Ae Mak (Aoife McCann) has shared ‘Famous’, the second single from her debut album Folk Songs For Mama & Papa, out May 29th via Spacer Records.
The new album was described as a “cosmical, spiritual-folk work” when the title track debuted last month.
The song was co-written with, and features the late Eoin French of Talos, and it’s an emotionally direct song created from her own poetry and journal entries.
‘Famous’ sits at the centre of the album – a song about heartbreak and the threads of connection that persist long after a relationship has changed shape. The core idea being that you will always have played a significant role in the lives of people you’ve loved, even if you’re strangers now.
Of the song’s beginnings, Aoife says:
“Famous” is the 8th song on the record. It is heartbreak. It is the haze and the space in between realities of love and loss. It is scenes from the pain of being left in the thick of it, being unmet in the depth of it and still bearing hope for the love that is there. It is also a capturing of the beauty in that pain and meeting the divine in the darkest of places. The simple idea that you will always be famous in the eyes of those that love and have loved you, especially the ones who you no longer walk the same path with – you will always have played a prominent role in each other’s lives and growth and heart. Even if you are somewhat strangers now, that connection is forever a part of you both.
The lyrics are taken from poetry and journal entries I had, the music was written by myself and the late and very special Eoin French. We had planned on a songwriting session in September 2023. Eoin was flying back from a wedding in Canada. He had pulled over in the car for a nap on his way from the airport as he was falling asleep – I told him if you need to cancel please do with your big tired Canada wedding head – it’s so grand. But he didn’t cancel. He arrived in the afternoon – we hadn’t met before that, just chatted online and via email and shared mutual friends. I knew him as soon as I met him, he was salt of the earth, he was open, he was present. I knew straight away he was special. We wrote the song in a couple of hours. Him on the piano, singing, me on the laptop, singing. He was like – you sound a bit like Lana Del Ray – Okay no way cool… thanks, I said. I am so grateful we made this song together, I was still in the pain pitt at the time and this was a good day. Thank you, Eoin – sending love to where you are. I feel lucky and emotional about it. This record felt like the right home for the song.
So happy to have our mutual friends – Cian Hanley on drums and Brían Mac Gloinn – who co-produced and engineered the record with me.
I wanted to call it “The Ghost”, Eoin said it should be called “Famous”, so it is.
Here’s Famous – isn’t it a beautiful thing to be able to love so deeply, it cracks you open?”
The album itself marks a significant shift from the genre-defying art-pop of her earlier work – Folk Songs For Mama & Papa moves toward something more elemental, drawing on Björk, Aldous Harding, Judee Sill and Paul Simon as touchstones. It was co-produced and engineered with Brían Mac Gloinn and features Cian Hanley on drums.
To mark the release, Ae Mak plays three instore shows on launch weekend :
- May 29th – Spindizzy Dublin 5:30pm
- May 30th – Music Zone Cork 1pm
- May 30th – Steamboat Limerick 5pm
Folk Songs For Mama & Papa is out May 29th 2026 via Spacer Records.
Previous single ‘We Came From Stars’ also features.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
