Larissa Tormey

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LARISSA'S NEW PROJECT IS 'SLIGHTLY MAD'

The latest release from singer/songwriter LARISSA TORMEY is sure to have fans and listeners thinking she's ever so slightly mad...but in the best possible way! Larissa's creative spark has been anything but diminished by the strangeness of the last year, and with 2021 only midway through its fourth month, Larissa, remarkably, is about to release her third single! That in itself sounds slightly mad, and so it should too, because that's what her forthcoming single is also called.

SLIGHTLY MAD, which is scheduled for release across all platforms on April 17th, will be the latest installment from an album of original material that Larissa began work on last year. Highlighting the Russian-born and Kilbeggan based artist's amazing versatility, Slightly Mad follows on from her single Black Cat - a funky, jazz infused number - which preceded it in 2020. Larissa, who has built up a loyal fanbase of Irish country music fans, is currently working on this album of original contemporary songs in parallel with her latest country projects, and she's enjoying the back-and-forth between both.

"It keeps things interesting and exciting for me as a writer, that's what I find. I have always believed that old saying, that there are only two kinds of music; good and bad! So what concerns me first of all and most of all, is writing a good song. But if I'm doing that for a new country album, I take a slightly different approach because I have to be aware of my audience and what they like and what I hope they will enjoy. Writing a song like 'Slightly Mad' can be more of an adventure, there's a greater sense of freedom in how you can express yourself. So you can go slightly mad if you want to! [laughs]."

Making sure that her fans won't be left wanting for new music to enjoy, Slightly Mad will become her third single in almost as many months. Just last month the Jon Philibert penned One Man Band hit radio and music libraries across Ireland and the UK, and indeed beyond as well. Londoner Philibert is the man responsible for writing what became - and remains - Tom Jones's longest ever country charting record, the beautifully titled, I've Been Rained On Too. The song became a top-ten for the Welsh legend in 1984, going on to hold a place on the Billboard Country chart for a staggering twenty-two weeks. Getting her musical year underway in February was the traditional country flavoured Agree To Disagree, a duet with the respected and prolific British country songwriter Dave Sheriff. The multi-instrumentalist performed at the famous Wembley Country Music Festival in the 1970s, and also worked with the American country legend Don Gibson, and toured with both Patsy Montana and Slim Whitman.

In fact, Slightly Mad will actually be her fourth single of the year if you include Larissa's involvement in the double number-one Reach Out, which featured over eighty stars of Irish country music. With 2021 not yet having reached its halfway point, Larissa can also look back on two Hot Press Award nominations, one for Female Artist of the Year, and another for Best Songwriter.

Asked if she intends to keep this pace up for the remainder of the year, Larissa saw an opportunity to poke a little fun at herself, remarking, "Well, I'm slightly mad enough to try!"