Music is my safe haven

Natasha Cambridge will represent CDYS Youth Work Ireland (Cork) Irish Youth Music Awards hub at the Irish Youth Music Awards all ages national Day on Saturday May 11th. Natasha is a singer songwriter based in Mallow. She wrote her first song through her involvement in the IYMA’S and was so surprised about how much she loved song writing as she had not written before. After this experience she started to focus on her song writing and has written over 20 songs to date and her following on social media is growing as she shares her musical journey. She has gained so much confidence through performing and writing her own music.

Music is my safe haven.

Mental health is one of the most important things we should focus on because if our brain isn’t okay then nothing else will be either.

People are speaking out about mental health now more than ever and in that sense we are lucky.

Mental health is talked about a lot and it has been made very clear that it’s okay not to be okay but what we are not always offered is solutions or safe havens and that’s what music is for me. My music group is like a home, a metaphorical medicine.

Life has rough patches for all of us and I myself had quite a few. Singing has always been an escape for me within the words of a song even if it was only for a few minutes I wasn’t in the midst of all the darkness. Music is like my umbrella and when I have it, I very rarely get wet.

Ever since I was a little girl, I had a dream of becoming a singer, I had that passion and love for music before I even understood it. Music really was my first love. I started taking music more seriously when I joined my music group in 2014, I was always too nervous to perform on stage and eventually it became a second nature. Without my music group I would have never been able to do what I love.

Before music I felt alone, loneliness is often one of the strongest feelings you can feel it can consume you and it consumed me. I looked for escapes in the wrong places and people and done whatever it took to distract myself from the pain. One day when I was feeling low about myself, I seen an old guitar in my house and I started playing around with it, I looked up some chords online and I started playing. Overtime it progressed to me writing my feelings I felt so intensely down and putting them into a song. The next thing I knew I had a new escape

When I feel these low feelings about myself, I pick up my guitar and everything else will disappear.

My music group has helped me to overcome anxiety by putting myself out there and building my confidence up so I could finally do what I love to do.  It has helped me to make friends with people who quickly became family, we are all so different but each of us has music in common so that holds us together.

Participating in the Irish Youth Music Awards contributes to this. Not only does it provide a way for me to do what I love it gives my team and I purpose. It has helped us form relationships that we would have struggled to make with each other and our local community. Even if you don’t play an instrument or sing but you’re just interested in music or in learning more I highly recommend coming To the Irish Youth Music Awards to see what it is like. Music is a safe place within a song or a melody and it’s available to everyone.

Music saved me.

I have been so blessed to be able to represent County Cork this year and it has pushed me to take my passion more seriously and to share it with others.

You can see Natasha perform at the the Irish Youth Music Awards National Day on Saturday May 11th alongside other young musicians aged 12-19 from across the island of Ireland who will be performing across two stages.

The IYMAs Education Hub will feature workshops and masterclasses throughout the day which attendees can sign up for on a first come first served basis. These will include: Gold selling number one artists The Riptide Movement and Number 1 chart topping artists The Academic, they will both also perform some exclusive tracks. Award winning Director Lochlainn McKenna will be teaming up with music producer Daithí to look at how to make a music video looking at the Inspiration, process & promotion involved. RTÉ 2FM’s Mo K and MathMan will host a scratch and DJ workshop. BIMM Institute Dublin will host workshops around performance and songwriting with members of Villagers, James Vincent McMorrow and Heathers plus much more to be announced!

Attendees will also be able to visit the IYMAs marketplace which will feature hands on demonstrations and will give attendees the opportunity to learn new skills around the creative and music industry, with BIMM Institute Dublin, Girls Rock Dublin,  IMRO and RTÉ 2FM all in attendance with the latter broadcasting live from the event. The marketplace will also have hands on demonstrations and the opportunity for attendees to learn new skills.

Tickets for the Irish Youth Music Awards National Day are available from Eventbrite priced €20 excluding booking fee here. The event is an all ages, alcohol /drugs free event.

Group tickets are also available for youth clubs, projects or schools priced €120 (including booking fee) allowing admission for seven people on the day. Group tickets must be booked online and are available here.