How I Became A Wave Shares Video for ‘Sea Swell’
By How I Became A Wave shares mesmerising video for
‘Sea Swell’ starring aerial artist Ria Murphy
First Cork headline date sold out, second show added Dublin headline show on sale now with more tour dates added
Debut album arrives March 27th
How I Became A Wave today release a mesmerising video to accompany their latest single ‘Sea Swell’. In keeping with the project’s inherent spirit of cross-discipline collaboration, the video, directed and produced by Bearfoot Productions, stars dancer and aerial silk artist, Ria Murphy. →
This was my first time collaborating with a dance / aerialist artist, and I was really intrigued by how it might work – it’s one thing seeing an actor interpreting your work, but another thing entirely to be represented purely through movement. We talked beforehand around the concept and meaning behind the piece, and how it needed to have a kind of conflict of emotions – a sense of danger, a sense of excitement and elation, and a sense of loss, all within the central character. Sea Swell is a sort of Icarus tale of sorts and Ria has embodied that sense of flying too close to the sun in a way that has absolutely stunned me. It’s not just just the spectacular high flying movements, but the subtleties of form and expression. Powerful and soaring, wounded and vulnerable all at once.”
– Pat Carey, How I Became A Wave
‘Sea Swell’ is the fourth single to be taken from How I Became A Wave’s upcoming debut album. Recent airplay from Dermot O’Leary on BBC Radio 2 has introduced the track to a significant UK listenership of 1.4 million, complementing the strong support it continues to receive across Irish radio, including RTÉ Radio 1, Clare FM, Galway Bay FM, Red FM, KCLR FM, Spin South West, Radió Na Life and Dublin City FM. → Stream here How I Became A Wave have just sold out their headline show in their native Cork, and have added a second show at Coughlan’s. There are still tickets available for the Dublin headline show at The Unitarian Church on 17th April, presented by Singular Artists. Further live shows have been announced including in Kilkenny, Donegal and Kinsale. All tickets available via howibecameawave.com.
The eponymous debut album will be released on March 27th, and is available to pre-order now. Lush in strings and pedal steel, the nine-track How I Became A Wave album features contributions from some of Ireland’s most accomplished musicians, headed up by Pat Carey, and featuring string and piano arrangements by Cormac McCarthy (RTÉ Concert Orchestra). How I Became A Wave will be available across all streaming platforms, as a digital download and as a signed limited edition 12″ gatefold vinyl that brings together music and visual art, featuring cover artwork based on the original oil painting ‘Towards Pabaigh’ by Scottish artist Ellis O’Connor, design by West Cork creative Megan Clancy, insert image by Cork-based artist Leslie Allen Spillane, and handwritten liner notes and lyrics from Pat Carey, who steers How I Became A Wave as a collaborative, multidisciplinary project.
How I Became A Wave was recently named in the Irish Independent’s Ones to Watch for 2026. They wrote: “Pat Carey makes music that quietly acknowledges the strength it takes to be vulnerable, and the comfort that comes from creativity and collaboration” – perfectly summing up the ethos of this project, which has been a long time in the making.
Carey says: “I have sat with these songs, pulled and pushed at them for what seems like a decade now. It’s taken that long to come to a place where I can sit comfortably with my own voice, where I can embrace both the vulnerability and strength of authentic self expression.”
Across nine songs, How I Became A Wave features performances from musicians such as Carey’s former The Hard Ground band mates Davie Ryan (percussion & banjo – Notify, Pa Sheehy, Mary Coughlan, Donal Lunny, Niall McCabe Band) and Hugh Dillon (guitar – Notify, Niall McCabe Band); pianist Rory McCarthy (Pa Sheehy, Niall McCabe Band); cellists Laura McFadden (Clare Sands) and Aoife Burke (Banbha Quartet); guitarists Kealan Kenny (YOUTH, Pa Sheehy, TOUCAN, Niall McCabe, Allie Sherlock) and David Murphy; baritone clarinet player Matthew Berrill (Iarla O’Lionáird, Mick Flannery); Maria Ryan (Strung Music, Crash Ensemble) on violin and viola; harpist Aisling Urwin (Woven Kin, Ajeet) and multiinstrumentalist Brian Casey (John Spillane, Cathy Davey, Gemma Hayes, John Blek).
Cormac McCarthy (RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Iarla O’Lionáird) has arranged a number of tracks on the album for piano and strings.
Album track listing
- You Always Had A Way With Words
- Zero Sum
- Cycles
- 05:00
- Fading Out
- Sea Swell
- The Stray
- Don’t Find Me
- The Underside
Live Dates
Sunday 15 March – Kilkenny – Cleere’s (Kilkenny Tradfest)
Sunday 29 March – Dublin – Whelan’s (Joan Shelley support)
Sunday 12 April – Cork – Coughlan’s (Album Launch Show) – 7:30pm SOLD OUT
Sunday 12 April – Cork – Coughlan’s (Album Launch Show) – 3:00pm JUST ADDED
Friday 17 April – Dublin – The Unitarian Church (Album Launch Show)*
Sunday 19 April – Cork – Prim’s, Kinsale
Thursday 30 April – Donegal – Balor Arts Centre
*Presented by Singular Artists
All tickets on sale now from howibecameawave.com
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