MUSIC Lisa Stanley a hit in Ibiza

Ibiza on its feet for Lisa


Michael Commins

THESE are exciting times for Sligo country singer Lisa Stanley. On her first trip to the Fleadh Ibiza, now an annual event on the Mediterranean island, she got a standing ovation at the end of her solo show. It was symbolic of the young singer’s stellar rise; it’s safe to say she is rapidly heading towards membership of that elite group, Ireland’s top female country stars.
The country music mantle rests easy with Lisa. Her late mother was Maisie McDaniel, one of the original pioneers of country music here in Ireland back in the 1960s, and one of the first to host a country show on the new RTE television station. Lisa’s dad is the famous piano-accordion player, Fintan Stanley from Co Louth. Fintan has resided in the Boston region for many years and is still regarded as one of the legends in the business.
There’s little doubt that this wonderful musical pedigree has opened doors for Lisa Stanley, but she has made the stage her own as a musician in her own right in recent months. Brimming with confidence, she truly stole the show in Ibiza as she linked the musical legacies of her parents with an easy banter that charmed all in the theatre.
“People were genuinely amazed at the way in which she presented her show. She won them over from the first minute and had them singing along with many of her songs. Lisa has a way of communicating with people; she has a great stage presence and they just loved her in Ibiza,” said Pat Jordan who fronts his own band in Manchester.
Ten weeks ago, the Sligo singer presented the concert show, Lisa Stanley Sings the Hits of Maisie McDaniel, in the Hawkswell Theatre in Sligo. She also received a standing ovation for that performance. “I thought that might be the only time such a thing would happen to me,” she said. “I never thought it would happen a few weeks later in Ibiza … The past few months have been great for me and I have a whole new enthusiasm for the scene again. I was proud to fly the Sligo flag in Ibiza, that’s for sure!”