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:
