Orla Gartland

Orla Gartland, born on February 3, 1995, in Dublin, Ireland, began her musical journey at an early age. She started playing violin and fiddle at five and guitar at twelve. In 2009, she launched her YouTube channel, “MusicMaaad”, where she posted covers and original songs, including her first original, “Green Eyed Monster”. During her teenage years, Gartland busked on the streets of Dublin, forming friendships with other musicians. Her early career saw her open for acts like Ryan O’Shaughnessy and Nina Nesbitt in 2012. That same year, she released her debut single “Devil on my Shoulder”, which reached number 2 on the Ireland singer-songwriter chart.

Her career progressed with the release of her four-song EP “Roots” in November 2013, with the title track becoming Apple iTunes “Single of the Week” in the UK and Ireland. She toured extensively in support of this EP in 2014, performing across Ireland and the United Kingdom. Gartland’s second EP, “Lonely People”, released in 2015, garnered critical acclaim for its blend of funk and alt-pop. After a brief hiatus from solo releases, she returned in 2018 with singles like “I Go Crazy” and “Between My Teeth”, followed by EPs “Why Am I Like This?” in 2019 and “Freckle Season” in 2020. Songs from these EPs, such as “Why Am I Like This?” and “Heavy”/”Did It to Myself”, were featured in popular media, including the Netflix series “Heartstopper” and the BBC Three adaptation of “Normal People”.

In 2021, Gartland released her debut studio album, “Woman on the Internet”, which marked a significant milestone, reaching number 3 on the Irish album chart, number 1 on the UK Indie Chart, and number 10 on the UK Albums Chart. The album, co-produced with Tom Stafford, involved her live band for the first time. She conceptualized a fictional character for the album, describing the ‘woman on the internet’ as a ‘modern-day wizard-of-oz’. This period also saw notable collaborations, including co-writing K-pop band BTS’s song “134340” in 2018. More recently, in 2023, she co-founded the group Fizz with Dodie, Greta Isaac, and Martin Luke Brown, releasing their debut album “The Secret to Life”. Her second solo studio album, “Everybody Needs a Hero”, is slated for release in October 2024.