Dublin based French-American musician and composer Zoé Basha, who is gaining a loyal following for her unique blend of traditional and original music, will launch her debut album, Gamble, next Thursday, April 17. To mark the release, Zoé will play De Burgos Club in Galway, on April 24, as part of an Irish tour.

Gamble which features the already-released singles Worried, Love is Teasin’, Three Little Babes and Dublin Street Corners, blends folk, blues, Americana, jazz, and Irish influences. On it, she explores identity, grief, the deconstructing of societal norms and the complexities of human connections.

With a combination of guitar, fiddle, organ and upright bass backing her, Gamble captures the sound of this unique singer as Zoé blends the storytelling traditions of Appalachian Mountain songs, the ornamentation of Irish traditional music and the rhythms of American blues and ragtime. Her diverse influences include Billie Holiday, the Mills Brothers, Jimmie Rodgers, Joni Mitchell, Texas Gladden, Edith Piaf and the Steve Miller Band, as well as her fellow musicians on the Irish folk music scene.

Zoé busked for years, and was often torn between staying in Ireland and going on her rambles, when she travelled by thumb, freight trains and rust-bucket vans, mostly taking the scenic route. On one of those trips abroad, she felt that being a professional musician was no longer for her and she began working in traditional French timber framing.

However, Zoé’s passion for music was revived through the Dublin folk trio, Rufous Nightjar, which she formed alongside Branwen Kavanagh and Anna-Mieke Bishop in 2020. She returned to Ireland in her own rusty van, bringing her tools with her. The result is Gamble, her first solo album, which includes songs telling the stories of her roamings. Zoé produced the album, which was mixed and mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Ben Rawlins. She’ll be returning to the towns and cities she previously visited, as she tours it throughout 2025.

Zoé is in De Burgos in the city’s St Augustine Street, next Thursday, April 24, with doors from 7.30pm.

Pictured: Zoé Basha. PHOTO CELESTE BURDON.