‘What better way to start the new year than getting completely out of my comfort zone and releasing something nobody expected?’
By Rebecca Lenihan
Limerick hip-hop artist Owen Alfred is back with his latest single ‘Tattoo’.
“The lyrics tell a story of loving a person to the point where you’re either fighting to keep the love afloat or hurting one another,” Alfred tells the Limerick Voice.
The track’s title is a metaphor for this feeling; ‘Although it’s painful, it’s also rewarding and it is with you forever from the moment you get it. I felt that would be relatable to everybody, but of course, the song itself has a deeper meaning.”
The underground Limerick artist makes a point of continuing to progress and release within a demanding industry, and is associated with the city’s revered LMK group.
Since the 2022 release of his second studio album, ‘The Chronicles of Niko PT2’, Alfred has surprised fans with a new vulnerability within his music.
‘I feel like the music speaks for itself. I’m showing another layer of myself that I usually wouldn’t.”
The artist points out the intro to the album’s first track, ‘Problem Child’, in which he addresses the difficulties of being on the road away from his partner; “Every line in that track relates to me deeply as that was the reality of my situation.”
Asked how his sound has changed in the time between album number two and his latest single, Alfred adds, ‘I feel like my music has always had something that cannot be replicated, but this time the style and overall vibe just feels better.
“What better way to start the new year than getting completely out of my comfort zone and releasing something nobody expected?”
There are no doubts about the abundance of talent on offer nationally and particularly in Limerick when it comes to underground artists, and while it is a tight-knit community here, Alfred feels he and his fellow artists could do with more support.
“I feel like Limerick as a community should hold a festival for underground artists or even host more music events in general, because there is a lot of talent in the city – it’s just a matter of hearing them out.’
As if releasing an album and single in the space of a few months wasn’t enough for Alfred, he plans to complete a trilogy of albums by the close of 2023.
“I also have a few collaborative albums coming out with several Irish artists, so keep an eye out for that!” he adds.
Listen to ‘Tattoo‘ here.
