RAHENY, CO. DUBLIN

2008 -

OVERVIEW Padraig Rushe is an Irish born, retro-soul singer. A seasoned performer and published songwriter, Rushe spent years honing his craft as a former soloist with the renowned Dublin Gospel Choir, for whom he also wrote and arranged music. Over the last eight years he has released three albums with the group, performed at major music festivals and worked with some of the biggest names in Irish and international music including the late James Brown, Damien Rice, Declan O’Rouke, Glen Hansard, Paddy Casey, Lisa Hannigan, Nitin Sawhney, Paul Noonan (BellX1) and The Hot House Flowers. Having left the Dublin Gospel Choir in January 2008 to pursue an independent solo career, Rushe became the first unsigned Irish artist to earn a place on MTV’s ‘Get Seen, Get Seen:The Contenders’ in May 2008. The competition saw his music showcased on MTV 1, MTV Hits and TMF over a three month period following selection by MTV industry judges and over 200,000 online voters. Shortly afterwards he was awarded a Music Bursary from the Irish Arts Council and began recording his debut album Greyworld in earnest. The album is produced by Pat Donne (Paddy Casey – Amen 1999) and released on independent label Loud Child Records. With a distinctive voice that critics have compared to Luther Van Dross, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley and Bill Withers, Rushe’s music moves effortlessly between genres while maintaining a firm rooting in the retro-soul of America, where he spent much of his childhood. This, in addition to his soaring vocals & commitment to live performance all add up to make him a ‘must see’ live act for 2009 and an artist to watch for the future. 2009 - Release of 'Gonna Be A Change' single [23 January] - Release of 'Greyworld' album [06 March] - Release of 'New House Rising' single [22 May]