From the Archive: Maria Doyle Kennedy Talks ‘Orphan Black,’ New Music, and Starting Her Own Label

April 21, 2023

**This article was originally Published on February 26, 2018 for Inspirer.life**

ou may be familiar with Maria Doyle Kennedy’s acting work in shows such as The Tudors and Orphan Black, or you may be familiar with her as a singersongwriter. Either way, no matter what creative endeavor Maria Doyle Kennedy attempts, it’s clear that she leaves a lasting impression. In August 2017 Orphan Black came to an end after five seasons and while fans had to say goodbye to the beloved, badass Mrs. S, we also got to say hello to a brand new album. Inspirer was lucky enough to talk to Maria about Orphan Black, the new album, and gathered a few words of wisdom for her “chickens.”

Orphan Black is unlike any other show that I have watched and Siobhan Sadler (S) quickly became one of my favorite television characters. What are your favorite qualities about S? What made you love that character?

When I first spoke to Graeme Manson about S, he told me that Patti Smith had been the inspiration for her character. That was a very good place to start. He also said that she would grow and develop, that the character had a journey to make (both lines I’ve heard before, not always true). As S did begin to reveal herself I was really happy to see that Graeme had meant what he said. I fell in love with her. She was a real person to me. Deeply flawed but with a strong moral compass. A murky past but motivated always toward the protection of those with little or no power. She made a lot of mistakes, but realized and acknowledged them, then did her utmost to repair any damage she had caused. It seemed to me that she tried to live with a sense of honor and a responsibility, not just to her immediate family, but to society.

I am sure you were expecting a reaction to the death of S, but were you expecting such a large reaction from the fans? Did you expect that character to be so loved when you started playing her?

I had no idea what would happen when we started off, I have to say. Would we connect as a cast? Would folks find our show? Would it really have a life? The fan reaction was the galvanizing force that propelled everything forward. Clone Club became a force of connection and encouragement, not just for the show, but for each other… it was truly something to be a part of. Their reaction to S’s death was completely overwhelming. I had no idea really how loved she was. It’s not just me that will miss her, it seems.

Do you have a favorite scene from the series? Or a moment that really stands out to you?

So, so many. Still, though, my favorite scene is the Clone dance party at the end of Season 2. All of them dancing in their own completely different, perfectly themselves kind-of way with Felix along for the brotherly love. I wasn’t there when it was filmed but I found it so moving when I watched it for the first time. Still do. Is that really one person playing all those characters? Really? Yes, yes it is. Tatiana Maslany takes many bows.

Do you have more of a connection to music or acting? Is there one you simply couldn’t live without, or are they on the same level for you?

I used to worry about dividing my self/time when I was younger. Was I shortchanging one aspect of what I wanted to create? Then I looked to some of the artists I most respect: Patti Smith and Patrick Scott (a visual artist, a huge influence in my life) and I saw that they turned themselves toward all kinds of things as they moved through life; and that of course, if the creative door is open within you, there are probably lots of ways to express it. Nowadays, I have found that the two different expressions feed into each other. Singing and writing songs has brought me much closer to what the essence of a character might be and acting has brought some more theatricality to my live shows. I will say though, I often spend time not acting; I never go a day without singing.

I feel like each of your albums have their own personality. How would you describe the personality of your new album?

That’s tricky! I think it’s difficult to describe what you make yourself and maybe easier for others to do but, I understand that folks need clues as to what the music might be and what the songs might bring. So – in an attempt – we wanted to use new sounds that we hadn’t explored before. So there is a more inventive soundscape on this album, grooves you can move to, alongside the more ethereal songs. Some of the new songs came about as a result of what we saw happening in the world: “Colour Code” is a response to the death of Sandra Bland and others in the U.S.; “Pride” is a reflection on tolerance and equality. Other songs are part of the constant quest to explain the world and the way we behave (to myself, as much as to the listener) and yet others like “Sequin” offer some hope. If I had to give the album personality traits I would say it is a groovy, provocative balm. Someone else described it recently as Billie Holliday meets Siouxsie and the Banshees

Your first single from the new album, “Pride,” is beautiful and the cinema paradiso video is touching. Can you tell our readers about that song and how it came to be?

