Jessica Willis Fisher returns to Irish roots with FleadhTV performance and new music

The Nashville singer-songwriter and fiddle player will perform music from her forthcoming album live from Belfast on 6 August

Nashville singer-songwriter and fiddle player Jessica Willis Fisher is returning to her Irish musical roots with a live performance on FleadhTV during this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast.

Fisher will appear on the TG4 programme on Thursday, 6 August, performing music from her forthcoming album alongside Laura Jo Callaghan on guitar, Brendan McCreanor on whistle and pipes, and Nicolle Fig on bodhrán.

The appearance comes just days after the release of Fisher’s new single, “The Cavalier”, on 31 July. She will be in Belfast from 6 to 10 August as the city hosts the world’s largest celebration of Irish traditional music and culture.

The forthcoming record is being created with Galway musician and producer David Howley, with the pair recently recording together in Denver, Colorado.

Although Fisher and Howley have been friends for many years, the album marks their first official collaboration. Both artists previously fronted popular bands on the Irish-American festival circuit before establishing themselves as solo singer-songwriters.

For Fisher, the project represents a return to the musical tradition that first shaped her life as an artist.

“It’s been really special to pay homage to the first musical tradition that really captured my heart,” she said.

“Celtic and Irish music is truly the foundation that all my artistry was built upon. In many ways, this feels like the project I’ve wanted to make since I was nine years old, learning my first dance steps and fiddle tunes. To have David producing makes it all the more meaningful.”

The new material brings Fisher’s fiddle playing, composition and distinctive voice to the forefront, while exploring the longstanding musical connections between Ireland and Appalachia.

Fisher previously performed in Belfast during the Your Roots Are Showing international folk music conference in January. Her return for Fleadh Cheoil continues a growing creative relationship with Ireland and its traditional music community.

The artist is also the author of the acclaimed memoir Unspeakable: Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice. Her forthcoming album signals another creative chapter, placing the focus on the musical life she has built through recovery, collaboration and a renewed connection with her earliest influences.

Jessica Willis Fisher performs live on FleadhTV on TG4 on Thursday, 6 August.

More information:
www.jessicawillisfisher.com