Fred Again side quest has been a lovely surprise - SOAK

Londonderry singer-songwriter SOAK features on English music producer Fred Again's latest album

“It’s been mental to be honest, I guess when you put a song out you never know how it's going to go.”

When Bridie Monds-Watson, better known as SOAK, was asked to collaborate with electronic musician Fred Again, they thought they were “being punked or something”.

The singer-songwriter from Londonderry features on Fred’s latest album with their spoken-word track I’m Alive being reworked by the producer.

“That song had been out for a while, I had kind of forgotten about it to be honest, I got a text from Fred, he said he’d been listening to my stuff since my first record,” SOAK told BBC News NI.

“He said: ‘I’ve made something with this, is that ok?’

"It's been a really lovely surprise, it’s so nice to see the song connect with people in the way I hoped it would.”

I’m Alive was written during the Covid pandemic and released in collaboration with Derry musician and Saint Sister member Gemma Doherty and videographer Ellius Grace.

“At the time we all needed a project. We all used that to process a lot of our feelings at the time, I know I did,” SOAK said.

First released in 2020, the track resonated with Fred.

"The words Bridie wrote are some of the most vivid I've ever heard or felt, really, I'm honoured to get to make music with them," he said.

“[They] put into words something that I didn’t know I’d always wanted to hear put into words like this...the feeling of being totally alone with someone who you feel totally still with - watching everything else be totally not," he added.

“To me the song is about this small, intimate, very still moment."

'Little side quests'

SOAK first captured attention with their confessional, coming-of-age album Before We Forgot How To Dream, which earned them a Mercury Prize nomination.

They were also named on the BBC’s Sound of 2015 list, won a Northern Ireland Music Prize, and have since released two additional albums.

Primarily known for introspective, indie folk tracks, in recent years SOAK has increasingly engaged in collaborations, working alongside the likes of electronic musician George FitzGerald.

“I see them as little side quests,” SOAK said.

The pair recently performed the track in Greece

“It's fun to go out of your comfort zone and try something new. When those kinds of opportunities present themselves...it fascinates me," they added.

“The music I typically make is a bit slower paced…maybe it’s just a bit sadder, so it’s nice to see those songs take a form that is energetic, and to see people move to them.”

With the Fred Again collaboration, SOAK said they were surprised by how receptive their fans have been.

“I’ve discovered that people kind of struggle to dislike Fred’s music, because it’s so authentic.

“I’ve been really impressed by how much of a crossover there’s been.”

Now based in Dublin and working on new music, SOAK was invited to join Fred for the live debut of the track. Last month, they traveled to Lake Vouliagmeni in Greece and performed for a select audience of about 200 people.

“It was incredible,” they shared.

“Fred was doing pop-up shows and playing songs from the record to hardcore fans of his, you couldn’t buy tickets, nobody really knew about the shows they were super secret.

“Everything with this has been really sporadic and fun.

“It’s been a bit last minute, like, ‘Hey, do you want to go to Greece?’... and the same goes for the music video.

“We just flew to London and were on a rooftop and set off a load of daytime fireworks, which I didn’t even know were a thing, but they were dead cool.”

SOAK says working with the producer has been a sporadic, fun experience

With a new solo album on the way, SOAK added there could be a few “sneaky surprises” to look out for in the coming months.

“While I've been working on my music and getting that ready to go, it's been really fun to collaborate with friends and just make stuff,” they said.

“For some reason this past year has just been the one for that.”