Taking to Instagram to announce the news at length, Denise said; “So I will tag people later and make an official post but GUYS I am not fine. I’m ecstatic. I’m harassing my mom at work and crying a lot. We won. The Choice. Oh. My goodness.”

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A post shared by Denise Chaila (@denisechaila)

The show is usually held live at Vicar Street in Dublin, the announcement was made on Thursday afternoon, the 4th of March on RTÉ 2FM by Tracy Clifford and U2’s Adam Clayton. There were also pre-recorded performances by the acts which were shown on the RTÉ Player. Denise will receive €10,000 for her winnings, provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA).

Other albums that were nominated include Fontaines D.C’s A Hero’s Death, Róisín Murphy’s Róisín Machine, Pillow Queen’s In Waiting, Ailbhe Reddy’s In Waiting, Bitch Falcon’s Staring at Clocks, JyellowL’s  2020 DIvision, Nealo’s All The Leaves Are Falling, Niamh Regan’s Hemet and Silverbacks’ Fad.

Huge congratulations to Denise Chaila on winning #RTEChoicePrize Album of the Year for her debut ‘Go Bravely’. An incredible album and a deserving winner. pic.twitter.com/QWkRoHuxtR

— RTÉ Choice Music (@choiceprize) March 4, 2021

In other news with Denise, she released her new single today Water with Narolane artists God Knows and MuRli. The song features a perfect blend of the three artists musical flare and a perfect joint first single for the group.

Taking to Instagram to announce the news, Denise said; “It feels like it’s been 700 years since I last came to you with an offering, and I’m sweetly giddy about the prospect of making space for this next… moment. ⁣I have nothing clever or even particularly poetic to say. I’m just smiling to myself about the fact that ‘Water’ was my first word, and I get to read something symbolic in that if I want to. Which I absolutely will.” 

Denise Chaila has been all over the Irish music scene over the last year, Go Bravely, her debut mixtape, came out in October and included songs such as Chaila, Holy Grail and Down. Along with her RTÉ win, Denise was also announced this year as Ireland’s highest-charting female soloist this year. She also has Hot Press’ Top Track of the year and performed on The Late Late Show in September, Perspectives: Imagining Ireland. Speaking Up, Singing Louder in National Concert Hall, Dublin in February and Other Voices: Courage, in May 2020.

Water is out now on all platforms

Taking to Instagram to announce the news, Denise said; “It feels like it’s been 700 years since I last came to you with an offering, and I’m sweetly giddy about the prospect of making space for this next… moment. ⁣I have nothing clever or even particularly poetic to say. I’m just smiling to myself about the fact that ‘Water’ was my first word, and I get to read something symbolic in that if I want to. Which I absolutely will.” 

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A post shared by Denise Chaila (@denisechaila)

This news comes after the announcement that Denise will be joining Kojaque, Unorthodox Coolock, Jessie Reyez, Junia-T and Savannah Ré on St Patrick’s Day, as part of JAMESON CONNECTS JESSIE REYEZ AND FRIENDS. Jameson Connects has announced the event with the aim to bring together some of the best names in Irish R&B, hip-hop and spoken word for a global celebration. The event will include immersive performances from around the world, as the event is striving to celebrate “hometowns and communities” on the day that celebrates the beauty of Irishness.

Denise Chaila has been all over the Irish music scene over the last year, Go Bravely, her debut mixtape, came out in October and included songs such as Chaila, Holy Grail and Down. Denise was also announced this year as Ireland’s highest-charting female soloist this year. She also has Hot Press’ Top Track of the year and performed on The Late Late Show in September, Perspectives: Imagining Ireland. Speaking Up, Singing Louder in National Concert Hall, Dublin in February and Other Voices: Courage, in May 2020. 

