The Irresistible Rise of Imelda May

The world is chock-a-block with reality show celebrities. Every month sees another batch of 'winners' unveiled to enjoy an increasingly short shelf life. All of them expect the careers of their pioneering predecessors. In most cases, they're forgotten within a matter of weeks. 

It's like eating chocolates. The first ones taste delicious. After a while your teeth hurt. 

Even if the TV shows continue to thrive, the ever shorter recording careers of the singers they spawn suggests a change in the public's musical appetite. The recent auto-tune scandal might exacerbate this. The magic is fading. 

There is and there always has been another route to global superstardom. Although it takes much longer and risks are huge, those that reach the top tend to shine brighter and for longer. These stars are distinctive, self-styled and genuine. They are more likely to become icons. 

Nearly a decade before the first series of 'Popstars', a very young singer was working the pubs and clubs of Dublin and London, looking for every available opportunity to sing. And, she's been gigging virtually every day since. 

The more time I spend with Imelda May, the more I'm in total awe of her talent, determination and her vision. 

On stage, Imelda has few equals. At a recent industry showcase, amonst her much hyped peers, she stole the show. Not surprising when you consider that she's spent more than half her life gigging. 

Her new record, Mayhem is an incredibly exciting rollercoaster ride - at one moment blistering, the next minute tender and heartbreaking. It is honest, exhilarating, sexy, charming, glorious, raw, intimate, infectious and riveting. The more you listen, the more it reveals. Its roots are in rock n roll and rockabilly with a pinch of punk, country and stomping, swinging jazz. Her lyrics are brilliant, rude, challenging and sincere. Her band fire on all cylinders and her voice is never less than stunning. No voices were auto-tuned during the making of this album. 

Imelda knows exactly who she is and where she is going. I think she has the charm and ability to carry the whole world along with her. If that happens, it will be entirely deserved. She is unquestionably the hardest working woman in music; she's visually iconic without being contrived; she's incredibly cool but totally disinterested in fleeting fashions; and her fans love her as much as she loves them. 

Imelda is a role model and charms everyone she meets. She totally believes in what she does and will not veer from her course for the sake of a quick buck. Imelda isn't after fame. She's in it because she loves writing and performing her music. 
Ireland has already fallen for Imelda's charms and she came to the attention of millions of music fans earlier this year when she brought the house down singing alongside Jeff Beck at the Grammy Awards. 

But, it's not all roses. Her ultimate rise to global stardom is by no means inevitable. She has a hard slog ahead of her and knows it. She is sometimes dismissed as a niche artist. Rockabilly, they say, can never cross into the mainstream. That's as much a discredit to the wide tastes of the music buying public as it is to her music. 

Her career does have a feeling of tremendous momentum, the seeds of which were first sown back in those clubs in Dublin and London. 

Some singers built their houses on sand. Imelda May has built hers on rock and an equal measure of roll. I hope she enjoys the success she deserves.