A NORTH Belfast music duo has received funding from the Arts Council to enable them to progress their careers.
 
28-year-old musician Cathy O'Kane is one half of the music duo, Chapter2. Speaking about the funding the duo has received she said: “I am so thankful to the Arts Council for this opportunity and support. Now I am able to progress further in my music career.

 

“We are going to write and release an EP with music videos as Chapter2 and get better equipment for our videos and gigs. I'm able to record demos of my original songs to send to record labels, get violin refresher lessons and get promotional videos filmed.
 
“It's very exciting! None of this would have been possible without the grant from the Arts Council and I say again I'm very thankful. Listen out for Chapter2! Our EP will now be out this year!”

Cathy has always loved music and said that she wanted to pursue a career in it from a very young age. She started off playing violin before moving on to singing, performing at every opportunity she could. She talked about how her music evolved.
 
“I started entering singing competitions and through these competitions I formed a girl group called Second Nature. I'm a songwriter too.
 
“As well as writing with my group, I've written with other artists and all the songs have had radio play on all radio stations in Northern Ireland.
 
“It's been amazing! Writing lyrics and hearing them come to life in the studio is very fulfilling. There's also nothing like the buzz of performing live when you get on stage in front of an audience. I really miss that. When I'm emerged in the creativity of music, I'm in my happy place.”
 
 And what has been the highlight of her music career?
 
“I have a few highlights. When I was in Second Nature, we supported Vengaboys which was amazing. It was a childhood dream come true.
 
“Another highlight was when we were on X-Factor and sang in front of Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Rita Ora and Nick Grimshaw in the Manchester Arena, which was an amazing experience too.
 
Cathy has also spoken about the challenges the past year has presented.
 
“Covid-19 has been a major challenge as it has stopped them from doing what we love. Gigs have stopped and nobody can meet up. I sing at funerals too and even that wasn't allowed last year.
 
“It's been hard for all artists and It does take a toll on your mental health, feeling like life is just passing us by, but hopefully things will go back to normal soon. We just have to stay positive.”