It's been some trip for Markéta Irglová – the movie, the music and the Oscar, of course. So how is she finding life now as a solo artist? She talks to TONY CLAYTON-LEA
You have a debut solo album just out and for the first time you’re playing solo gigs. How is this newfound solo status panning out for you?
“Great, thanks. We recently did gigs with Iron Wine – four so far, but they’re all going well. It’s a very new thing for me, as I’m singing pretty much all of my own material. It’s a huge change . . . When I was singing with The Swell Season, and when we were playing so intensively all of the time I was really enjoying the dynamics of the band. Glen Hansard was the leader and we wrote and sang most of the songs together, but my perception was that Glen was always the leader. I felt very grateful that I got to partake in whatever journey we were experiencing as a group of people, but I didn’t ever have an ambition to break free of that, or do my own thing.
“I felt very comfortable within the dynamic that was established. Yes, I thought I’d eventually make my own record some day, but somehow it came sooner than I thought it would.”
Was there ever a sense of being overwhelmed by Glen’s stature and prowess as a songwriter?
“No, definitely not. I found Glen nothing but inspiring, and very encouraging in me writing my own material – very supportive and always giving me the room to do that, whether on record or in a live context. I think it was more that I really liked the way it was with The Swell Season; I liked accompanying Glen on his songs and colouring his music.”
In the past five or so years your life has changed dramatically, from being a schoolgirl in the Czech Republic to Oscar winner – that’s some trip...
“I’ve treated what has happened to me over the past five years as an incredibly rich learning experience. I’ve had so many different things happen to me that I can extract teachings from, and just learned things about the world and myself. Wonderful opportunities have opened up to me, I’ve met people from all over the world and I’ve shared so much with the people I’ve played with. I feel richer for everything, and that’s the most valuable thing. I’m definitely a product of all the past experiences – I am the person I am because of them. It’s been a very enriching time in my life, and that’s a huge personal plus.”
There’s always a negative side, though, isn’t there?
“Oh, yes... Right after the Oscars, things definitely shifted, and for a while there was a celebrity aspect as well as a public perception of Glen and I. Celebrity is something I have never understood, and never approved of, either. What I always like to achieve with my work is just to be respected for it, and for people to find a way to connect with it.
“That time was difficult to get my head around, and for a while I felt crowded out a bit . . . There was no privacy at all, and I’m the kind of person who likes my space. It took me a while, also, to decide what I thought of it all, which is that I didn’t like it. And, you know, that in itself was a positive experience in that it led to something good...”
Was the surprising success of Once, and the accompanying Oscar, too much too soon?
“Everything that came out of that – the opportunity to get to travel with the movie, to present it to people, to sing the music – is something I’m very grateful for. Not to be would be like spitting into the face of good fortune. Sometimes my enjoyment of the journey was warped by tiredness, lack of space and privacy, but I never took any of it for granted. Actually, the more time that passed the more grateful I became because the better perspective I gained, and I see just how special it was. If it wasn’t for the movie I wouldn’t be talking to you now, or promoting a solo album. And Glen! If it hadn’t been for him, too... He was the one who recommend me to [Once director] John Carney. So I owe everything to Glen seeing some kind of potential in me.”
Anar is released on Anti Records. Markéta Irglová performs at Pepper Canister Church, Dublin, Thursday November 3; Triskel Christchurch, Cork, Friday November 4; St Nicholas’ Church, Galway, Saturday November 5
