doing school shows and stage school shows but I guess I really believed and dreamed it could happen when I was about 13 or 14 . I then decided to take the first steps at 18."

Q: Your songs so far are very personal, and people can easily relate to your lyrics. Where do you get your inspiration for writing songs?

"To be honest I write a lot about people I know, I don't like to name names and admit what songs but there is one or two about my best friends, then I do some about my own past and I guess words just come to me. There are times when I can sit there with writers block for hours and have nothing and then I always get lyrics that fly into my head in the middle of the night so I have to jump out of bed and write them down. They are usually the best ones. I write from the heart with a lot of emotion."

Q: You are now signed with music giant Universal, which is such an amazing accomplishment. How did you recording contract come about?

"I'm over the moon with that, it was actually through RTE, I got an email from my producer who's from Universal London and he was saying he was interested and wanted to work with me. I asked how he heard and he said through a person from RTE so Thank you to that person. Its amazing really how things fly about, I mean Katie Waissel even knew me before I'd even met her she said 'Ive heard so much good stuff about you'.I really enjoyed supporting Katie, she is lovely and not what people think."

Q: You're currently recording an album and will have a lot more tracks coming out. Who would you compare yourself to in the music industry?

"I'd like to say I wouldn't be like anyone as I am my own look and person but I would love to be as successful as Kelly Clarkson I have looked up to her for years. Music wise my style would be a lot like The Saturdays, Pixie Lott and Alexandra Burke, they are fantastic artists and that's the route and Pop style I'm going down. Fast catchy songs with some good high ballads."

Q: You definitely got noticed by the public through the massive hits on your Youtube videos. Do you think Youtube was the key to your success?

"I always had the young fan base there from doing appearances and gigs and charity events but yes it made me a lot more known and opened alot of doors for me. People immediately realise your serious when they say figures like 90, 100 and 120,000. It's given me a lot and helped me majorly and I hope I can be the nest big Pop act from Ireland. Its hard but I've never wanted anything more in my life."

Q: Because your music is so personal, what affect do you want your songs to have on your fans?

"With my single City Of Angels, watching my fans sing it back to me word for word is something I cant explain but Id just like to see them dance and enjoy my songs. For the older fan base to listen to the words and to be inspired by some and know that everyone goes through good and bad times in life."

Q: A lot of your fans would be quite young, do you see yourself as a good role model, if yes why?

"Well right now I don't think I'm in a position to be seen as a role model like Justin or Gaga but I would love to be seen as that soon. I work hard and would love them to see that if you work for something and are passionate it then you will get what you want int life and appreciate it more. Blood sweat and tears."

Q: You are currently recording tracks in London.Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years, do you want to stay in Ireland or will you be moving to London?

"I would love to stay in Ireland but I can honestly see myself having to move to London because there is so much to offer there music wise. But you never know I could end up doing what Im doing now and stick to flying back and forth. In 5 year's I'd simply like to be big in UK and Ireland with massive fan base,tours,singles and 2 albums by then."

Q: And finally, is there anything you would like to say to your fans?

" You should all aim for the moon and you will land on a star, dream big and you will be sure to go far! Also I just want to thank everyone who has supported me, bought City Of Angels, watched any video on YouTube or cane to say hello to me on the street! It all means a lot and also make sure to get me on facebook, plus twitter and youtube."

So there you go, I enjoyed getting to know Raquel Rocca, I hope you did too :)

PS!! 

Want to see Raquel live? She is supporting Aslan on April 16th, at Dublins' Red Cow Inn and on April 8th in Carrick On Suir

You can follow Raquel on Twitter here: www.twitter.com/kelrocky and you can subscribe to her Youtube station here: www.youtube.com/roccakel

Watch Raquel's debut music video, filmed in Limerick: