ESSIRAY Rebuilds Her Voice and Redefines Electronic Pop on ‘Make It Happen’

ESSIRAY

ESSIRAY didn’t arrive at electronic music through trend or timing. Her path started in a completely different world. Opera. Structure, discipline and technical precision. Years spent refining control, learning how to shape a voice within a system that leaves little room for deviation. That foundation still sits underneath everything she makes now, even if the surface has changed entirely.

“Consistency… working on your craft every day is probably the biggest thing I took from opera,” she says. It wasn’t just about repetition. It was about learning how to absorb pressure. “You have to learn how to use criticism to grow rather than take it personally.”

That mindset stayed. So did the attention to detail. The understanding of how a voice works, how to control it, and how to push it without breaking. But one part of that world became more important over time. Interpretation.

“With opera… the challenge is to sing it perfectly but still make it your own.” That idea carries directly into her current process. “Now when I’m writing… I’ll record something and ask, how can I make this more me?”

That question sits at the centre of her music. Because everything changed.

A vocal injury forced her to stop. Not gradually, not by choice. Completely. The voice she had built her identity around was no longer reliable. What followed wasn’t immediate reinvention. It was uncertainty.

“There was a long period where my voice was still unstable… I couldn’t fully trust it.” That lack of control reshaped how she approached everything. Performance, writing, even confidence.

The shift didn’t come from a single moment. It came slowly, through rebuilding.

“There was a turning point… when I started doing gigs again and realised I could rely on my voice.” Not in the same way as before, but in a way that worked. “It might never be exactly what it was… but it has its own strength.”

That’s where the change happened. Not replacing what was lost, but understanding what was still possible. That process forced her into production.

What started as a necessity became an identity. Instead of treating the voice as the centrepiece, she began using it as part of the wider arrangement. Texture, harmony, atmosphere. Something that could sit inside the track rather than above it.

“I had to relearn how to use my voice… I can’t access the very top of my range anymore.” That limitation opened new directions. “I started working much more in the lower part of my range… and exploring texture a lot more.”

The approach shifted from perfection to expression.

“In opera… everything is very fixed. Now… I don’t sing a song the same way every time.” That flexibility feeds directly into her sound. Less rigid, more reactive. Built around feeling rather than form.

That same instinct guided her into electronic music. It didn’t happen overnight. It built gradually through listening, DJing and experimentation. But one moment brought everything together.

“I went to a night in Wigwam in Dublin and heard this old-school jungle track… it just really stuck with me.” The next day, still carrying that energy, she started writing. “I found a sample and tried putting my own vocal over it… it just clicked.”

That track became the starting point. Not just for a sound, but for an identity. Jungle, drum and bass, UKG. Genres that allowed space. Space for rhythm, space for voice, space for emotion, without forcing it into a fixed structure.

“I was always drawn to those genres… but it never fully clicked until that moment.”

What they offered was freedom. A way to move away from rigid form and into something more fluid. More instinctive. More aligned with how she now approaches her voice. That instinct carries into her writing process.

“It usually starts with the piano or a sample,” she says. Chords first. Feeling first. “Then I’ll build the drums… and start thinking about lyrics.” Everything develops from that foundation. No rigid structure, just layers building around an initial idea.

That multi-role process, writing, producing, and performing, gives her full control. Not in a restrictive way, but in a way that keeps everything connected. Nothing feels detached from the original idea.

That connection has remained intact even as external attention has grown. Being tipped across Ireland, national radio support, and industry recognition. None of it has shifted the core approach.

“I really appreciate the recognition… but I don’t let it define how I make music.” The reference point stays internal. “Whether I’m getting recognition or not, I’d still be making songs in my bedroom.”

That grounding matters. It allows space for growth without losing direction. Something that became even more important after moving to Paris.

“Moving to Paris has really opened my eyes to a completely different way of approaching music.” The change isn’t just environmental. It’s behavioural. Weekly open mic sessions, live bands, improvisation.

“You just feel the energy… and get lost in it.” That environment feeds directly back into her writing. “It’s made me a lot more free… more open to experimenting.”

That openness extends into collaboration. Working with producers like Chris Benza and Rory Sweeney pushed her further. “It made me more open to experimenting… not being afraid to try things that aren’t obvious.” Seeing how others interpret sound added a new perspective. New possibilities.

At the same time, she’s building space for others too. Curating an all-female electronic showcase at Whelan’s came from a gap she experienced herself. “I felt like there weren’t many chances to perform alongside artists making similar music.” Instead of waiting, she created it.

“It made me realise how important it is to build something that reflects what you want to see.”

That mindset runs through everything. Which brings it back to ‘Make It Happen’.

The track sits as a clear reflection of where she is now. Jungle-leaning rhythm, acoustic bass, layered vocals. A balance of energy and control. Emotion without excess.

At its core, it’s about self-belief. But more than that, it’s about ownership. Taking control of direction rather than waiting for it to appear.

ESSIRAY’s story isn’t linear. It’s shaped by interruption, adaptation and choice.

The voice changed. The approach changed. The sound followed.

But the intent stayed the same. Find something honest. Build around it. Make it your own.

ESSIRAY

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