Multicultural pop duo MOM (Meeting of Minds) are taking traditional Irish music, mixing it up with American gospel and adding an extra flavour of Hip-Hop to create what has been coined as ‘rebel pop’. Having released Come By Me earlier this year, the American-Irish duo are set to release their third single Follow on August 28th. They are creating pop with a purpose which will make you want to dance.
How would you describe your music for someone who may not have heard you before?
We make REBEL POP. We mix Irish traditional music and folk with Gospel and hip-hop to make pop like you’ve never heard before. This is a direct blending of our individual upbringings in music and our respect for each other’s knowledge of the same. Trust in MOM.
What is the creative process of the band? Do you both contribute towards writing songs?
Yes. Normally we both write our songs from scratch together, in the same room. Some songs begin with a lyrical hook, some with a looped sample or beat idea, others come from a jam on harp or banjo and bass. We build each song from there. During lockdown, we sent ideas back and forth to each other and contributed or worked on our parts remotely.
Is there anywhere in the world you have not played yet but would like to?
Yep. Everywhere. But we are particularly excited about Dublin and London!!!
Where has been the best place that you have played and what made this experience so special?
We are a COVID music baby of sorts – in that we made our debut to the world in the middle of lockdown. Hence we have not yet brought the MOM show to stage. That said we have been working on the show behind the scenes for a number of years. We intend to be known for our incredible shows. Watch this space
Which of your own songs is your favourite and why?
Come By Me will always hold a special place in our hearts. It encapsulates so much about our story and purpose in music. However, our next single Follow (coming August 28th) is the one we are most excited to release to the world. This one is special. Check it out.
Does your latest single Come By Me have a story? What was the inspiration behind it?
Come By Me tells the story of falling in love with the ‘other side’ – the forbidden yet undeniable love – from opposite sides of the war. We imagined it as a girl and boy from either side of the troubles in Northern Ireland, ignoring all that society is telling them is wrong and following their heart instead.
As you are a multicultural duo, would you say the music scene in the US is different from the one in Ireland? If yes, how?
Funny enough despite the geographical size difference which requires the US music scene to cater to a much broader audience, there is a mutual love for Country, Pop, and Hip Hop and you can see that reflected in the charts on both sides. We love that we represent the similarities and the differences between the two.
Who are some of your favourite bands and artists in your local music scene?
Andre Crouch, Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond of the deep-rooted gospel scene and the likes of Gerry O’Connor, Iarla Ó Lionáird and Dolores Keane of the Irish traditional and folk music scene are omnipotent influences to us both respectively.
You recently released a music video, how was this experience?
Haha, well we simply used (stole) footage from the movie Dirty Dancing so it wasn’t your usual music video experience. That said, we couldn’t have created more suitable visuals for the song! Lockdown makes you think outside the box as an artist. We’re really happy with where it led us in this instance. Hopefully, the directors don’t sue us for copyright… then again, any publicity… 😉
Do you have any releases planned for the near future?
“FOLLOW” August 28th. You’re going to like it.
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Listen to MOM on Spotify