Elaine Mai

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Elaine Mai
Born1985 (age 38–39)[1]
OriginCounty Mayo
Genreselectronic, pop
Years active2011 (2011)–present
Websitehttps://elainemai.com

Elaine Mai is a songwriter, musician, and producer from County Mayo, Ireland, now based in Dublin.[2][3] Mai has been referred to as "one of Ireland's top electronic music producers" by RTE Radio One[4] and Today FM.[5] In January 2022, her debut album Home was shortlisted for the Choice Music Prize.[6]

Career[edit]

Mai played with the Galway indie rock band Go Panda Go[7] while studying sociology, history and politics at NUIG.[8] Her debut solo EP, Dots, was released in 2012 by Strange Brew Records. Later that year she appeared at the Big Top of the Galway Arts Festival, opening for Lisa Hannigan and James Vincent McMorrow.[9] In 2015, She began collaborating with Irish artists such as Daithí Ó Drónaí, MayKay, and Le Galaxie, which brought her wider national attention.[10][11] In 2020, Mai took part in Irish Women in Harmony's charity single, a cover of Dreams by The Cranberries which reached number 15 on the official Irish charts and raised over €250,000 for anti-domestic violence charity SAFE Ireland.[12][13] Her debut album, Home, was released in October 2021. Lead single No Forever (feat. MayKay) was listed as one of the Top 10 tracks of 2021 by the Irish Independent,[14] and has received significant national radio play in Ireland.[15]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

  • Home (2021)

EPs[edit]

  • Dots (2012)
  • The Colour of the Night (2017)

Singles[edit]

  • IOU (2011)
  • Softly (2011)
  • EDC (2014)
  • Heartbeat (2020)
  • Somewhere Else (2020)
  • No Forever (feat. MayKay)

[16]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Choice Music Prize[edit]

Year Nominated Work Award Result
2022 Home Album of the Year Nominated[17]
Year Nominated Work Award Result
2022 No Forever (feat. MayKay) Song of the Year Nominated[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kelly, Aoife (19 August 2019). "'We were able to be totally honest with each other' - Elaine Mai on working with Soulé and Sorcha Richardson on new track 'Butterflies'". independent.ie. Irish Independent.
  2. ^ "Elaine Mai on Allmusic". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  3. ^ "Behind the music: Elaine Mai". rte.ie. RTE. 21 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Arena on Radio One". rte.ie. 6 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Home Sweet Home". The Irish World (London). 2 February 2022.
  6. ^ "RTE Choice Music Prize Shortlist announced - listen to the albums". rte.ie. RTE. 5 January 2022.
  7. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (2 October 2021). "Elaine Mai: 'I wanted that sense of belonging with other queer people'". irishtimes.com. The Irish Times.
  8. ^ Meagher, John (23 October 2021). "Elain Mai -I had this little memory in my head".
  9. ^ Andrews, Kernan (29 March 2012). "Elaine Mai - one woman a multitude of sounds". advertiser.ie. Galway Advertiser.
  10. ^ Byrne, Niall (11 December 2015). "Hear Le Galaxie Elaine Mai cover Friendly Fires Paris". nialler9.
  11. ^ Hendicott, James (6 June 2019). "Elaine Mai is redefining electronica through clever collabs". Dublin Gazette.
  12. ^ "Irish Women in Harmony - Dreams". fm104.ie.
  13. ^ Smither, Tanis (23 June 2020). "Irish Women in Harmony for Safe Ireland - Elaine Mai". Hot Press.
  14. ^ Meagher, John (11 December 2021). "From instant classics to slow burners: the best albums and songs of 2021". independent.ie. Irish Independent.
  15. ^ Paine, Andre (17 December 2021). "Elaine Mai signs to Nick Halkes' JV with Sentric Music". musicweek.com. Music Week.
  16. ^ "Elaine Mai on Bandcamp". Bandcamp.
  17. ^ "RTE Choice Music Prize Shortlist announced - listen to the albums". rte.ie. RTE. 5 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year Nominations Announced". Hot Press. 26 January 2022.

External links[edit]