Jess Kavanagh

Jess Kavanagh
Kavanagh performing with The Waterboys in 2019
Kavanagh performing with The Waterboys in 2019
Background information
Birth nameJess Kavanagh
Born1986 (age 37–38)
Dublin, Ireland
GenresJazz[1]
Years active2011–present[2]
Formerly ofBARQ
Websitejesskavmusic.com

Jess Kavanagh (born 1986)[3] also known as Jess Kav, is an Irish musician and activist based in Dublin.[4] She was the lead singer of the musical band BARQ until 2020.[5] Formerly, she was a touring member of The Waterboys[6] and a backing vocalist for the Irish musician Hozier.[7]

Early life and education

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Kavanagh grew up in Beaumont, Dublin.[3] Her mother, Liz Kavanagh,[4] was a feminist who played alongside several female vocalists, including Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt.[8] Kavanagh's father, who died when she was 13, was intermittently part of her life.[3]

She studied at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance,[9] and studied English, media and cultural studies at the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.[10]

Career

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Kavanagh first joined as a backing vocalist for a band called Creamy Goodness.[11][12] BARQ's single "Bear" was a tribute to her mother.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Jess Kavanagh". Civic Theatre (Tallaght). Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  2. ^ Power, Bairbre (2023-04-21). "Musician Jess Kavanagh: 'I watched Wellmania and my god did I identify with the main character. She's trying to quit all her bad habits but life keeps happening. Same, hun!'". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  3. ^ a b c Hogan, Caelainn (2021-05-18). "In Ireland, Lifting a Veil of Prejudice Against Mixed-Race Children". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  4. ^ a b Bryne, Stephen (2020-07-03). "Jess Kav & Havvk share MASI charity single 'Always The Same'". GoldenPlec. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  5. ^ Egan, Barry (2016-04-11). "'I get catharsis in every song that I play'". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  6. ^ Byrne, Stephen (2018-05-11). ""I wondered about all the other women who had died because of this fatal detail in our constitution"". GoldenPlec. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  7. ^ Coney, Brian (2014-10-06). "Inbound: Jess Kav". The Thin Air. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  8. ^ a b O'Sullivan, Eoghan (2017-03-27). "Jess Kavanagh is putting some real bite in her Barq". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  9. ^ "Jess Kavanagh". Civic Theatre (Tallaght). Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  10. ^ Power, Bairbre (2023-04-21). "Musician Jess Kavanagh: 'I watched Wellmania and my god did I identify with the main character. She's trying to quit all her bad habits but life keeps happening. Same, hun!'". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  11. ^ Byrne, Niall (2018-01-06). "This Album Changed My Life: Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  12. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (2024-02-17). "Barq on her feet again". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-02-17.