NEW single ‘In Denial’ marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for prodigious Scottish songwriter Christy O’Donnell.
The young star has enjoyed a rollercoaster career thus far; expelled from school when his teachers didn’t believe this dyslexic youngster had written a piece of music so proficient it could be his own work (the school eventually apologised, he left anyway); at 16 he’d earn hundreds of pounds a day busking in Glasgow, with his party trick of playing note-perfect requests from a few bars off a mobile phone; being cast as the lead in a movie after a random meeting with an acting agent; meeting Rufus Wainwright after a gig in Perth and being invited to tour Europe with him; an online relationship with a famous actress; TikTok viral fame for trying on a wedding dress; and now, signing a deal with legendary label Decca and forging a new path for himself.
New track ‘In Denial’ encapsulates all of this early talent and more – an earworm pop song made to be heard on massive stages and complete with rousing blasts of soulful trumpet. With a soulful bluesy sound that sits somewhere between Paolo Nutini and Alabama Shakes, the track is a chance to highlight his incredible vocal range.
It also takes inspiration from a long-distance relationship. “I’m a little bit in love with her, and she’s a little bit in love with me,” he admits. Conducted over social media and phone, the two-year interaction was as long and intense as it was unconsummated and distant – they still haven’t met. The lyrics, accordingly, are dreamily romantic, but punchy too. For all the glory of its chorus, he acknowledges the song “is ultimately pretty brutal”.
Check it out below.
Photo by Reuben Bastiennne-Lewis
