Fresh off his triumph as the recipient of the prestigious New Local Hero Award 2024, Calum Agnew has released his powerful new single ‘Anymore'.
With vocal tones and instrumentation reminiscent of artists such as Raye, Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse, and with the aid of his seven-piece band – comprising Jamie Dalton on keys, Harry Luck on drums, Patrick Griffin on guitar, Glen Feely on bass, Evan Gerry on saxophone and Lily May Craig and Shauna Byrne on backing vocals - the new song, “is inspired by a previous love interest I had,” Calum Agnew says.
"It was complicated, but I think most people will agree that love is quite complicated. You’ve got to know when to let go. When I did, it was freeing. I had my life back again. I guess after some time had passed, I was still angry at myself for wasting so many months being fixated on this fantasy of a life with someone else, rather than living my own. "Writing ‘Anymore’ was my way of expressing that anger. It was a final goodbye and a definite throwing away of that key,” he adds.
An initiative of Ireland's Classic Hits Radio with Hot Press and the other 20 participating Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, A New Local Hero is a key element in Irish Music Month, a major promotion of Irish music and Irish musicians, supported by Coimisiún na Meán.
With the expertise of acclaimed producer and arranger Cian Boylan (Bono, The Villagers) and mixer Ruadhri Cushnan (Ed Sheeran and Mumford & Sons), the single was recorded at their Camden Recordings Studios, Dublin.
"It was especially difficult selecting a winner for A New Local Hero on this occasion,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes says. “The standard was incredibly high overall. But in the end, it was really striking that – after due deliberation – the decision of the judges was unanimous. Everyone could see that Calum Agnew has real star quality. He writes superb, extremely catchy soul-pop songs that have genuine depth. His vocals are great. And he has surrounded himself with a band of brilliant musicians, who blasted out the material on the night with real verve and panache. This single is a genuine statement of intent, confirming that he has what it takes to go all the way. I have a feeling that it won’t be long before he’s selling out huge venues, so let’s get behind Calum now, and speed him on his way."
Calum wrote his first song when he was 9 years old. The Dublin-based artist had his first sold-out headline show in the Beehive Bow in London 2021, and since then has performed in numerous major venues across the country including the Whelan’s 'Ones to Watch Festival’, Electric Picnic, a sold-out Workman's Cellar show in January, his headline show in Whelan’s Main Room on March 5th of this year, supporting Róisín O on her Irish tour in Opium on November 8th and opening for Tolü Makay at her MCD Whelan’s headline show on November 21st.
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