Singer-songwriter will be releasing debut solo album next month after busy summer of performing

Morgan MacIntyre was just nine years old when she wrote her first song.

Now the singer known professionally as Morgana is gearing up to release her debut solo album, The Whole Thing Was Very Very Emotional, next month. It will be the culmination of years of hard work honing her craft.

“Since I was a wee kid, I was always making up songs,” she said. “I was obsessed with lyrics and obsessed with songs in general.”

This summer was kind to Morgana. The singer-songwriter performed to a full house at the Lovely Bar at Electric Picnic and supported Snow Patrol during their summer tour.

She previously supported CMAT during her American tour, and has also worked with Irish superstars such as Hozier and Dermot Kennedy.

Her next big gig is at Jameson Bow Street Distillery, Dublin, for Culture Night on Friday, September 18. Child of Prague will also be performing.

On what audiences can expect from her concert – one of 300 free events around the capital – she said it would “be a really good party”.

“We have 45 minutes to play with,” she added. “I’ll play lots of songs from the new record. I’ll have my band with me and a few props, and I promise I’ll show [the audience] a good time.

“I really want my live shows to feel special and to feel curated.

“Culture Night is incredible, in that everyone has extra motivation to get out and explore the city and see art they haven’t seen before.

“If people are open and able to engage with it, you might see something that changes the way you see or engage with art for the rest of the year.”

It’s hard to believe it’s only been three years since Morgana stepped away from Saint Sister, the band she formed in 2014 with Gemma Doherty.

Morgana, who was born in Belfast, but moved to Donegal when her parents bought a pub in the county’s Gaeltacht area, first met Doherty in TCD.

Even though she studied history and politics, she always knew music was her passion – although she did have to battle nerves in the early days of her career.

“I was so nervous performing that it was almost debilitating,” she said.

“It was so bad, I was like, ‘This can’t be good for my health to feel this rush of adrenalin and to have these shakes. I don’t know what it’s doing for my physiological health, but it can’t be good.’

“But it’s like anything else… The more you do it, the easier it gets.”

She also believes Irish music is in a really strong place right now. Seeing Irish bands such as Fontaines DC headline two dates at Slane Castle next year gives the whole industry a huge boost.

“Seeing bands that have worked really hard for years getting the success they deserve is a gorgeous thing to see,” she said. “The rising tide lifts all ships.

“It feels like, in the Irish music scene, there’s a really strong sense of community.”