Aisling Bea inspired Kodaline’s Mark Prendergast to go solo as Man Alive

Kodaline's Mark Prendergast

Actor Aisling Bea inspired Kodaline’s Mark Prendergast to go solo in new solo outing, Man Alive.

Prendergast has now shared the debut single of his new solo project, ‘Be Someone’ that you can listen to below.

According to a statement, his friend, actor Aisling Bea, proved to be “a pivotal influence for him to take Man Alive to the wider world.”

A statement revealed that “he played her an early version of ‘Be Someone’ when they were in Los Angeles in 2021, and her belief in the project really pushed him to make it happen.” It also noted that she encouraged him to change the first provisional name he had for his solo project, ‘Blood Type’, telling him it was “shit and doesn’t match your music.” Eventually, he went with Man Alive.

Speaking about his new single, Prendergast said: “‘Be Someone’ is about a long-distance relationship falling apart, and how when you’re with somebody, they make you feel like a certain type of person, but then when you end the relationship and you’re by yourself, you always become a completely different person.”

A statement added that the break-up, followed by lockdown, inspired Prendergast to write, record and produce a catalogue of songs from his home studio.

You can listen to the song here:

Aisling Bea

Earlier this year, Kodaline announced a tour of Asia this autumn, where they will travel to Singapore, Philippines, Taipei, Bangkok and more.

They will kick off the tour September 5 in Singapore and then play shows in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Seoul. They will wrap up with two Japanese dates in Tokyo and Osaka.

You can see the full list of dates below and get any remaining tickets here.

SEPTEMBER
Tuesday 5 – Singapore, The Star Theatre
Thursday 7 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Zepp
Monday 11 – Taipei, Taiwan, Zepp
Thursday 14 – Manila, Philippines, The Filinvest Tent
Saturday 16 – Bangkok, Thailand, Impact Exhibition Hall 5
Tuesday 19 – Hong Kong, The Macpherson Stadium
Friday 22 – Seoul, South Korea, Yes24 Live Hall
Sunday 24 – Tokyo, Japan, Shibuya Duo
Monday 25 – Osaka, Japan, Club Quattro

Kodaline last toured Asia in 2019. The Irish band’s last studio album was 2020’s ‘One Day at a Time’, though they also put out a live album ‘Our Roots Run Deep’ last October.

The post Aisling Bea inspired Kodaline’s Mark Prendergast to go solo as Man Alive appeared first on NME.