“People have miscategorised me a little bit,” says singer-songwriter CMAT when we catch up with her just after her set at Primavera Sound Barcelona. Though “it is my own fault, because I love to refer to myself as a ‘big fat popstar’, ’cause it’s really funny,” she admits, breaking into a wicked smile, teeth jewels glinting in the moonlight.
So, if she isn’t a “pop” star, who is CMAT? Well, she’s many things. When she’s not using her stage acronym, she’s Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, but you’re more likely to know her has the “preposterously fun” (a Guardian-confirmed accolade) Irish Euro-country artist with the unique ability to simultaneously tug at your heartstrings while making it impossible not to dance. That comes courtesy of her addictive fusion of deeply emotive lyrics and upbeat, country-esque tracks. Couple that with her joyous, honest and unmistakably warm personality and it’s official: CMAT is someone you instantly want to be friends with.
Just take her recent sets at Primavera (candid, playful, energetic) and Glastonbury (where she had the entire Pyramid stage crowd dancing along with her and her band) as proof – she has that rare ability to bring people together and form a sense of community, however temporary, through her music. And if you missed out on those shows, don’t worry: her festival season is still underway, with appearances across Europe at the likes of Way Out West (Sweden), All Points East (London) and Lowlands Festival (Netherlands) taking place over summer, before she performs a series of record-store shows to promote her new album.
Speaking of which, her upcoming third record Euro-Country (out 29 August) marks a turn for CMAT, musically speaking. “It’s me trying to define my sound,” she says, referencing her self-coined “Euro country” genre, which sees her mix a lot of different genres together to create a blend of country that feels very much her.
So, in our quest to become best mates with CMAT (who wouldn’t?), Service95 tapped into her brilliant brain to uncover her ultimate Culture List. From the shoes she’s worn non-stop for years to the fictional world she’d happily step into, the film she has on repeat that still sparks her creativity – and why the UK’s national-treasure-slash-unfiltered-icon Miriam Margolyes is top of her dream dinner guest list – it’s all here. Watch the full video below...
Euro-Country by CMAT is out 29 August and is available to pre-order here
