Born in Cork to a musical family, O’Regan signed to a major label when he was just 16 years old after his band won a radio competition. “I was absolutely terrible to begin with, to be honest,” he recalls now. “I definitely appreciated those early experiences of working with professional songwriters.” Yet, as is shamefully too often the case with major labels, O’Regan’s career was put on hold; his debut project stalled, and he was eventually dropped after four years.
So Nathan upped sticks and moved to Belfast, where he began making a name for himself on the local live circuit. “There was always a gig on, and it was a good way to make money, while also cutting my teeth with live performances,” he explains. “I feel like a lot of musicians might hold back, waiting for the right kind of venue or something, but I really just wanted to play anywhere that’d have me.” He was inspired by how many like-minded, talented artists he came across: “Belfast definitely punches above its weight,” he says, “there are so many world-class players.”
Last year O’Regan signed to the Belfast-based independent label Zenith Cafe. “It feels like a momentous thing. I’ve been working towards this for almost half my life. It feels like an introduction of sorts, or starting from the very beginning.”
His early signing was “an amazing experience creatively”, he says, but also “a bit of a learning curve – it made me realise that a lot of people in this industry have no idea what they’re doing.”
He’s considerably more at home on Zenith Cafe: “It’s very DIY, we’re all working together, and they’re just really generous and supportive – everyone’s very passionate about music”.
Nathan’s Olive Branch Tour kicks off in late September and will cover UK & Ireland.
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