For this week’s Spotlight On feature, we spoke to singer-songwriter Loah.
Loah, whose real name is Sallay-Matu Garnett, is an artist of Irish / Sierra Leonean origin who grew up between Maynooth and West Africa.
While studying at Trinity College Dublin, Loah has collaborated with Little Green Cars, Slow Skies, and I Have A Tribe, amongst others.
She also contributed to Hozier’s platinum selling debut album, co-writing the song “Someone New”.
The talented musician spoke to Goss.ie about her career to date, her inspirations, and what it was like working alongside Una Healy on RTÉ’s The Heart of Saturday Night.
Take a look:
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How did you come up with your stage name?
I read it in an Isabel Allende novel who is a writer that I love, and I just fell in love with it.
Who did you grow up listening to? Who would you say inspired your music the most?
Lots of Joni Mitchell, folk music and classical music (I used to play violin in orchestras). My mum played a lot of West African folk music and I lived there for a while so that entered my years. Plus of course you can’t beat Lauryn Hill!
How would you describe your music?
I call it Afro Artsoul which kind of covers all the bases! But I am quite flexible with my genres like a lot of modern artists, as we’re so exposed to everything that it can be fun to catch a wave with our creativity and experiment a lot.
What are the challenges you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome them?
I continue to face many challenges, but a big one early on was having trouble with writer’s block. I worked very hard to overcome that through many means – setting goals which I wouldn’t reach, counselling, asking friends to hold me accountable, collaborating with others, and the wonderful book The Artist’s Way.
Between all of those, I eventually did break out of it, which I’m eternally grateful for. My only challenge in this area now, is actually carving out time to write, because the administration of an artistic career if you’re independent can be incredibly time consuming.
Who would be your dream artist to work with and why?
There are so many but currently it’s Sufjan Stevens, Moses Sumney, James Blake, and I want that Rihanna banger!
You hosted a new RTÉ show over the summer ‘The Heart of Saturday Night’ with Una Healy. Can we expect another season of the show? Would you like to do more TV work?
That was such a wonderful show and a dream to work with the gorgeous Úna! We have a winter special which will air on New Year’s, so delighted! I have more TV shows I’ll be doing next year, it’s something I really love and is growing so it’s a real blessing.
What are you working on at the moment? What can we expect from you in the year ahead?
I’m currently working on an album, so that for sure! Daunting and exciting. And planning some beloved gigs for next year. Here’s a big fingers crossed that they happen.
Loah recently hosted the Guinness Storehouse x Other Voices gig, where she performed alongside Bell X1, Maverick Sabre, and Pillow Queens.
You can watch the live stream from the event below:
