Belfast-based musician Jess Brien has joined Belfast Live for a session where she showcases three original songs.
The 28-year-old is joined by Kyle McCann on guitar and Henrique 'Blackjack' Franco on drums and music production.
You can watch the full session filmed by Belfast Live's Harry Bateman at Margot above, and we caught up with Jess below to hear more about her.
Tell us who you are and who you’re performing with.
I’m Jess Brien and I’m playing with the very talented Kyle McCann on guitar and Henrique ‘Blackjack’ Franco on drums and sound engineering.
Tell us about the four songs you’ve performed for your Belfast Live Session.
I chose three of my own songs that I have written with Parlour Moon, produced by local two piece made up of Jonny Erne and Owen Ferguson (Owsey). The three songs of my own included the two unreleased tracks Drowning in Love and Provoked Anticipation which I wrote last year and also Baby’s Blue which is already released.
And of course, Dua Lipa ‘Don’t Start Now’ because it is such a fun track!
What’s your most recent release and have you anything coming up that people can look out for?
Baby’s Blue we released a few months before the pandemic which you can check out on Spotify.
I’ll be releasing the other two tracks by the end of the year.
What do you think of Northern Ireland’s music scene as a whole?
I love the Northern Ireland music scene, there are so many incredibly talented musicians but what’s such a shame is not having enough music venues.
However, we are so lucky to have the bars that we do. Clover Group have been a fantastic support to me and have provided me with continuous opportunities to play live.
How has lockdown impacted you as a musician?
Pre-pandemic I had some really exciting projects on the go and played live at least three times a week, so to go from that to have nothing has been really tough.
Especially this time last year when we were in the first lockdown, we were all just trying to get to grips of doing sessions online.
Needless to say, it’s definitely not the same as performing to a live audience.
Where can people find more from you?
You can find me on Spotify, Facebook and Instagram.
