New single from Collete Brady-McEntee

Hailing from Mullingar with a sound that blends folk and pop, Collete Brady-McEntee has been making an impression as a singer-songwriter over the last couple of years. Her background in classical training, both in voice and piano, runs beneath everything she does, giving her music a sense of structure while creating space for expression, allowing her voice to carry the emotional context of each song with a balance of discipline and feeling.

Over time, that balance has become central to how her artistic vision is understood, showcased in releases like “Nobody Knows” in 2024 and “Out of Your Control” earlier this year. Her ability to avoid overcomplication while still holding onto meaning has followed her across different spaces, from recorded work to live performances, where she’s headlined shows throughout Westmeath and continued to perform at private events and ceremonies.

Her career has also played out through collaboration and community; a duet with Eurovision winner Charlie McGettigan on “Valentine” offered an early example of her ability to work within shared creative spaces, while her appearance on RTÉ’s Behind the Music provided a wider platform to reflect on her development and creative process. Alongside this, her role as Musical Director for school productions in Edenderry, Co. Offaly adds another side to her practice, placing her within an environment where music is both taught and lived, shaping performances on a larger scale each year.

That sense of collaboration feeds directly into her latest single titled “Solong Solo,” a song penned during a UK songwriting camp hosted by DWB Music Publishing. The track brings together a group of writers including Ian Curnow, Larissa Tormey and Joy Solomon, created within that shared environment which carries the imprint of multiple voices. “Solong Solo” reflects on the experience of moving through life alone while still holding onto the belief that connection is possible, a theme that feels familiar, but here it’s approached without cliché.

Collete’s vocal performance sits at the centre of it all, her classical training shining in the control and poise of her delivery as the soft pulse of tapped percussion and atmospheric instrumentation float around her voice. Building from a delicate intro of warm piano notes, laid back drums and graceful vocal leads, the track swells with cinematic arrangement before jumping into a pop-focused scene packed full of catchy vocal leads and wholly absorbing instrumental textures.

Led by Collete’s spectacular vocal performance, it’s a truly dazzling musical experience that’s truly impossible not to love. “Solong Solo” also stands as a tribute to Joy Solomon, whose contribution to the songwriting process remains embedded within the track. Following her passing in 2024, the song carries that presence forward as an underlying current that shapes how the music is felt.

As Collete Brady-McEntee continues to walk her own musical path, she’s sure to charm countless listeners all over the world with her utterly compelling sound. Commenting on the single, Collete shares, “Solong Solo has the potential to stand the test of time as an everyday song people can truly relate to. I love the sense of positivity and contentment it brings. Although it is a big number vocally, I really connected with it, which allowed me to give it my all.”

Listen to Solong Solo below

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