17 Feb Mary Coughlan, the “Irish Billie Holiday,” Performs in Belgrade for the First Time
The renowned Irish jazz diva, Mary Coughlan, will perform in Serbia for the first time this March as a special guest of the 13th Belgrade Irish Festival.
Often called the “Irish Billie Holiday”, Coughlan is known for her emotional and raw interpretations as well as provocative interaction with the audience. She will take the stage in Belgrade on March 13, performing at Dom omladine Beograda.
Her music blends jazz, blues, folk, and rock, while music critics recognize influences of Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Édith Piaf, and Peggy Lee in her work. Last year, she released her latest album, “Repeat Rewind,” celebrating 40 years on the international music scene. In Belgrade, she will perform with her four-piece band, presenting a carefully selected repertoire that showcases the best of her musical legacy.
“I have 15 albums and 40 years of music behind me. I’m sure we’ll put together a great setlist so the Belgrade audience can get to know us well. This is my first time in Serbia, and I’m excited to see Belgrade and be part of the Belgrade Irish Festival. They say the Irish and Serbs are alike—we can be both loud and melancholic, and I’ve always liked that. I love when people give in to emotions; it means they know how to enjoy both art and life,” Mary Coughlan shared with her Serbian audience.
Mary sings about heartbreak and lost love, but also about crises and addiction, a battle she has personally fought for years. Her tumultuous career has seen both explosive success and dramatic setbacks. Her very first album, “Tired and Emotional” (1985), became a sensation in Ireland, selling 100,000 copies. She is well known for her deeply moving renditions of songs by Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Tom Waits, and various Irish singer-songwriters.
Coughlan also appeared in two films by Irish director Neil Jordan, who will also visit Belgrade this March as a guest of the Belgrade Irish Festival (“High Spirits” and “Breakfast on Pluto”). Her personal struggles and comebacks even inspired the theater production “Women Undone”, a fusion of theater, music, and dance, portraying one woman’s fight with her past.
Tickets for Mary Coughlan’s concert are now on sale! They can be purchased online and via the eFinity sales network (box offices at Dom omladine Beograda, Sava Center, Belgrade Arena, and TC Rajićeva, 1st floor).
Photo: Mary Coughlan – Album Cover: Hugh O`Connor