30.08.19
Words by:

In her own words, Róisín Murphy reflects on the breathing space that gave her creativity a second wind.

It’s a brand new world when you’ve got two kids. When I returned to finally work on my first album, it was a big moment for me, and a big relief.

After having children, I was just doing the odd track here and there, or putting out singles – which, of course, I’ve been doing again over the last year or so. At the time, people thought I was being strange or difficult, but it was really just a practical thing. I couldn’t take on the responsibility of stepping into an album project when I was busy with a baby. I also thought at the time, ‘Oh you know, it was a song that changed everything, so maybe a single isn’t such a bad idea.’ So I didn’t look back.

Then after I had my second child with my partner Sebastiano, I got back into the groove. My mother-in-law took my two children away to the Bahamas for five weeks – they have a house there, nice for them! – so I just went into the studio every single day for five weeks and at the end of it I had my third album, Hairless Toys.

This facilitated a huge creative and personal breakthrough. I had a lovely sense of structure in this time. I thought, ‘I can finally write songs, and I’ve got plenty of space in my life to be creative, even with the kids around.’ And certainly, there was a fear of leaving them for the first time to really go into a big project, but that subsided as everything fell into place in the studio.

Writing records is totally possible as a mother, but having space definitely helped it all converge. It helped me focus. From where I’m standing, it was perfect. I made music I’ve never made before, and it was totally unique to its own moment, to its own time.

Róisín Murphy’s new single Incapable is out now via Skint Records. Revisit Róisín Murphy’s Crack Mix.