Ava Vox in fine voice with new album

Enfield alternative rock artist Ava Vox has released the second single from her forthcoming first album ‘Immortalised’ which is due out next month.

‘Alone Again’ follows the success of her first single ‘Crash’ which was released just before Christmas.

Ava Vox, whose real name is Elaine Hannon, moved to Enfield from Dublin eleven years ago with her husband and two sons for a better life and says she “definitely found it in bucket loads”.

Son Ronan (14) goes to school in Colaiste Clavin in Longwood and her eldest son who lives in Mullingar is a trained chef and is now training to be a landscape designer.

Elaine told how before Covid struck, she worked as a genealogist/probate researcher - one of her many careers over the years.

“I became a genealogist just by chance, as I had been trying to find my maternal grandfather who was born in America, and my grandmother had lost contact with him. To help me find my grandfather, I decided to do a diploma in Family History Research/Genealogy, which I enjoyed so much that I became a professional Genealogist and started up a small company and also connected with my long lost grandfather’s family.

“Before the Covid Pandemic hit Ireland back in March 2020, I had a successful small research business in Enfield. I was a singer in a new alternative rock band and we were just getting ready to gig. We had a gig booked in for the end of March 2020 in the International Bar, in Dublin. Due to the Covid restrictions, suddenly I had to close my business and eventually with a heavy heart in July 2020, had to leave the band, as it was too difficult to keep it going, especially not being able rehearse or gig.”

But Elaine said that when one door closes another door opens an in August 2020, she decided to go solo as an independent artist, and her alter ego Ava Vox was born.

“I was so fortunate, that my new piano teacher Ray McLoughlin just happened to be a music producer and well known musician who has worked with artists including Cliff Richard, Daniel O’Donnell, Francis Black, Brian Kennedy, Derek Ryan, Nathan Carter, the RTE Concert Orchestra, Rick Astley and Mary Coughlan.

“Myself and Ray joined forces and started recording my first single Love Song (original artist The Cure), released in January 2021. Then I went on to record a further two songs ‘Tainted Love’ (interpretation of Soft Cell’s version) and Life on Mars (original artist David Bowie), two tracks on the single called ‘Strange Days, as this was exactly how I felt about the world we were living in, alongside Covid. The single ‘Strange Day’s’ was released in March 2021.”

Elaine said that from the time her first single Love Song was released, her songs received lots of airplay in Ireland and internationally and the amazing reviews about her vocals and songs have kept her going.

In June 2021, Ava back in the recording studio with Ray McLoughlin but this time recording/co-producing her own original music, tracks for her new album ‘Immortalised’, which is due to be released at the end of March.

“I am so blessed that I got to work with the most talented professional session musicians/music engineer/music producer. They have worked with famous artists/shows such as Mick Jagger, Elvis Costello, Riverdance, Mark Knopfler, The Commitments, Marianne Faithful, David Knopfler, Van Morrison, Leslie Dowdall (In Tua Nua) and more.

“I also had the most fantastic experience working with Four For Music Sofia Session Orchestra based in Sofia, Bulgaria. They performed with me on one of my new songs ‘One Sweet Goodbye’ - a dark lament that will be on my new album.”

Elaine also paid tribute to her Ava Vox band members- guitarist Agris Siksna (aka George from Ukraine), Keyboard/synth Rich Johnston (from Edinburgh, Scotland) and Nigel O’Driscoll (Dublin).