Jen O'Brien

Jen O’Brien celebrates women’s contribution to Scottish and Irish society alongside a stellar ensemble of original female artists in latest release Rise Up! (Ar A Guaillí / Air A Guailnean / On Her Shoulders) 

Musician, composer and singer Jen O’Brien has announced the release of On Her Shoulders: an original all female group song, music video and documentary. The multilingual project, which features 13 different artists, exists as a celebration of the immense creativity, talent, skills and value of women working in the music industry, including lyricism, musical composition, production, mastering, photography, videography and visual art. 

Rise Up! (On Her Shoulders, which translates to Ar A Guaillí in Irish or Air A Guailnean in Scottish Gaelic), was created in honour of the Colmcille 1500, celebrating 1,500 years since the birth of St Columba. Known as St Colmcille in Gaelic, his legacy is central to the traditions of Irish and Gaelic culture to transcend borders and inspire cooperation. On Her Shoulders is, therefore, a deeply collaborative multi-disciplinary project that ultimately aims to bring people together from across Scotland and Ireland to celebrate the invaluable role women play within these nations. 

Born in Ireland and a resident of Scotland, Jen beautifully interweaves Irish and Scottish Gaelic voices, showcasing the languages as prominent within modern music composition while lyrically highlighting the historic underrepresentation of women historically to modern day. The project was brought to fruition throughout the global pandemic, and as such represents the strength of effective collaboration between a diverse, genre and generationally spanning host of artists. 

Contributing artists Jen O’Brien, Rosie Bans, Empress MC, Becci Wallace, Jenny Tingle, Freya Giles, Jordan Stewart, Bell Lungs, Ingrid Ewan McRae, Choirstaidh Iona McArthur, Ainsley Hamill, Laura Cunane, and Rebecca Thoby are all champions of their own crafts. Songwriters, music creators and collaborators, those featured on the track have already released an extensive catalogue of previous music from within bands, as solo artists, as live performers and through other creative work such as photography and videography. 

The project is supported through Bòrd Na Gàidhlig Colmcille Fund and Creative Scotland Open Fund.

Photo: IEM Photography