Denise also brought out a remixed version of Anseo with Zimbabwean-born Irish rapper, Jafaris in December, which saw Jafaris bring a new dimension to an already amazing song. Denis took to Instagram to talk about the new track, saying; “@jafarismusic blessed the beat with fire and I’m so proud of what we gave here. I believe there is power in play. I believe there is power in recalling your history. I believe that our future is built on our ability to dream powerfully. Together. The day we perform this with people present will feel… immaculate.⁣”

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A post shared by Denise Chaila (@denisechaila)

Water will be out on Friday, 5th of March. You can register to be apart of the JAMESON CONNECTS JESSIE REYEZ AND FRIENDS virtual concert here.

Ireland in Music will be broadcasted on RTÉ tonight and will then tour festivals in 2021, to broadcast Irish talent to the world. Sharing the trailer on Instagram, the Ireland in Music account said; “The world premiere of a new platform for Irish music. Our aim is to promote Irish music globally with high quality projects.”

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The film was formed in May of this year with the creators of TradFest with the aim of showcasing Irish musicians to people abroad. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, artists couldn’t tour and felt they lost that connection to their fans. Tradfest decided to create this piece to bring people together and show the stunning landmarks Ireland has to offer.

The film was recorded throughout September and October with varying degrees of lockdown and social distancing rules. Producer and director, Donal Scannell spoke about the special saying that “in many ways Ireland In Music is a celebration of what’s possible even during the darkest days.” He also added; “This musical mixtape is a snapshot of Ireland as filtered through the ears, mouths, hearts and souls of the enlightened.”

Donal Scannell also said in a piece he wrote for RTÉ about his obsession with Irish music and television said; “Netflix, although still only a small percentage of the total TV market, has helped us all realise that TV has been globalised. This is a great opportunity for Irish programme makers to make shows not only for Ireland, but for the world.”

Ireland in Music will be broadcasted on RTÉ tonight, the 29th of December, at 8pm. It will also be available on the RTÉ player in the UK.

Denis took to Instagram to talk about the new track, saying; “@jafarismusic blessed the beat with fire and I’m so proud of what we gave here. I believe there is power in play. I believe there is power in recalling your history. I believe that our future is built on our ability to dream powerfully. Together. The day we perform this with people present will feel… immaculate.⁣”

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A post shared by Denise Chaila (@denisechaila)

Jafaris, real name Percy Chamburuka, is quickly becoming one of Ireland’s fastest-rising hip-hop stars after being nominated for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize for his debut album ‘STRIDE’ in 2019. He spoke about working on the single saying; “This song represents the mentality that I believe Ireland needs to adopt in order to be an example to the world. We have an opportunity to tackle the race issue that plagues our world by adding to the already potent culture that exists here through creativity, innovation and economics. I have ideas, so I shouted out my bro Michael D Higgins. Denise was already spreading a similar narrative and it only felt right to come together and express our views.”

This is not the first time Denise has written about race, a lot of her art tells the story of being a black woman in Ireland. Her song Chaila pokes fun at the different ways people pronounce her name. She also released a compelling and inspiring piece called Duel Citizenship in September. The piece talks about the weight of the phrase “where are from originally?” The breath-taking piece shows the ignorance and microagressions that run rampant throughout Ireland and the work that needs to be done to change that.

Speaking about the piece on Instagram, Denise described it beautifully, saying; “I’ve discovered over time that often you’re not the one with the identity crisis. It’s the world that’s challenged by your wholeness. By the way you cannot and will not sit comfortably in boxes or conform to a narrative that was not created with you in mind. With the truth of who we all are in mind. ⁣”

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Denise Chaila has had a very successful year. Go Bravely, her mixtape, came out in October and included songs such as Chaila, Holy Grail and Down. Denise was also announced this year as Ireland’s highest-charting female soloist this year. She also has Hot Press’ Top Track of the year and performed on The Late Late Show in September, Perspectives: Imagining Ireland. Speaking Up, Singing Louder in National Concert Hall, Dublin in February and Other Voices: Courage, in May 2020.

Anseo is available on all platforms now; you can check it out below.