Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (born 23 February 1996), known professionally as CMAT (/ˈsiːmæt/, SEE-mat), is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician.[1] Her debut studio album, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, was released in February 2022 and entered the Irish Albums Chart at number one.[2] The Guardian wrote of her music, "Her songs are mournful yet accessible, emotionally literate and cleverly crafted, but, crucially, with a huge sense of humour..."[3] Her second studio album, Crazymad, for Me was released in October 2023.
CMAT | |
---|---|
CMAT performing in 2022 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson |
Born | 23 February 1996 |
Origin | Meath, Ireland |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instruments |
|
Years active | 2017 | –present
Labels |
|
Website | cmatbaby |
Early life
editCMAT was born on 23 February 1996 in Dublin, and moved with her family to Clonee and Dunboyne in County Meath as a child.[4] She returned to Dublin to study at Trinity College Dublin,[5] but left the college and moved to Denmark.[6]
Career
editCMAT, who had aspirations to become a professional musician from a young age, relocated to Manchester, England, to pursue a career in music with her then boyfriend, performing together as Bad Sea.[7][8][1][9] She has since described their relationship as toxic and isolating, and she stopped pursuing a music career, living a partying lifestyle.[9] She attended an in-person listening session at a London studio with the English electropop singer Charli XCX, who advised CMAT to reimagine her approach.[10]
Breaking up with her boyfriend and returning to Ireland, she began self-releasing her music online to considerable attention and received radio play from RTÉ Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6 Music.[11][12][13][14] Her debut studio album If My Wife New I'd Be Dead was released in February 2022. Metacritic, which aggregates review scores, gives the album a score of 85 based on 9 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[15] Hot Press magazine wrote that the album was "undoubtedly one of the most thrilling Irish pop debuts of the century".[16] In a four-star review, DIY wrote, "If My Wife New... feels like a more well-rounded, modern proposition than one solely indebted to the oldest style going could suggest."[17] The album entered the Irish Albums Chart at number one.[18] In June 2022, she released a single called "Peter Bogdanovich", which came with a music video which featured CMAT dressing as the late director.[19][20] On 19 August 2022, "Peter Bogdanovich"[21] charted at number 20 on the Irish Homegrown Top 20.[22] In March 2023, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead won the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year.[23]
In June 2023, CMAT announced her next studio album, Crazymad, for Me,[24] which was released in October 2023. Like her previous album, this album debuted at number one on the Irish Albums Chart.[25] Her album was later nominated for the Best Album Ivor Novello Award on Thursday 23 May 2024.[26]
CMAT has been noted for her large fanbase among Irish LGBTQ+ people,[27][28] once telling an NME interviewer "I'm making music for the girls and the gays, and that's it."[29]
In May 2024, the BBC were forced to disable comments on a video on its Instagram page of CMAT's performance at the Radio 1 Big Weekend festival, following a spate of comments labelled "fat-shaming."[30] Later that month, CMAT pulled out of a performance at that summer's Latitude Festival due to the festival's sponsorship by Barclays, and the company's financial involvement in the Israel-Hamas war.[31]
Personal life
editCMAT is bisexual and has been described as a "bisexual icon".[32][33]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- If My Wife New I'd Be Dead (2022)
- Crazymad, for Me (2023)
Singles
edit- "Another Day (KFC)" (2020)
- "Rodney" (2020)
- "I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!" (2020)
- "Uncomfortable Christmas" (2020)
- "I Don't Really Care for You" (2021)
- "2 Wrecked 2 Care" (2021)
- "No More Virgos" (2021)
- "Lonely" (2022)
- "Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)" (2022)
- "Communion (Country Version)" (2022)
- "Mayday (2023)
- "Whatever's Inconvenient" (2023)
- "Have Fun!" (2023)
- "Where Are Your Kids Tonight?" featuring John Grant (2023)
- "Stay for Something" (2023)
- "Aw, Shoot!" (2024)
Awards and nominations
editAward | Year | Nominated Work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Choice Music Prize | 2022 | If My Wife New I'd Be Dead | Album of the Year | Won | [34] |
Choice Music Prize | 2023 | Crazymad, For Me | Album of the Year | Nominated | [35] |
Choice Music Prize | 2023 | Stay For Something | Song of the Year | Nominated | [36] |
Choice Music Prize | 2023 | Herself | Artist of the Year | Nominated | [37] |
BBC Sound of... | 2023 | Herself | Sound of 2024 | Nominated | [38] |
Brit Awards | 2024 | Herself | International Artist of the Year | Nominated | [39] |
Ivor Novello Award | 2024 | Crazymad, For Me | Best Album | Nominated | [40] |
References
