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Although she is both an actor and a singer, music is Bronagh Gallagher’s number one passion. It’s no surprise really, as she begins to list the artists she grew up listening to thanks to her parents’ records. Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Gene Vincent and Aretha Franklin are just a few of the many names she mentions.
“The most extraordinary music,” Bronagh reflects. “That was the diet you were on and I didn’t know any different. People would say, ‘Well my parents never listened to music’. Well, my parents never really read books, but they listened to music. They read the record covers, we all did.”
Bronagh was only in her teens when she landed her breakout role in The Commitments. Across her acting career, she has starred in Pulp Fiction, Star Wars and Sherlock Holmes, but she also runs her own independent music label, Salty Dog Records, and has released three albums to date.
Interestingly, her confidence to really pursue singing professionally only came in her mid-20s.
“I had such a high standard of listening, I would never have thought I could produce music that was in any way worthy of releasing, but I just grew in confidence. I’ve grown because I’ve worked extremely hard at it over the last 20 years now.”
Soul was always quite a popular genre in the Gallagher’s home, and this has always been reflected in Bronagh’s music. Her recently released single, Truth or Dare, is no different. It’s a soulful track she co-wrote with Dave Stewart, a well-known musician and producer.
In those kind of soul ballads, you always need to tell people what happened – but you need to let them know as well,
Although it deals with themes of heartbreak and being let down, Truth or Dare is quite redemptive. Bronagh says she has always been drawn to this type of ballad, where, although the subject matter is heavy, there’s a lift in that the person is OK now.
“A lot of those songs I love, the great soul-disco tracks like I Will Survive, if you think about the context of those songs, they’re really heavy songs if you breakout the lyrics. In those kind of soul ballads, you always need to tell people what happened – but you need to let them know as well, I’m OK now. I’ve won this one.”
Derry days
Speaking with Bronagh on the phone from her Dublin home, she is bright and funny. She chats away as if she has known you for a long time and is particularly warm when talking about Derry. She spent lockdown there living with her best friend so she could be near her parents, and really enjoyed the slower pace of life for a few months.
From a young age growing up in Derry, Bronagh knew she wanted to be on stage. “I think I was five when I was in my first play and I just got such a buzz. As a kid I had that personality, always singing and showing off. Dressing up in my mum’s funky clothes and putting on shows. Driving everybody mad,” she laughs.
Music was a huge part of the Derry social scene
Bronagh grew up during the Troubles, and says her parent’s generation in particular missed gigs and shows when they started to become infrequent.
“It was a very different world we grew up in. There was a political crisis and a war. Music was a huge part of the Derry social scene. Obviously, when the Troubles got really bad, the gigs stopped and the showbands stopped coming.”
When she was young, Bronagh says there weren’t a lot of bands coming to Derry, but the city was on Ben E King’s tour circuit. She also saw The Hothouse Flowers when she was 16 and they played in the city. She remembers these gigs very clearly.
Work and fame
Reflecting on her career so far, Bronagh is happy with the path she has taken. After The Commitments she was instantly recognisable, which was strange, but she just focused on her work.
“I’m not really interested in being famous, I’m interested in doing great work and creating things that help people and make people happy. Work that helps people understand human beings, how debilitating fear and control are.
“Some people are just famous because they want to be famous, but for me, I just adjusted.”
In her early acting career, Bronagh went to work in the Abbey Theatre and then to London, where she spent some months working and touring with Japanese director, Yukio Ninagawa. She then joined Simon McBurney’s London-based theatre company, Complicité.
For Bronagh, Complicité was the drama school she never attended. She worked with them on and off from the age of 24 to 29, touring all over the world, performing on Broadway and the West End.
I wanted a career. I didn’t just want to be an overnight thing
Building a sustainable career in showbusiness was Bronagh’s goal – she had no intention of being a flash in the pan.
“I wasn’t really interested in the Hollywood ‘being Funny Friend Four’ in the corner. I wanted a career. I didn’t just want to be an overnight thing. It can be a very dangerous business as well. You can end up peaking too soon. It’s all about building up a structure of strong work.”
Bronagh will release a new record next year and will let out more singles between now and Christmas. She is also returning to filming Sky One’s Brassic soon.
Building a sustainable and long-lasting career, she has certainly achieved.
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