CMAT on the advice she got from Charli XCX, and why 'authenticity' is over-rated

As she gets ready to release her much-anticipated new album of 21st-century country pop, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson talks about the good, the bad and the ugly in the Irish music scene 
CMAT on the advice she got from Charli XCX, and why 'authenticity' is over-rated

CMAT releases her new album in early March. 

When she was 15-years-old, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson saw a picture of the pop star Grimes on the cover of a magazine and decided she wanted to look like her. “I  bought the copy of Hot Press and handed it to my friend, Fiona, who could not cut hair. I was like ‘can you do that to me?’. She cut this side of my hair and that side of my hair. My mother did not look me in the eye for about a week."

Even as a teenager, Thompson got a kick out of standing out from the crowd. A decade later, under the stage name 'CMAT', the young Dubliner is, thanks to her playful, Dolly Parton-tinged pop, poised to become a fully-fledged star.

Already a subscriber? Sign in

You have reached your article limit.

Unlimited access. Half the price.

Annual €120 €60

Best value

Monthly €10€5 / month

More in this section

Scene & Heard

Newsletter

Music, film art, culture, books and more from Munster and beyond.......curated weekly by the Irish Examiner Arts Editor.

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited