Continuing our look at the story behind the artwork of The Choice Music Awards nominees, and the process of how it came about, Niamh Regan tells us about Hemet…
Who did you collaborate with on the cover? How did this come about?
Collaborator – visual artist Miriam de Búrca
Myself and Peadar King from the Black Gate Label approached Miriam as we felt her style would suit the ‘timbre’ of the album.
Did you have a definitive idea as to how you wanted it to look? Was there a starting point and criteria or free reign?
There was no definitive plan. I had picked some imagery out from lyrics for starting points e.g. ‘a little humming bird’ from the song Sweetest Drop and all l knew was that I wanted a bold/strong colour that recalled the desert town Hemet. Miriam had free reign after that.
Miriam adds, ‘The idea for the artwork came to me through listening to the album, and Niamh’s references to the hummingbird and sweetest drop, it made me think of nectar being squeezed.. I wanted the human hand to look too large to hold such a tiny creature.’
Does the final artwork align with the aesthetic and sound of the album? What does it say?
I think it aligns really well. It captures both a strength and vulnerability which a lot of the song’s from the album deal with, life’s highs and lows.
Miriam adds, ‘The drawing is fine and the design simple, to echo the uncluttered sound of your voice and lyrics. The colour is optimistic and warm but also bold. Metaphorically, the hummingbird in the hand is about the vulnerability and responsibility that comes with love and relationships. We are sometimes confronted with the realisation of how delicate love is and the power we have when we hold it in our sometimes clumsy hands.’
Favourite album covers
Tom Waits – Mule Variations
Joni Mitchell – Song to Seagull
The winner of the Choice Music Awards 2020 will be announced on March 4.
