Geffen Records

Dublin native Carly Hennessy grew up near the banks of the River Liffey, but considering her remarkably soulful voice, it might as well have been the Mississippi. Displaying a musical maturity beyond her seventeen years, Carly's singing effortlessly evokes the spirit of history's greatest soul singers. Having already earned widespread success back home in Ireland, Carly has now set her sights on America, and is nearing completion of her self-titled MCA Records debut.

It all begins with the brash premiere single "I'm Gonna Blow Your Mind." Though Carly has been recording her debut album all over the world (London, New York, and Los Angeles), she remains focused. "My self-discipline comes naturally, she says. "I get bored easily, so I have to keep going."

In addition to her vocals, Carly co-wrote a number of songs on the new album. The album reflects the breadth of Carly's musical taste and talents, from the edgy pop of "Young Love" and the unabashed inner-city funk of "Surface Wound" to the shattering emotional power of the ballad "Rip In Heaven." Says Carly, "I like songs with distinct, interesting lyrics, songs with a deeper musical quality. I want to say things I shouldn't say at my age!"

She's always been both precociously talented and outspoken. Carly's mother was a top Irish fashion model, and before Carly could even walk, her mom had her posing for commercial print ads. The family moved to South Africa for a time, but later returned to Dublin where Carly's music gifts quickly became apparent. "I always wanted to be a singer," she says. "I listened to Chrissie Hynde, Diana Ross, Madonna, Whitney Houston, everyone. I never took voice lessons. It was something that just came naturally."

At age nine, she beat out 2000 other hopefuls for the role of Little Cosette in the international production of the musical "Les Miserables," and by age ten she'd recorded her debut album, a collection of holiday favorites distributed across Ireland and the U.K. titled Carly's Christmas Album. She also co-starred with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in the film Fools of Fortune. At age 12, Carly became one of the most recognized faces in Ireland when she became the model for a massive national print ad campaign for Denny Sausage. "My face," says Carly with a laugh, "was on trucks, billboards, bus stops, Denny packaging, everywhere! It still is."

While some might have envied Carly's successful modeling career, it wasn't what she wanted most. So, at age 15, she and her father/manager Luke Hennessy took a daring gamble: they came to Los Angeles with no contacts and only a demo in hand, hoping to spark label interest. Talk about the luck of the Irish! MCA Records President Jay Boberg heard her sing in his office and signed her on the spot, and the recording of the album got underway.

"I've had so much fun making this album," says Carly. At first, given Carly's enormous vocal presence, it was thought she might try tackling big Whitney-esque ballads, but Carly had something else in mind. "I wanted to be edgier, with more of a rock image," she says. "Jay (Boberg) has put me together with a great team of producers and songwriters to make this happen."

Having spent so much time in the U.S., Carly feels somewhat Americanized, but she remains proudly Irish. "I love everything Irish," she claims. "I go to Irish bars, Irish restaurants. There are big differences between L.A. and Dublin. In Ireland, when I go out for an evening, I don't get home until 6:00 A.M. Here, all the teenagers have big cars, drink loads of coffee and because of curfew, they're home by 11. I'd never heard of a curfew in my life - it's just like on TV!"

In the months ahead, Carly's sure to be staying out late more often than not. She's currently forming a band and planning a string of showcase gigs. A video for "I'm Gonna Blow Your Mind" is near the top of her "to do" list. But most importantly, Carly has made it her missssion to make music her way. "FFFFFor me," she says, "music has to have character. I want to bring back real music and get away from all this synth stuff. The world has gotten too technical; it needs to slow down."

She may get her wish, but only after the world speeds up dramatically for her. Carly Hennessy's enormous talent won't have it any other way.

August 8, 2001