Selling out a headliner show only 24 hours after her debut single dropped, emerging artist Lara Fitzsimons is making a splash onto the Dublin music scene. A current BIMM Music Institute Dublin student, Fitzsimons took to the stage with her support bands, Spritz and Teeejuh, to a full crowd in Whelan’s on February 25. Blending a unique indie sound with clear 90s pop influences, Fitzsimons and her band — Matthew Ryan and Ishmael Mehigan on guitar, Sean Ralph on drums, and Isobel Hood on bass — had Whelan’s enthralled with their dynamic stage presence. The crowd itself was enthusiastic, feeding back to Fitzsimons the high energy they received from the stage. Although the setlist included crowd favourites such as Nightshift, Daddy’s Girl, and Favourite, it was clear the crowd was most eager to hear Fitzsimons’s single Smoking Room live for the first time. We were able to catch up with Fitzsimons after the show to discuss her breakthrough on Dublin’s soundscape.
“As a child I spent hours watching music videos and dancing around the sitting room to Pussycat Dolls and Madonna, much to the dismay of my downstairs neighbours”
A born and bred Dubliner, Fitzsimons has been surrounded by music for as long as she can remember. Growing up in a musical household, performing was always a passion for her. She tells us: “As a child I spent hours watching music videos and dancing around the sitting room to Pussycat Dolls and Madonna, much to the dismay of my downstairs neighbours.” Far more interested in doing cartwheels on the side of the pitch than playing soccer, Fitzsimons’s love of performing in the forms of singing, dancing and acting only grew as she got older.
“I think it’s the connection with the audience,” Fitzsimons tells us. “It always makes a huge impact on how I feel on and off stage.” Having relished the anticipation and excitement of going to gigs with her friends growing up, she now feels privileged to be able to live that experience from the other side of the stage. “Being able to write a song in my room and then have a group of strangers sing it back to me is truly incredible.” With her debut single Smoking Room dropping only a day before her Whelan’s show, the crowd’s ability to sing along was truly a gift to Fitzsimons and a testament to the fan base that is growing around her.
“Incorporating her early influences of alternative 90s and pop icons such as Little Mix and Britney, alongside her more contemporary love affair with artists such as Fiona Apple and The Cranberries, Fitzsimons and Geraghty spent the summer playing with the song until it was ready”
“Smoking Room was written over two years and it was the first song I’d written since being in school,” Fitzsimons says. “I was feeling quite lost at this point because I was in my last year of my drama diploma and wasn’t sure where to go next.” Having spent a lot of time at gigs in the Grand Social and Fibber Magees, the song came from a place of wanting to start fresh. An early version of the song came together the morning before an open mic night, and Fitzsimons, armed with an old pink guitar that only had four strings, performed what would become her debut single for the first time. The recording process didn’t start until mid-2024, when Fitzsimons met producer James Geraghty. Incorporating her early influences of alternative 90s and pop icons such as Little Mix and Britney, alongside her more contemporary love affair with artists such as Fiona Apple and The Cranberries, Fitzsimons and Geraghty spent the summer playing with the song until it was ready. “Suddenly it was exactly what I had always wanted it to be, and people were singing the words back to me.”
Having clocked countless rehearsal hours before their Whelan’s gig, Fitzsimons expresses her deep gratitude towards her incredibly talented band. “Honestly I couldn’t have done it without my band,” Fitzsimons laughs. “God love them, they’ve to listen to me every day but they’re the best craic. We had a lot of long rehearsals leading up to the gig, surviving predominantly off of Tangfastics and hope.” Reflecting on her music journey so far, she notes that one of the highlights for her was performing with her band for the first time: “It’s one thing to sing my sad lesbian songs to myself, but having the lads as invested as I am and eager to play them and develop them is a quality feeling.”
Another memorable moment for Fitzsimons so far was her recent mention in Hot Press: “I woke up and saw my face on the Hot Press Instagram and nearly collapsed, and coming from the greatest fan girl, I used to run to Easons for a Hot Press magazine of my favourite bands, so it was a really special moment.”
With a unique sound which could be described as “if Chappell Roan went to The Foggy Dew”, Fitzsimons’s stardom is only growing. Having secured a residency at Axis Ballymun, there are exciting new projects to come from the break-through artist. With a few more gigs in the works, we’re excited to see what comes next.
