Irish singer Camille O’Sullivan swapped life as an architect to join Le Clique – a world famous circus ensemble. It was a courageous move after a near fatal car accident in 1999 made her rethink what mattered most – and a pursuit of her love in cabaret style singing ensued.
These days when she’s not performing on theatre stages, she’s adding her own narrative to songs written by Nick Cave, Sinead O’Connor and Radiohead. She talks to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series.
MY CITY
I love the Irish friendliness, you can chat to anyone, no excuses needed! Having been an architect from originally a village in Cork, loved studying in the Ireland’s capital Dublin it’s a beautiful example of faded Georgian buildings and gorgeous, lush classical parks. It’s small enough to get around easily and has a lovely nightlife of old bars no music so you just hear the hum of people talking a lot.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
It was in Italy Rome a simple dish of Spaghetti, olive oil, lemon zest, Parmesan and garlic, love it.
FAVOURITE BAR
Love a bar called The Stag’s Head in the heart of Dublin. It’s very old fashioned with bar men dressed in old uniforms, and no music playing (tend to love no music when I’m off work). It has lovely little nooks and old marble tables, visitors love it when I bring them there, and you get a great toastie. All my girlfriends from college used to go there so it has lots of memories, and in a world that is quickly changing it has stayed just the same, which is comforting to me. I don’t drink Guinness so it’s a full-bodied red wine, Rioja or gin and tonic.
DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU
Caipirinha Cocktail. I had my first when touring Brazil and ended up dancing. The Irish can be shy and need a drink to get going, and I think this is suddenly what I’m like on stage – introverted and I tend to drink this and become an extrovert dancing all over the place. A Brazilian bass player who I work with said the magic ingredient is the drink of the gods Cachaca, it’s great and blew our heads off drinking it neat.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
It’s either full English breakfast fried or start all over again. Hair of the dog sometimes can do the trick if not feeling great. But think the fry is better option.
BEST OVERSEAS BAR
Place called Katz of Christopher Street in New York. An underground basement you could drink, play pool, listen to people play grand piano, different room for jazz, play table tennis, chess, and there was kitten at the entrance. I think it might have a different name now, but loved it.
FAVOURITE WINE
Magnum Chateau Feur Haut Gaussens 2019. I love a full-bodied wine, and this is really rich and smooth.
A TEEN DRINKING ERROR
When I was younger, I thought Guinness would be like Irish coffee, I never warmed to it or any beer/lager.
NEXT DESTINATION
City Recital Hall – Sydney, Tallagandra Hill Winery – Gundaroo. Then it’s Auckland Arts Festival, Ten days on The Island – Hobart, Brisbane Powerhouse (rescheduled after the cyclone) and then home to the UK touring Shakespeare’s Lucrece.
Best career decision you ever made and why?
I suppose leaving my career aa architect to run away with the circus. Specifically, the world famous Spiegeltent as an original performer of La Clique which led to me becoming a singer and actress. This really suited me as not I am not great at doing reality and liking living in a fantasy.
A car accident changed your career trajectory. Tell us how.
It wasn’t easy, I had to learn how to walk again, and how to use my drawing hands again. However, it did make me realise I wasn’t that important in the scheme of the big bad world and should take the risk to do the things I love and that I am scared of – including performing (which I am still scared of). I also realised how to be open and how to tell people the truth and to let those you love let them know as much as possible. I don’t think I would have had the confidence to leave being an architect and follow my dreams otherwise – but the crash woke me up that I had a second chance.
A record that changed your life?
Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks – it just feel emotional and moved, a lovelier and break-up album to his wife.
A female mentor
PJ Harvey and Patti Smith and of course Sinead O’Connor, strong fragile and authentic in world which is quite woke and branded – they are incredible as performers and so inspiring as women. I definitely feel there are many Irish girls who would not be like we are now if it wasn’t for Sinead O’Connor speaking up and being ahead of her time, which probably cost her and her career, but she was a beautiful soul too and very funny and caring.
How you met your partner Aidan and why that relationship works creatively?
I met him first on a ferry from UK when the planes were not flying due to Icelandic volcanic ash, we said hello and nothing else. I then met him two years later performing at same event for The Pogues’, Phil Chevron. He wrote me an email that eve, I didn’t respond as freaked out by actors, musicians and I had little one. And then months later I did, and we worked on a film together… that was 11 years ago.
Tell us about the decision to interpret songs by Nick Cave to Radiohead. What do you bring to the songs we’re familiar with?
I have been a fan of Nick Cave since 1994 when a gorgeous Australian girl called Justine Mitchell gave me a mix tape of his work. I feel out of all the people who I interpret, I have a real affinity to Cave’s words and music. It just feels very natural, I don’t try and copy what he does but love the storytelling, the hymnal quality of the beautiful ballads of yearning and the alchemy of the rock songs. It allows me to show different aspects of myself, fragile, vulnerable and dark -which is what my shows are about, all fuelled by emotion. The evening has been likened to a rollercoaster of emotions, some dark, light, funny, sad. I think he’s an incredible writer and fits in well with our Irish black humour.
As for Radiohead, I just love the melodies and slightly strange lyrics and whalebone nature of the songs. I think it’s interesting that you can add a female wildness, feral nature and softness to the songs. What’s been great on this tour is Feargal Murray is playing them like almost classical pieces, and I’m just reacting to that – but allows you to create a bit of madness in the songs, sometimes quite still and spiritual and other times bit mad.
Are you working on new music or album release?
We are working on some new music and also finishing an album to Shane McGowan (The Pogues) and his music, I spent a long time after he passed just reading his lyrics, and they are truly beautiful. I know maybe it’s too much to say, but really poetic. I toured with The Pogues which was incredible – but never felt I understood those songs until his passing. Now this is about revealing his words without the bands gorgeous back beat, so they are his heart felt poems to music. It really reveals what a great writer he was. Though he could be wickedly tough, he was also a romantic and sentimental – if you want a beautiful example read his song Broad Majestic Shannon.
What’s next for 2025
Back to the springer spaniel Bonnie Bluebell, my child and Goo Goo the cat. I will be touring The Rape of Lucrece that we created for the Royal Shakespeare Company and toured Australia with, so that’s coming back. Then I am working with the National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin and off to Europe for gigs.
For all tour dates in Australia and NZ see here:
