CANDICE GORDON By Laura Garvey Driven by her love of beautiful melody, Candice’s songs are soulful collections of jazz-inspired stories, beautifully told with poetic lyrics and a silky voice. Her story is more than a simple progression from bedroom performer to professional musician. As with many singers, Candice felt she was to become an artist from a very young age, but unlike many, her journey to that point is rich, varied and utterly intriguing. “When I was really little, we would drive across the deserts in Africa. We would spend days in the car just driving. I used to listen to these tapes of Paul Simon and Tracy Chapman. I learned all the words to their songs and would sing them over and over. That was when I decided I was going to be a musician.” Spending her early years in Botswana with a South African mother and Namibian father, Candice and her family moved to Ireland in the late 80s. “Our visa had run out in Botswana, and we moved just before Nelson Mandela became president in South Africa. One of the reasons we chose Ireland was because my parents couldn’t face apartheid. That and my mother had some really romantic ideas about Irish life,” she says. Though her parents weren’t musical, she feels that in their own way they are artistic, “My dad is very philosophical. I have my father’s brain in a sense. I go off on tangents and have a natural philosophical way of thinking”. Candice’s philosophising has lead to her mysterious, and at times strange, lyrics. “My mum is very different,” she admits. “She’s a microbiologist. My brother is now a scientist as well. If I weren’t a musician now, that’s what I would be doing too. Science is such a beautiful thing.” At school, Candice had to choose between science and art, “By then I had made the decision to be a musician. Art was the logical route for me.” It may sound clichéd, and is often used as the go-to catchphrase of many aspiring artists, but in this case it is purely a matter of fact. She learned the guitar at age seven; throughout her teens she had her voice trained and by 12 years old, she had started busking. “I can’t remember being nervous back then,” she says. “Busking is the best way of tackling your nerves because it takes quite a lot of self-persuasion to stop in the middle of the street, take your guitar out and start singing while people walk by.” At 15 she had played her first all-ages gig at the Templebar Music Centre in Dublin, and even then her potential was evident, with offers of management rolling in straight after her performance. Now, slightly older and wiser to the world in which she works, Candice is soon to have her pick of management, booking agents and even record labels. After school, instead of immediately launching into a college course or job, Candice moved to Montpellier in the south of France. “I love the romanticism of the country, their view on things, their food, art and music,” she says. Candice had been living there for a year when she met a guy during a trip to Barcelona who loved Lindy Hop dancing as much as she did, “He convinced me to join a travelling circus with him”, she says. “I travelled from Montpellier to Croatia to meet up with the circus and that was when I found out he wasn’t a part of the group at all.” Undeterred, Candice stayed with the group for a couple of months, learning to juggle, playing guitar in their band and travelling by bike through Europe. When she returned to Dublin, she enrolled in a Communications and Sound Engineering course, “I wanted be wise to everything I might encounter as a musician. In one of my final years we had a class called Contemporary Media, I remember we had a presentation to give on a musical act. So I did it on myself. Don’t think it went down too well”, she laughs. Her experiences and nerve have brought her to where she is today as a performer – comfortable, aware and well-grounded. Last year Candice worked inexhaustibly on her first album, Before the Sunset Ends, with The Pogues frontman Shane McGowan as producer, she has learned hugely about how to bring her work together: “When I was working on my first first album, I had a lot of time. It was made up of songs that I’d written over a period of time, full of stories that I had been interested by at the time.” Old folk tales, stories of demons and the devil, which provided the subtext of many of her songs, were what had fascinated her most. Working alongside the infamous Pogues frontman was a result of him becoming a fan of Candice’s song writing after years of friendship. “I first met Shane when I was juggling in a nightclub in Dublin. He was there with Babyshambles and Kate Moss. My boss found me and told me that I had been requested in the VIP area. When I finally got up there the whole place was empty except Shane and some other guy. They weren’t even watching me and couldn’t have cared less. After ten minutes I went to leave, but he called me over and we got chatting.” Candice told Shane about her plans to travel on the Trans-Siberian railway. She soon found herself booking hotels, flights and railway tickets for Shane and his crew. “it ended up falling apart for various reasons… But I went on tour with The Pogues in Japan. It was so surreal. It still is. We’ve all become such good friends over the years.” Candice is set to release her eagerly awaited first album in the coming months. However the hard working singer is already planning a second album drawing on her much-loved influences Screaming Jay Hawkins, The Cramps and Nina Simone, “I want to bring a concept to this second album to draw it together,” she says. “When I approach writing a song I bear in mind my love of coherent, poetic lyrics. I cannot write without there being a real reason for that song to exist.” Without doubt Candice Gordon is set to succeed. She is an artist, a dedicated creator of beautiful melody and an imaginative lyricist – as she says herself: “I try to create an image and a story throughout each piece of music that I create. It has become my discipline.”
my mother had some really romantic ideas about irish life.
I cannot write without a real reason for the song to exist.
follow Candice on
Photography by Aidan O’Neill
mailto:info@argonmagazine.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE
LEGAL / SUBMIT / CONTACT / SUBSCRIBE / TEAM / BLACK BOOK / ARCHIVE
SUBMIT2.html
CONTACT_2.html
TEAM_2.html
LEGAL_2.html
mailto:info@argonmagazine.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE
BLACK_BOOK_2.html
ARCHIVE2.html
WE LOVE Come, pick through our lust list, and find some new obsessions. Just don't forget who told ya first!WE_LOVE_2.html
WE_LOVE_2.html
TOKYO TALES Layers of brightly-coloured textures ruffle a few fashion feathers in Argon's eclectic womenswear shoot.TOKYO_JO.html
THE_NEW_COMMUNICATORs.html
THE AGORA A meeting place of ancient minds inspired this rich photographic story by startling South American artist Jesús Jiménez.Jesus_Jiminez.html
Jesus_Jiminez.html
THE PATENT DESK Once again straight from the Patent desk of Argon resident Mr Lynch, we veer from the sublime to the ridiculous . Sheer illustrative madness of invention exploration, be warned this Issue’s offering includes chicken. PATENT_DESK_2.html
PATENT_DESK_2.html
BREAKING DAWN Popping prints, gleaming golds and pearly beauty burst forth this spring, shining rays of fun all over your wardrobe.THE_SUN_WILL_RISE.html
THE_SUN_WILL_RISE.html
OUR NEWEST CRUSH There are many ways to feel loved but having a print created for you by Mexican artist Ivan Crush certainly made Argon's day! The first image in this gorgeously graphic series was a generous gift from Ivan to our fledgling magazine. Thank you Ivan!Ivan_crush.html
Martin_Cregg.html
FEELS LIKE HOME Musical talent Dan Croll invites Argon into his gymnasium studio for game of badminton and a chat about what is guaranteed an exciting and explosive year for the musician.Dan_Croll.html
Dan_Croll.html
VOICES OF FASHION Meet the secret talent in the fashion industry today. Set designers, make-up artists and stylists all reveal to Argon the best - and worst - bits of living their dream.THE_NEW_COMMUNICATORs.html
TOKYO_JO.html
DECONSTRUCT / REBUILD Is there still excess in the music industry? That infamous wild abandon and decadence? Brand Barstein talks to Norwegian band Maribel about hotel rooms and televisions and the trouble they can cause.Deconstruct_rebuild.html
Louis_Vuitton.html
EOIN RYAN Ever wonder where art really comes from? Astonishingly talented illustrator Eoin Ryan allows Argon a rare insight into his inner creative process. Watch out for giant concrete blocks!EOIN_RYAN.html
EOIN_RYAN.html
STREAM OF MYSTERY Deep, dark-eyed and dazzlingly talented, Irish musician Candice Gordon is set to conquer the world with her devilishly hypnotising debut album. Here the fascinating singer tells writer Laura Garvey about her African roots, running away to join the circus and touring Japan with close friend Shane McGowan.
KILMAINHAM JAIL? It's big, beautiful and beloved of Dubliners but is IMMA really pulling its weight? Writer Simon Tierney argues it's time to move Ireland's contemporary art to a contemporary space. Now.IMMA_Bolands_flour_Mill.html
IMMA_Bolands_flour_Mill.html
FASHION GOT HEART Fashion crusader Sarah Ditty selects the best ethical must-haves from this season's brightest trends. Go forth fashion lovers with a clear conscience and a happy heart.Fashion_got_heart.html
Fashion_got_heart.html
SECRETS OF A CHEF Work up an appetite with London's hottest chef Robin Gill as the Dubliner takes Argon on a mouth-watering tour of the British capital.SECRETS_OF_A_CHEF.html
SECRETS_OF_A_CHEF.html
LAZY DAYS Daydream, contemplate and relax in a rare moment of solitude. All in the latest Spring-Summer menswear featuring DKNY and One Nine Six Zero.LAZY_DAYS.html
LAZY_DAYS.html
LIFE-SIZED GHOSTS Inspired by the clothing line EDUN, Argon's editorial video is a playful jaunt through light and shade, texture and tone, with just a dash of dancing. Music by MT Wolf.Life_sized_ghost.html
Life_sized_ghost.html
CLAIMING THE IMAGE American artist Ender Skip transforms ordinary images into an extraordinary story. Here Argon celebrates the joyful ambiguity in the artist's work.Ender_skip.html
Deconstruct_rebuild.html
LEADING LADIES The fashion industry is currently bubbling over with talented women. Laura Garvey shines an increasing spotlight on some remarkable women from Lulu Kennedy to Jessie Hands.Leading_Ladies.html
Leading_Ladies.html
VALERIE Argon takes a trip to the seaside in our womenswear shoot Valerie on blustery beautiful Brighton beaches.Valerie_fashion.html
Valerie_fashion.html
John_Wright.html
SKYSCRAPER HEELS Architect Vivienne Brophy explores fashion house Louis Vuitton's astonishing adventures in architecture.Louis_Vuitton.html
Ender_skip.html
DRIP Slowly and surely, like a tap that won't turn off, Argon’s DRIP section will keep you posted on all the latest new art, fashion and culture events. Just keep coming back people or Drip will overflow!DRIP_2.html
DRIP_2.html
A FADING LANDSCAPE This powerful collection explores rural Ireland and a man's relationship with the place of his birth. Here photographer Martin Cregg writes a personal introduction to this emotive and beautiful body of work.Martin_Cregg.html
Ivan_crush.html
BETWEEN THE LINES Meet illuminating artist Mark Garry who weaves delicate threads into intense meanings for an unforgettable experience.Mark_Garry.html
Mark_Garry.html
ESCAPISM Photographer John Wright captures the magic of monochrome in Argon's beautifully bold womenswear shoot. With clothing from Yves Saint Laurent and Nicole Fahri.John_Wright.html
QUARTERLY MAGAZINE
ART / FASHION / CULTURE
CULTURE2.html
FASHION2.html
ART2.html