Tolü Makay
Singer
Tolü Makay is an Afro-Irish singer, born in Nigeria and raised in the midlands of Ireland. Inspired by soulful artists across the globe such as Erykah Badu, Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse, Asa and Labyrinth, Tolü strives to create songs that will forever inspire, heal and touch generations to come as she encounters and deals with and shares challenges and growth in her own life. Following a string of impressive singles Tolü Makay unveiled her debut EP ‘Being’ in October 2020. ‘Don’t Let Go’ reached the #1 spot on RTE Radio 1’s airplay charts and the track ‘You Are Enough’ has been spotlighted by BBC’s Across The Line as “The Best Song In The World”, while also being selected upon release as a 2FM ‘Track of the Week’.
Full Episode
In this episode, Tolü chats about her inspirations as a songwriter and how that journey has evolved for her over the last number of years. Building on the success of her EP ‘Being’ in 2020 and her cover of the Saw Doctors track N17 with the RTE Concert Orchestra, Tolu tells us about her hopes for the future. We are delighted to include 3 longer pieces of music in this episode:
You Are Enough – Tolü Makay
N17 – Tolü Makay & RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Used to Be – Tolü Makay
All music is included by kind permission from Tolü Makay, Kite Entertainment, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Rubyworks and The Saw Doctors.
‘N17’ is written by Leo Moran and Davy Carton. Leo and Davy wrote ‘N17’ for the debut single by The Saw Doctors which was released in January 1990by Solid Records. The single flopped but following the success of The Saw Doctors second single ‘I Useta Lover’ in the autumn of 1990, ‘N17’ was re-released in November 1990 and climbed to No.2 in the Irish Charts. Leo Moran is the guitar player with The Saw Doctors while Davy Carton is the lead singer.
Tolü Makay
N17 - Tolü Makay and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra | NYE Countdown | RTÉ One
Some teacher reflection questions
Questions
Q. Tolü describes her love of music and her first introductions to music through her church. Can you recall what your first introduction to music was?
Q. Tolü explains how her first full-time employment didn’t fully fulfil her and she had to return to something that made her feel ‘good’ and ‘human.’ Have you ever had to take a chance and start again at something?
Q. Tolü’s song ‘You Are Enough’ is all about positivity and self-affirmation. How do you bring positivity to your own life? What little things bring you joy?
Q. Tolü talks about embracing opportunities and avoiding staying in that negative space. Do you agree? Why is it so important for us to take chances?
Q. The power of collaboration is so important to Tolü. How does collaboration influence your creative process?