The title sings for itself really doesn’t it? “Pride” was written during the campaign for the marriage equality referendum in Ireland. The vote was an overwhelming joyful yes, why on earth should it not be so? Whose business is it to interfere in the love and union of others? No one’s, except for the lovers themselves. Love is love is love.

Looking back, was there a particular song or writer that piqued your interest in songwriting? Do you remember what your first song was about?

There are many, many singers and songwriters I admire and try to learn from but Billie Holiday was the first voice I remember hearing that absolutely floored me. This extraordinary sound of both exaltation and pain. There’s no one like her. To hear her sing “Strange Fruit”? #gameover. My own first attempt at writing came out of a really difficult time. I was as close to melting as I ever hope to come, but melody, and a piano, and New Orleans pulled me back.

Has a role/character ever led you to write a song?

Not a role or character but often a book. The album Mütter was entirely directed by Chuck Palahniuk’s “Diary”. And the song “Ladies of Bohane” on the new album was inspired by Kevin Barry’s magnificent tale “City of Bohane.”

What inspires you to write?

Almost everything! Things I observe, ways I feel… the way we humans act and interact is an endless fascination, lesson, and world to explore. Somehow writing songs helps me to get hold of a bit of the matrix of it, just a tiny pearl, a glimpse in.

Do you have a song that you are most proud of?

It’s all the new ones at the moment. I am still full of joy and surprise every time I listen. I am not a hugely prolific writer. It takes me quite a while to sew a collection of new songs together – to gather, cajole and burst them into being. I’m still at the stage of wonder with these new ones. “They actually exist and I like them!” I shout to myself constantly.

I loved when you showed up in the Feist “Century” video. How did that come to be?

A mutual friend brought Leslie (Feist) to one of our shows in Toronto. We hung out afterward and a few more times in Toronto where we were both living at the time. A couple of months ago, she got in touch out of the blue and asked me if I felt like being in a crazy West Side Story/Thriller/experimental art film kind of video for her song “Century”. [It was] the kind of phone call that makes a day interesting. I love her and I love her music but I felt way outside my comfort zone with the choreographed dance gang stuff. My husband (and musical partner, Kieran Kennedy) said: “You’re scared of that, you HAVE to do it.” So off I went. The filming was one of the most fun days I’ve had. Challenging, and totally bonkers, but also hilarious and just so much fun.

You started your own label, Mermaid Records, with your husband. Why did you choose that name for your label?

I have been obsessed with mermaids for years, ever since I read that fairy tale as a child. The enormous injustice of it all, the love and longing, the singing and the pain. I do harbor (all puns intended!) a notion that I’ll meet a Mermaid someday. I don’t think she’ll look like Ariel but I’ll know her when I see her.

I am sure you have quite a lot of freedom being on your own label. I can imagine there are also quite a few challenges. Can you talk about what some of those are?

There is a huge amount of slog-work involved in running your own business – work that isn’t the work you love (for us that love-work is writing and recording songs and playing live). The slog-work is all the administration that’s necessary and trying to figure out how to get your music or art to the folks who will love it. Most artists do a lot for themselves. You will never survive if you can’t. I think it’s very difficult to make enough time – and to find the right ways – to tell folks about what you’re doing. It’s important though. We write songs to share them.

Any advice for indie artists on how to manage it all?

[In my honest opinion] advice is overrated. What might work for me will probably only apply because of a whole set of extraneous circumstances. I am still trying to figure it all out and often make mistakes, but I try not to make the same ones twice. If you believe in what you are doing, do it. Keep doing it, keep making the work. The work is all there is.

You and your husband put on an amazing live show. Do you have any plans to do a small tour?

Yes! The U.S. in February/March.

What’s coming up next for you?

Giving birth to this album is entirely filling our lives right now.

Lastly, any words for the chickens out there?

Learning who you are is a lifetime’s work but we get a little closer all the time if we are listening. Live with honor.

**This article was originally Published on February 26, 2018 for Inspirer.life**

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