Stephanie Rainey: 'Sometimes things just don't come through, no matter how hard you work'

Stephanie Rainey's career in music started with a performance in front of her school peers, and has brought her to the biggest lights, reaching the quarter-finals of America's Got Talent. But, despite viral moments and record deals, the road ahead still isn't easy she tells Molly Cantwell 

Songwriter and singer Stephanie Rainey at the River Lee Hotel, Cork. Picture: David Creedon

It’s been been an exciting year for Cork’s Stephanie Rainey. From an America’s Got Talent viral audition to gearing up for her first EP launch — the singer has a lot to smile about when we meet via zoom. But, it’s been a long road.

For those familiar with the industry – like Rainey who has been a working musician for more than a decade – it won’t come as a surprise that even reaching the heights of a show like America’s Got Talent and scoring millions of hits on TikTok doesn’t automatically equal commercial and financial success.