Camille O'Sullivan

Last updated

Camille O'Sullivan
Born London, England
Origin Dublin, Ireland
Genres Alternative rock, baroque pop
Occupation(s)Singer, musician, actress
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active2000–present
LabelsLittle Cat Records [1]
Website camilleosullivan.com

Camille O'Sullivan is an Irish singer, musician, and actress. O'Sullivan is known for her unique, dramatic musical style and covers of artists such as Radiohead, Tom Waits, and David Bowie. [2] [3] As an actress, O'Sullivan has appeared in Mrs Henderson Presents , Rebellion , and Pick Ups. [4]

Contents

Early life

O'Sullivan was born in London, to Denis O'Sullivan, an Irish racing driver and world champion sailor, and Marie-José, a French artist. [5] She was raised in the town of Passage West, County Cork. [5] After finishing secondary school, O'Sullivan studied Fine Art at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. [6] She dropped out of her course after a year because she felt "if I study any more that might kill my love for it." [5] On her parents' advice, she enrolled in University College Dublin [6] and studied architecture for four years. Whilst in UCD, she became known as "the singing architect" as she performed in all available university productions [5] and was a member of Dramsoc. [7]

O'Sullivan took a year off from her studies[ citation needed ] and moved to Berlin, Germany, where she worked at an architect's office. During her time in Berlin, she regularly attended local cabaret clubs [5] and began listening to the narrative music of Hanns Eisler, Kurt Weill and Friedrich Hollaender. Upon returning to Ireland, she met Agnes Bernelle, a mentor who encouraged her to sing, saying "to do this right, you have to be a better actress than a singer, it's all about the story." [5] She graduated from University College Dublin with first class honours [8] and the highest marks at the university in a decade. [9] O'Sullivan then continued to work as an architect, winning an Architectural Association of Ireland award in the process, [10] [11] [12] while continuing to perform in local clubs at night.

Career

In 1999, O'Sullivan was involved in a near-fatal car crash, in which she suffered a head fracture, [5] her pelvis was fractured in six places, her hips displaced and the tendons in her hand were shredded. [6] It was months before she could walk again, and she was hospitalised for a year; she still has a metal plate in her pelvis. [5] The accident encouraged her to follow her dream of singing and she performed her first show after the accident while still on crutches. [5]

After being spotted by Ewen Bremner performing La Clique in The Famous Spiegeltent, O'Sullivan appeared as the vaudeville star Jane in the film Mrs Henderson Presents , directed by Stephen Frears, opposite Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. [13] [14] She and Will Young are also on the soundtrack to the movie.

O'Sullivan has stated:

I feel it’s necessary to not just do things to please ... I sometimes worried about that in the past. I thought, 'If I don’t want to alienate people, I shouldn’t perform difficult provocative dark songs'. But I would have given up if I’d stayed doing Dietrich and Piaf in a studied way, that cafe-cabaret version, where you’re making it easy instead of pushing yourself. [7]

In 1994, she performed in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at University College, Dublin. [7]

Discography

Studio albums
Live albums

Personal life

O'Sullivan was in a relationship with The Waterboys' lead singer Mike Scott, [15] [16] with whom she has a daughter, Leila Élodie born in 2013. [17] [18] Since 2014, she has been in a relationship with actor Aidan Gillen. [19] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camille Souter</span> British-born Irish artist (1929–2023)

Camille Souter was a British-born Irish abstract and landscape artist. She lived and worked on Achill Island and was a Saoi of Aosdána.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth McGovern</span> American actress (born 1961)

Elizabeth Lee McGovern is an American actress. She has received many awards and nominations, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, three Golden Globe Award nominations, and one Academy Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Scott (Scottish musician)</span> Scottish songwriter and musician (born 1958)

Michael Scott is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the founding member, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of rock band The Waterboys. He has also produced two solo albums, Bring 'Em All In and Still Burning. Scott is a vocalist, guitarist and pianist, and has played a large range of other instruments, including the bouzouki, drums, and Hammond organ on his albums. Scott is also a published writer, having released his autobiography, Adventures of a Waterboy, in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aidan Gillen</span> Irish actor (born 1968)

Aidan Murphy, better known as Aidan Gillen, is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of three Irish Film & Television Awards and has been nominated for a British Academy Television Award, a British Independent Film Award, and a Tony Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Fitzgerald (politician)</span> Irish politician (born 1950)

Frances Fitzgerald is an Irish politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency from July 2019 to July 2024. She is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party. She previously served as Tánaiste from 2016 to 2017, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation from June 2017 to November 2017, Minister for Justice and Equality from 2014 to 2016, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from 2011 to 2014 and Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad from 2007 to 2011. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1992 to 2002 and 2011 to 2019. She was also a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2007 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam (Jacques Brel song)</span> 1964 song by Jacques Brel

"Amsterdam" is a song by Jacques Brel. It combines a powerful melancholic crescendo with a rich poetic account of the exploits of sailors on shore leave in Amsterdam. Musically, it takes its base melody line from the melody of the English folk song Greensleeves.

