If this stunning 26-year old’s voice sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve definitely heard it on some of your favourite shows before! At the utterly glam Littlewoods A/W 2021 fashion and lifestyle season launch, Soulé, Ireland’s rising star, shone as she performed for one of the first times in a long 18 months of lockdown.
Her newest single, ‘Queenish’ is featured on Littlewoods latest ad campaign which is all about confidence and making the world your catwalk, making Soulé’s music the perfect choice! Featuring all your autumn/winter classics and statement trend pieces, their fashion lines are for stepping out as your best self and feeling ‘Queenish’! We’re all set to shine our way into the new season with their latest collection.
Corina Gaffey, style journalist, shared her top tips for styling their versatile and wearable collection, commenting on Littlewood’s commitment to diversity. “With such a huge selection of brands from high-street to designer in sizes 6-40 the edit is not only accessible but versatile. As a stylist, I really believe that versatility is paramount, what you see here are pieces that can adapt from the weekend to workwear, an answer to the hybrid work situations that are arising the lead into the festive season.”
The fashion edit launched today in Dublin’s newest and most sought-after hotspot, Pink Restaurant, where we were treated to a live performance from the queen of confidence herself. All about power and girlbossing, Soulé has rocked the Irish music scene since she first stepped on its stage back in 2017. Nominated for Irish song of the year with her first ever single, she’s rocketed to new heights since, with her song featured on 2019’s Love Island, performing at Longitude and Body and Soul as well as having her music featured in several recent Irish films, including the phenomenally successful ‘Herself’.
We caught up with the vocal star of Littlewood’s latest campaign to talk all things confidence, female power and what’s next for the rising star.
To any outsider, it looks like you’ve shot to fame as an overnight sensation, but of course, this isn’t the case. Tell us about the hard work that goes on behind the scenes that sends you from being a relative unknown to performing at the likes of Longitude and Body and Soul?
It did take a long time, it wasn’t just one track that made me blow up. It took a lot of hard work as well as the great support system in my family, friends and the team in the music industry. Getting to the point where everybody knows my music and with the success of ‘Love Tonight’, is something I’m so grateful for. Getting that Vavavoom ad placing really did so much for me. And that’s all off the back of Ireland pushing me out there, the Irish brand that put the song on the ad and just the support that I’ve gotten from the Irish music industry, which has been amazing.
Was this always the plan? From a young age, were you seeing yourself going in this direction?
It was always the plan. I went to uni, I studied Tourism and Law and I did want to experience the whole university side of things so that’s what I did. I met amazing people there and had a great time, but music was always in my heart. I sang from a young age, I wrote my first song when I was nine – which no should ever hear! But I always had that itch, it was always in me to perform and sing.
I’m my most comfortable when I’m on stage, so that was always the plan in the back of my mind anyway. I think my parents had a different plan for me! But my mum said when I graduated, ‘I’ll give you one year to really get out there with your music.’ And that’s when I released Love No More’ which a few months later was nominated for Irish song of the year. So my debut song made my mum feel like ‘Okay, maybe you can do this.’
Your songs ‘Queenish’ and ‘What Do You Know’, they have this very ‘girlboss’ vibe to them. They’re powerful, they’re confident - is that what girlboss means to you? Is it an attitude, a state of mind?
I think every woman has that boss in her even when we’re down. We go through heartbreak as women and you have that moment where you think okay, let me cry for a week, feel the feels of being dumped. And then that moment when you think, okay, snap out of it. Let me put my makeup on and go out with the girls and feel alive again. And that to me is the definition of a girlboss.
It doesn’t have anything to do with being successful money-wise, it’s just how you carry yourself when you go through something negative. How you pick yourself up, to me, is the true definition of a woman being powerful. That’s what ‘Queenish’ is about.
In all your videos, you come across really strong and confident– is that how you feel in real life?
Definitely. You kind of tap into something when you’re on camera. It’s funny because naturally off camera, I’m quite introverted, I’m really shy. But once I’m on stage or on camera I just tap into this moment where I feel beautiful, I feel sexy and I want to exude that. That’s when I’m most comfortable. But after that, I just want to get home, get in my PJs, and put on some Netflix or Love Island.
What advice would you give to young aspiring female Irish artists based on your own journey?
For me the one thing I always say is always be true to yourself, don’t lose yourself. Whatever decisions get made, you should have the final say. That’s really important because at the end of the day, you are the face of your art. No matter what happens in ten years time, you might have different management, or director, but the person that stays consistent is you. So stay true to yourself and be sure to have the right team of people around you who really support you and believe in what you want, not what you need to be.
You write all your own lyrics. Do you ever feel really vulnerable talking about those experiences of heartbreak?
I write more about my experiences than my background. Like dating, boys, just life. I watch a lot of movies too, so sometimes a synopsis of a movie makes me think it would be an interesting topic to write about, so that’s kind of how I get my inspiration as well.
But I think I do feel vulnerable, and that’s also what I love about being an artist. There’s no shame in our vulnerability and I think there’s power in being vulnerable and being transparent with people. Because everyone goes through stuff and we have the opportunity to put music to our experiences and connect with thousands of people who are thinking ‘This is exactly how I felt but I didn’t know how to word it!’ I love being vulnerable, I’m such an emotional person and I let it all out in my music! It’s not a shameful thing to me – there’s power in it.
So what’s next for Soulé?
More music. I’m releasing new music this year in 2021, and in 2022, we’re just going to keep going up!
Check out Littlewood's A/W fashion and lifestyle range here for all the latest trends in fashion, tech, homeware and more to put your best fashion foot forward into the new season!
