This Friday, September 26, join some of Irish pop’s leading lights for a special streamed event presented by Pop Emergencies as part of MusicTown 2020.

Even in lockdown, Ireland’s pop scene is thriving, with a number of acts continuing to push the genre in new exciting directions.

How have Irish pop artists navigated the choppy seas of the past few months? In a country where indie bands and singer-songwriters have historically been afforded more credibility, is pop still a dirty word? How close are we to producing another chart-conquering popstar like Samantha Mumba? Do-do-do you love me, boy?

The special online event hosted by journalist, broadcaster and pop enthusiast Louise Bruton as part of the reimagined MusicTown 2020, as they attempt to answer these burning questions and more.

Join some familiar faces from our LGBTQ+ family who will be headlining the bill.

Originally lead singer of Faune with Will St Leger, Gold Blooded Woman is a new electronic solo project from Sarah Byrne. Her debut single ‘Blood Is Blood’ came in 2019, and the second single ‘Take It Off’ was released in 2020. The track is written and co-produced by Byrne, and co-produced, mixed and engineered by Vasileios Gourgourinis. The video, directed by Paul Mahon of Geppetto, follows a puppet of the artist losing her mind in lockdown, and is not intended for kids.

PureGrand is a pop act consisting of Dublin photographer and musician, Luke Faulkner. He makes pop music inspired by sounds of the latter 20th century combined with a healthy dose of camp, PureGrand tries not to follow trends but sometimes might if he likes what is trendy. Faulkner writes and produces his music and shoots and designs all his artwork so is therefore always wrecked. His combination of catchy, well-crafted songs paired with striking, colourful music videos aim to entertain while also providing a platform for social commentary and queer expression.

Dublin based glam-pop artist Jack Rua is a unique and original talent. A classically trained vocalist and musician who blends well-crafted pop music with electronic-dance and glam-rock influences, Jack has established himself as an artist who strives to differ from the norm and do things his own way. 2020 saw him release his critically acclaimed mini album Narcissus, which currently has over 110,000 streams on Spotify.

Joining PureGrand, Gold Blooded Woman and Jack Rua, CMAT is a self-styled global pop star who lives at home with her grandparents in Dublin. The singer, whose influences include Dory Previn, John Grant, Paris Hilton, XTC and KFC, will be releasing her third single on September 23. The evocative, self-eviscerating ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!’ is a melancholic slice of light-touch Americana-meets-pop, showcasing CMAT’s razor-sharp lyrics and moving melodies.

Earlier this year the planned 2020 MusicTown festival, to be held at venues and locations across the city was cancelled in light of the Government recommendations around mass gatherings and the evolving COVID-19 situation. Organisers are delighted that MusicTown will take place this year, in a virtual format, which music fans of all ages can enjoy safely from home this September.

Brought to you by Dublin City Council and Aiken Promotions, the programme sets out to explore and celebrate the diverse constellation of music cultures that exist in Dublin City. MusicTown aims to unify the city, making its music relatable and accessible, instilling a sense of pride in Dublin’s musical heritage, whilst welcoming newcomers and visiting artists.

The stream will be premiered on YouTube on Saturday September 26, 8pm.

It is a ticketed ‘pay what you can’ event with all profits going directly to the featured artists. Tickets via Eventbrite.