<i>Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris</i> Musical revue

Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway production ran for four years and spawned international and regional productions, as well as a West End production and Off-Broadway revival, among others. A film adaptation was released in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Hannigan</span> Irish musician

Lisa Margaret Hannigan is an Irish musician, singer, composer, and voice actress. She began her musical career as a member of Damien Rice's band. Since beginning her solo career in 2007 she has released three albums: Sea Sew (2008), Passenger (2011), and At Swim (2016). Hannigan's music has received award nominations both in Ireland and the United States. Hannigan also received attention in North America for her role as Blue Diamond in Steven Universe, an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarlath Regan</span> Irish comedian and podcaster (born 1980)

Jarlath Regan is an Irish comedian and podcaster. A former graphic design consultant, he began his stand-up comedy career in 2003 and by the end of 2004 was a finalist for three major UK comedy newcomer awards: So You Think You're Funny, BBC New Comedy Awards and the Chortle Student Comedian of the Year. While attending University College Dublin, he was auditor of the Literary and Historical Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imelda May</span> Irish singer and musician (born 1974)

Imelda Mary Higham, professionally known as Imelda May, is an Irish singer, songwriter, television presenter and multi-instrumentalist. She is known for her musical style of rockabilly revival and has also been compared to female jazz musicians such as Billie Holiday.

Beverley O'Sullivan was an Irish singer and actress from Dublin. She was killed in a traffic collision in India in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Clique</span> Cabaret show

La Clique is a cabaret/variety show with Australian roots first conceived for the 2004 season of The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was originally performed in The Famous Spiegeltent with a small circular stage at fringe festivals, but since 2008 it was also performed for extended periods in permanent theatres keeping the same characteristic stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Soirée</span>

La Soirée is a cabaret/variety show presented by Brett Haylock, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin that debuted in London in October 2010 to rave reviews. The show features a number of artists who previously appeared in La Clique, a variety show co-created by Brett Haylock. Haylock was also the Creative Producer of La Clique. La Soirée is traditionally presented with a small, circular red stage as its centerpiece, with the audience sitting in rows surrounding the stage. The show features a rotating cast of approximately 25 artists, with the acts varying from night to night.

<i>Calvary</i> (2014 film) 2014 Irish film by John Michael McDonagh

Calvary is a 2014 drama film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. It stars Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran, Domhnall Gleeson, M. Emmet Walsh and Isaach de Bankolé. The film began production in September 2012 and was released in April 2014 in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, in July in Australia and in August 2014 in the United States.

<i>Changeling</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Camille OSullivan

Changeling is the second studio album by the Irish rock musician Camille O'Sullivan, released on 4 February 2012 on Little Cat Records.

Cara O'Sullivan was an Irish coloratura soprano singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Grogan</span> Irish Singer-Songwriter

Janet Grogan is an Irish singer and songwriter. She comes from Dublin, Ireland.

Anne Bushnell was an Irish jazz and blues singer and cabaret performer.

<i>Barber</i> (film) 2023 Irish film

Barber is a 2023 Irish thriller film starring Aidan Gillen. The film is written by Fiona Bergin and Fintan Connolly, produced by Bergin and directed by Connolly. It premiered at the 2023 Dublin International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jess Kavanagh</span> Musical artist

Jess Kavanagh also known as Jess Kav, is an Irish musician and activist based in Dublin. She was the lead singer of the musical band BARQ until 2020. Formerly, she was a touring member of The Waterboys and a backing vocalist for the Irish musician Hozier.

References

  1. ↑ itunes. "Changeling on Little Cat Records". iTunes . Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Revesz, Rachel (12 April 2016). "Meet Camille O'Sullivan, the eccentric and dramatic Irish singer people can't stop talking about". The Independent. New York. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  3. ↑ "Camille O'Sullivan: Feel". Under the Radar Festival Archive. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  4. ↑ "Bio". Camille O'Sullivan. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bob Flynn (10 August 2008). "In the spotlight: How Camille O'Sullivan sashayed from the drawing board to the cabaret stage – Features – Theatre & Dance – The Independent". The Independent . Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 Flynn, Bob (2 August 2008). "The Seductress". The Herald .
  7. 1 2 3 Mick Heaney (26 November 2006). "A singer who went to Brel and back – Times Online". The Sunday Times . Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Archived from using Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ McCormick, Neil (6 August 2012). "Camille O'Sullivan, interview: don't call me burlesque". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  9. ↑ Davis, Clive (25 July 2009). "No femme is more fatale than Camille O'Sullivan [published in print under the title: That's why the lady is a vamp.]". The Times. No. 69897. p. 6-7 [Saturday Review]. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "AAI Awards 2000 | Architectural Association of Ireland". architecturalassociation.ie. January 2000. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "Camille O'Sullivan prowls the stage in The Changeling". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "City landscape scale projects 'entirely missing' from annual awards winners". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  13. ↑ Dwyer, Ciara (4 December 2005). "The last of the great romantics". Independent.ie. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Bio". camilleosullivan.com. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "The Waterboy's Girl Is Over The Moon". The Irish Times. 9 June 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  16. ↑ "Bard Work Pays Off For Camille". Irish Echo. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  17. ↑ "Ladies on their marker at Bobbi Brown launch". Irish Independent. 9 March 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "Fated To Become A Femme Fatal". Irish Independent. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  19. ↑ Smith, Andrea. "Aidan Gillen and Camille O'Sullivan's dream Dublin home finally ready". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  20. ↑ "'He is such a wonderful person and is incredible with me and Lila' - Camille O'Sullivan on boyfriend Aidan Gillen". independent. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.