Gemma Hayes

Born August 11, 1977 in Tipperary, Ireland, Gemma Hayes is an alternative singer/songwriter with a demonstrated proclivity for chilled electronics and swampy, My Bloody Valentine-style shoegaze effects alongside the subdued melancholy of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. After two EPs, Hayes released her debut album, Night on My Side, in 2002, and was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize. It was followed by 2005's The Roads Don't Love You, 2008's The Hollow of Morning (produced in part by Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine), 2011's more experimental Let It Break, and the (relatively) grittier Bones + Longing in 2014. ~ Dave Donnelly & Marcy Donelson