Music from the Heart

Ballinteer native Fly the Nest (aka Stephen Cooper) started playing music at a young age, performing in various bands. He started solo project Fly the Nest two years ago, inspired by a life of moving from place to place. When not writing music for an advertising company in LA, he may be found working on his unique blend of film-inspired anthems, which he calls “cinematic rock.” Cooper now spends his time between Ireland and Denmark, and after a breakout year in 2021, has been tipped as one of the strongest rock acts to watch in Ireland in 2022.

“I wrote this quite a long time ago.” So says Stephen Cooper, the mind behind Fly the Nest, of his latest single, ‘Say Hello’. “Now just seemed like the right time for this song.”

Featuring a blend of Fly the Nest’s signature cinematic rock, and a newly intimate subject matter, Cooper explains that this song sees him writing purely from the heart, a departure from some of the more global themes of his discography to date. This song permits a certain sentimentality for both Cooper and listeners. “Something doesn’t work out, and you’re waiting for that person to come back - you could nearly be waiting till you’re an old man. It gets into that.”

The track is built out of a haunting atmosphere, and a fascinating coupling with what Cooper describes as a “90s oasis vibe”. “I like to keep that cinematic vibe going through my songs. The emptiness of the start, by the end, it’s all built up. And yet this song is simple - it’s about the power of someone just saying hello.”

Honest track laced with rock and country with an anthem-like sound.

"from the break of dawn I'll be waiting for you to call, just to hear your voice"

Artwork: Julien Jensen