Nenagh man Seán Corcoran (Outsider) has had his debut single included on the FIFA '18 soundtrack. Photograph: Ruth Medjber, www.ruthlessimagery.com

Nenagh man's FIFA video game song 'as Gaeilge'

Nenagh musician Seán Corcoran has had his first single included on the soundtrack of the new FIFA '18 video game.


Seán, who works under the artist name Outsider, is a brand new Warner Music signing. His debut single, ‘Míol Mór Mara’ finds the local singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and punk poet leading with driving guitar and bold, thoughtful vocals, reminiscent to the likes of Bruce Springsteen or The War On Drugs.


Included on the newly released FIFA '18, the track features lyricism in both English and Gaeilge, which makes Seán the first person ever to introduce the Irish language into mainstream video gaming.


‘Míol Mór Mara’ means ‘sea whales’, and translates literally into English as ‘giant beasts of the sea’. Regarding the single, Seán said “the song is about a child with Down Syndrome I worked with when I was suffering from huge heartbreak, and it had a profound influence on my life.


“The kid was so inspiring and pulled me out of a dark place really just by spending time with him. It's got a lot of Biblical references to Jonah and the Whale, which is symbolic of diving into the sea of the unknown and becoming something far greater than yourself in a spiritual sense.”


Seán's love of the Irish language began with his grandfather Micheal Corcoran, who was born in the Silvermines and would regularly use Gaeilge when Seán was a child. At Nenagh CBS, Seán developed his love of the language, after which he did a degree in Gaeilge at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick.


The FIFA '18 track was engineered, produced and mixed by Owen Geaney of Atlas White studios, Seán's childhood friend since former Principal Gerry Ryan was their teacher at CBS Nenagh.


“It was an incredible feat to produce, mix and engineer music between two people that would go on to feature on a soundtrack alongside Stormzy, Lorde and Alt-J, to name a few,” Seán said. Owen will be a permanent feature on the 'Outsider' live show as a multi-instrumentalist.


Seán added that teacher Jim Minogue really encouraged him to develop an understanding of lyrics and poetry when he was at Nenagh CBS Secondary School. “It is very true that a teacher can have a lifelong influence on your success,” he said.


Featuring in the Nenagh music scene for years with bands like My Corduroy and Moscow Metro helped Seán to hone his music skills. He mentioned that walking in the Silvermines hills and Keeper influenced some of the imagery in his lyrics.


Outsider is the only Irish act to feature in the new FIFA game and Seán is proud to be representing his country for the next year. It follows the Nenagh man's signing with Warner Music, which was a major coup for the now Dublin-based musician.


“It is fantastic to have a record deal with a major label like Warner Music because it has a global reach and literally creates opportunities for me,” he said.


Seán takes his monicker from the song by the Ramones and Colin Wilson's controversial book, 'The Outsider'. His songwriting has been described as “deeply thoughtful and enticingly intelligent, matched by rich Americana-tinged guitar music”. His music has also recently been featured on Netflix’s Shadowhunters.


Seán intends to announce an Irish tour in the near future and says he would love to perform in his hometown alongside Owen. In the meantime, he will be appearing on 2FM this Saturday on the Stephen Byrne show between 3-6pm. He will also be playing at the Hardworking Class Heroes festival on Saturday September 30th at Dublin's Grand Social.


'Míol Mór Mara' is out now on Soundcloud and Spotify. For more see Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, all @thisisoutsider