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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Cathal Ryan

Iconic Journey frontman Steve Perry joins The High Kings for new single

The Streets of Kinsale, a unique and fresh folk anthem featuring a trifecta of musical talents, is the latest release by The High Kings.

Written and produced by Glen Power, drummer of The Script, as well as featuring iconic Journey frontman Steve Perry, the single, taken from their forthcoming eighth studio album, is the telling of a true love story.

“It's a heartbreaking story and it’s very well known in Kinsale,” Darren Holden of The High Kings explained.

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“Obviously, it is a very sad story about the ghost of the ‘white lady’ reportedly roaming the streets of Kinsale crying out for her lost love.

“I think when Glen was writing it he captured it so superbly. He’s a great storyteller. The minute he played it for me over in the studio, I mean, it was like listening to a movie, it was just there, I could see it in my mind.”

He added: “Glen called me and said that he had played it for Steve (Perry), who he's been friends with for a few years. I was just flabbergasted.

“I said, ‘Well, what did he think of it?’ And he said ‘He loves it and he wanted to know if you guys would mind him singing on it. Obviously, I was absolutely floored.”

Securing the collaboration of iconic Journey frontman Steve Perry to both sing and produce the harmonies on the track with The High Kings was nothing short of inspirational for the group.

Steve Perry explained that when he first listened to a demo of The Streets Of Kinsale, he thought the “harmonies that belong there were already there. They just hadn't been sung yet.”

Steve said: “I was sent the demo he had done and it was an amazing vocal… the melody is so strong and he sings so beautifully.

“His phrasing, because of the rhythm of the song, his phrasing was so intriguing to me that I just felt, I would love to try to sing with that sort of rhythmic phrasing he's got, which is unique to Darren, and his pitch is gorgeous.”

Steve added: “The harmonies, the way he sang: ‘And our love won't die. It reaches across the ages tonight’. To me the harmonies that belong there were already there. They just hadn't been sung yet.”

The legendary singer continued: “My girlfriend is about as Irish as the word implies. She knew more about the story than I did. So, she went into detail because she's just very hip to what's going on with the complete history of Ireland… and, the story of The Streets Of Kinsale. She knew all the details.

“She filled me in on all the specifics, which really, at that point, locked in the emotion for me in the story that was already there in the melodies that Darren was singing.”

The Streets of Kinsale is out now across all major streaming platforms alongside a music video created by Peter O'Neill.

Together with their forthcoming album release this June, The High Kings will tour the world, taking in dates across Ireland, the UK, Germany, Holland, USA, Canada, the UAE, Australia and many more regions.

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