edit- ^ a b Deming, Mark (2020). "CMAT Biography on AllMusic". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ Ainsley, Helen. "CMAT flies to Number 1 in Ireland with debut album If My Wife New I'd Be Dead". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ Hutchinson, Kate (15 January 2022). "One to watch: CMAT". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ "Meath country star Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson to headline Slane Otherside Festival". Meath Chronicle. 26 January 2023. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Album review: CMAT – If My Wife New I'd Be Dead | The Point Of Everything". Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "CMAT on the advice she got from Charli XCX, and why 'authenticity' is over-rated". Irish Examiner. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ O'Neill, Lauren (4 March 2022). "CMAT If My Wife New I'd Be Dead Album Interview". i. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ Clayton Lea, Tony (4 March 2022). "CMAT interview: 'I'm not where I thought I'd be when I was 18. I thought I'd be Ariana Grande or someone like that . . . but I'm much happier where I am now'". Business Post. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ a b Kheraj, Alim (13 July 2023). "'All the saddest people I've met are the funniest': CMAT on making bone-achingly funny pop out of misery". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ Rogers, Becky (10 October 2020). "CMAT Dublin cowgirl turning shitposting into Americana bangers". NME. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Eric (10 March 2022). "CMAT brimming with confidence and verve". Limerick Post. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ Murphy, Lauren (7 June 2020). "Meet Cmat, the snack and roll star of Another Day (KFC)". thetimes.co.uk. The Times. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ "CMAT". rte.ie. RTÉ. 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ "Friday Free For All". BBC. 5 March 2021. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.,
- ^ "If My Wife new I'd Be Dead". metacritic.com. Metacritic. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ O'Toole, Lucy (4 March 2022). "Album Review CMAT If My Wife New I'd Be Dead". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ Wright, Lisa (4 March 2022). "Cmat If My Wife New I'd Be Dead Review". DIY. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ "Yeehaw! CMAT flies to Irish No. 1 with her debut album". rte.ie. RTÉ. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ "WATCH: CMAT – 'Peter Bogdanovich'". 15 June 2022. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "CMAT dresses as 'Peter Bogdanovich' in new music video". 15 June 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "CMAT has shared a new video for 'Peter Bogdanovich' | Dork". 15 June 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "Irish Homegrown Top 20 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ Hillard, Mark (9 March 2023). "Choice Music Prize: CMAT's If My Wife New I'd Be Dead wins album of the year". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ Reilly, Nick (1 June 2023). "CMAT announces new album 'Crazymad, for me', shares lead single". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ Newsdesk, The Hot Press. "CMAT's Crazymad, for Me debuts at no.1 on Irish Charts, The Mary Wallopers Irish Rock n Roll reaches no.2". Hotpress. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ Taylor, Mark (23 April 2024). "Nominations announced for The Ivors with Amazon Music 2024". The Ivors Academy. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ Kiberd, Roisin (12 October 2023). "CMAT Makes Country Music Sad, Smart and Strange". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ "From Lil Nas X to CMAT - Four queer hits you need to listen to". GCN. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ Rogers, Becky (13 October 2020). "CMAT: Dublin cowgirl turning shitposting into Americana bangers". NME. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ Savage, Mark (30 May 2024). "CMAT attacks 'fat shaming' comments on BBC video". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Savage, Mark (30 May 2024). "CMAT pulls out of Latitude over its Barclays links". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Kiberd, Roisin (12 October 2023). "CMAT Makes Country Music Sad, Smart and Strange". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Duncan, Charlie (30 May 2024). "Bisexual icon CMAT blasts cruel body-shamers: 'Didn't realise it was illegal to have a huge ass'". PinkNews. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Choice Music prize 2022". The Irish Times. 2022. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ "Choice Music Prize: album shortlist announced and Song of the Year public vote opens this Friday". limerickpost.ie. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Shortlist announced for RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year 2023". limerickleader.ie. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "2023 Irish Artist of the Year". choicemusicprize.ie. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Savage, Mark (4 December 2023). "BBC Sound of 2024: Tyla, Last Dinner Party and Kenya Grace tipped for success". Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "BRITs nominations 2024". Official Charts Company. 2024. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Mark (23 April 2024). "Nominations announced for The Ivors with Amazon Music 2024". The Ivors Academy. Retrieved 28 May 2024.