Who are you listening to at the moment?
In my spare time, I’ve been really enjoying Aimee Mann’s most recent album, Mental Illness. I love listening to electronic ambient music in the evenings, and upbeat music during the day! I try to listen to as many different types of music as possible, and have recently been listening to a lot of Dubstep.
In my weekly Irish music radio show on Raidio na Life 106.4fm, I always play incredible Irish artists and have been loving Ae Mak, Ryan Vail, and Beauty Sleep! I love working with Raidio na Life, I’m just back from being a correspondent for them and doing my own DJ sets at Electric Picnic, which has so many talented musicians and performers!
What do you love about Dublin?
The music scene has exploded in the city over the past few years, it’s brimming with creativity! I love all of the venues supporting the music scene and up and coming musicians. I feel very at home when I’m at college. Between the enchanted side streets, flowery landscapes, and overall laid-back atmosphere- it’s hard to not fall in love with that part of the city!
Funnily enough, my mum went to school in the now Coombe building of BIMM, so I can’t help but feel connected to it! Both my parents are from Dublin, specifically Finglas and the Liberties. I appreciate being able to feel grounded in my surroundings while in class!
I love how connected everything is in the city, and how you can walk everywhere! Having Dublin as my campus, there are so many quirky cafe’s and shops you’d never find unless you stumbled upon them while lost! There’s so much history and culture embedded in every corner, you’ll never run out of new things to learn about the town!
Why Songwriting?
I started as a singer/songwriter on an acoustic guitar and now love playing electronic music with a twist. I find my inspiration in poetry, mythology, and the rollercoaster of emotions I tend to feel on a day-to-day basis. Mixing the electronic vibe with my inspirations and often Celtic melodies, I decided to go with the artist name ‘NIMF.’
I’ve always enjoyed languages and my favourite was always studying English. I especially loved creative writing and analysing poetry in school, which led to me writing my own poems in secret. It took a very long time for me to gain the confidence to write my first song, but once I did, I knew it was right for me. BIMM was and is still my dream college, and I wanted to do everything I could to make sure I’d get in, as I wasn’t very confident my songs would be good enough.
While in 5th year in school, I took a FETAC Communications Course so I could apply for BIMM and audition for their CPD Songwriting course, as I was told that if you didn’t get in the first time you’ll be more likely the second. To my surprise, I was accepted! It was quite a tough year doing my Leaving Cert while also studying the Diploma in BIMM every Friday, but it was worth it! I finally felt I had a goal in life and felt I belonged.
It was and still is amazing to be rewarded for my own thoughts and ideas! I adore singing and playing instruments, but being able to see my own ideas come to fruition is a wonderful feeling.
Find out what it’s really like studying Songwriting here at BIMM.
