HEIDI LEIGH AXTON chats to Irish tunesmith FIONN REGAN about his passion for song and his new album The Shadow Of An Empire.

The story goes that Irish singer/songwriter, Fionn Regan, first became interested in music, when he was knee-high to a Leprechaun. “Whatever age you’re at when your head is below the piano keys, that’s when I knew I would follow a career in music,” he reflects. “The first thing I remember is the piano in the hall at our house. I recall playing the piano and feeling connected to something, that I wasn’t connected to elsewhere. I also found when out walking, I would pass people in the street, and they would sing. I don’t know how that came about, but even today, I walk down the road and people sing, ‘La, de da, de da.’ I think all the indications are there.”

Regan’s new album Shadow of an Empire, almost didn’t happen due to differences of opinion with his then record label. Not wanting to be squeezed into a certain box he made the difficult decision to walk away. “I’d begun recording with producer Ethan Johns. He was known for working with people like Bryan Adams and Kings Of Leon and I was delighted to record with him. Lost Highway Records in America wasn’t satisfied with it, so those particular sessions never saw the light of day. I moved on and rented a factory space in Ireland. It had rooms full of telephones and switchboards that didn’t work anymore and was quite an atmospheric place to record. I see The title, The Shadow of an Empire, as a positive and negative thing. For people who have fair complexions, a shadow is a friend to them. Then there’s another shadow that’s cast from a man made thing, like a wall obstructing someone’s view. The record shows both sides of the shadow.”

What does he say to fans who see this record as a dramatic shift from previous recordings? “People who come to see me play my show; they’ve heard these songs. They know and understand them. If some people just listen to the records, and that’s all they have, they might feel there’s a shift, but the shift is a positive thing. It’s only mirroring the way I feel and you can only write about the way you feel. I’d be a liar if I tried to replicate the last record.”

Is there more a sense of achievement, having produced it himself? “No, producing for me is like I’m the only guy on the ship and there’s nobody at the wheel, so I have to grab the wheel, otherwise I’m heading for the rocks. I will say though when you are your own producer it’s an energy not to be meddled with. No one can pull you in the wrong direction and get you confused … But I hope one day I find someone like George Martin [Beatles producer] who will help me make the crossing. It’s not like I don’t want that. I realise though that if I sit around waiting for it time ticks on. Time doesn’t wait for anybody.”

THE SHADOW OF AN EMPIRE is out now through Speak n Spell/Inertia. www.myspace.com/fionnregan

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