Sean MacLeod is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician, producer, author and lecturer from Dublin. A lifelong songwriter and performer, he has been writing, recording and performing for more than 30 years. He first came to attention as a founding member of the Dublin band Cisco, whose work, recorded with U2's Paul Barrett, received critical acclaim in Ireland and attracted interest internationally. Following the band's split, MacLeod embarked on a solo career, developing a distinctive sound that combines melodic indie pop and alternative rock with elements of folk, psychedelia and avant-garde music.
Sean, you’re from Ireland. Could you tell us a little about your childhood?
Yes. I grew up in Dublin, Ireland. I had a very happy childhood—lots of friends and lots of fun. Actually, my childhood was so much fun that adulthood has paled in comparison, but I think that’s how it is naturally.
When did music first become a part of your life?
Music was always part of my life. It wasn’t the main thing in my life when I was very young, but it has always been there. When I was about seven, I had to go to piano lessons, which I didn’t much like, and my older brother and cousins were all into music, so it was always around me. When I was 11, I heard someone singing a Beatles song, and that really struck a chord (excuse the pun). That’s when I really wanted to know more about music and songwriting.
Were your parents musical?
Yes, in the sense that they loved music and wanted me to learn music, but they didn’t really play anything. My mum played the piano a bit, but she wasn’t a concert pianist or anything. However, she had a big family, and they all played music. My aunt could have been a professional musician; she was very gifted. She played at school concerts and Christmas get-togethers and entertained everyone with her playing. She was naturally very talented.
What are the lyrics of “Inside Out” about?
They’re essentially about finding oneself in this world without all the outside influences, or the internal guilt and fear, that can get in the way of being who we should essentially be.
You have a PhD in musical composition. Was it always clear to you that you wanted to study music at university?
No, I never wanted to study music as such. I would rather play music, but I like researching things, so it was a little like combining these two things. My PhD was an arts practice PhD, which is more about your practice than just accumulating theoretical knowledge. So, I essentially wrote songs for six years.
You’re also an author. Could you tell us a little about your latest book?
Well, my latest book was my PhD thesis. Yes, there was an academic side in the form of a thesis as well as the practice side. It is basically a written document about the music I wrote, why I wrote it, what I was trying to explore through the process, etc.
So, I was looking at why we tune our instruments in a certain way and what would happen if we tuned them differently. I explored that idea and then composed pieces in different tunings. One aspect of it was the use of modern technology and how that affects music today and how we engage with it. So, my argument was that it can restrict the musician in terms of the tuning system because, although it can accommodate lots of alternative tunings, it can tend to standardise music because technology has a tendency to do that.
You released an album last year titled New Start. Could you tell us a little about the album’s lyrical themes?
New Start was the result of me getting frustrated with finishing my current album, That’s When the Earth Becomes a Star. It was taking so long to get the songs to a level I was happy with that I thought I would release a few as singles. Then I thought it had been six years or more since I had released an album, despite having lots of material as a result of the time I had spent working on the PhD. So, I decided to put out an album of old singles and new singles. In the last year, I finished this new album, so the new songs are part of this album, but they are actually different mixes—better mixes, I think—which justifies them being on the new album. Also, this album is more cohesive.
What is your philosophy on life?
Love is all you need. That’s all we know on Earth and all we need to know.
What’s next for you?
I have two new albums coming out of the PhD work, and I have also finished recording two other albums, so I plan to release the material throughout 2027.
Explore further:
Sean MacLeod Facebook
Sean MacLeod Spotify
Sean MacLeod Soundcloud
Sean MacLeod Bandcamp
Sean MacLeod YouTube
Sean MacLeod Instagram
Sean MacLeod TikTok
Interview by staff at MBTM
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