Derry drag star brings something "never seen before" to Derry music scene

Derry drag artist, Miss Mary Jane, has been performing since she was 13 years old. The 21 year old Derry native is set to drop her debut original album, ‘The Mr President Trilogy,' a three single EP with three music videos that when compiled together create a full length short film with one narrative running through all three distinctive chapters.

The first single ‘MaryJane’ is set to release June 10 on all streaming platforms with the following video dropping shortly after on June 17; beginning the visual narrative of ‘The Mr. President Trilogy.'

Miss Mary Jane explained: "This track was written when I first started my drag career introducing myself into the Northern Ireland music scene and community in my setlist using this track as a back story and to establish the character.

"The drag aesthetic at the time was trashier/urban street glam which I feel has been perfectly captured in both the single and official music video."

Miss Mary Jane was surrounded by music growing up, listening to ska music with her father. Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues.

Miss Mary Jane has carried this inspiration into her music as it is played a key influence in the artist she is today along with later idols: "When I was younger my dad listened to a lot of ska music, and through that I stumbled across artists like Amy Winehouse, No Doubt and Gwen Stefani, which I think would have been the earliest sort of musical influence I had," Miss Mary Jane continued.

"Some influences on my current work include big stars like Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey and Miley Cyrus."

Miss Mary Jane has loved music and the arts for as long as she can remember and spent her teens pursuing music, "I’ve always loved music and art, but began performing acoustically at the age of 13."

"When I reached 16, I discovered drag and decided to merge the two art forms together to create something unique that the city had never seen before.

"Ever since I’ve performed as Miss MaryJane. I've been doing lots of high profile gigs around the town such as The Maiden City Tease and the Afterparty for the Foyle Film Festival as well as smaller scale gigs in venues such as The Hidden City Cafe and The Dirty Souls.

"I also hold a bi-weekly residency in The Maverick, Belfast, where I perform live acoustic music and sing Jazz.

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"I want to thank everyone for their support and I am absolutely buzzing for the release. I am excited to see what the future holds and the progression of my career.

"This has been a long goal of mine from the beginning of my acoustic career as a teenager. Supporting this project would go a long way to help a local, independent, queer artist on their creative journey."

Miss Mary Jane has been working tirelessly for the release of her EP tomorrow. The music for the song was co-written with producer/writer Graham Maree who also produced, performed, edited and mixed the track.

You can listen to the new track via all streaming platforms from June 10.

You can also follow Miss Mary Jane on her journey via the username Miss MaryJane on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram.