Leigh-Anne has found her wings. Since starting her solo career in the summer of 2023, her legion of listeners have patiently waited, and now her debut solo album 'My Ego Told Me To' is finally here, dropping on Friday 20th February. She sat in on Léim Thart to fill me in on this new era, and the incoming tour which starts this April right here in Dublin at the 3Olympia Theatre!

Having released her first solo EP 'No Hard Feelings' in 2024, and embarking on her first solo tour, including 2 sold-out nights at Dublin's Academy Green Room, she has taken the music to new heights in making an album, and the tour is bigger and better than ever.

From 2011 to 2022, Leigh-Anne Pinnock was a member of global juggernaut girlband Little Mix alongside bandmates Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards. With a string of hits including 'Shout Out To My Ex', 'Wings', 'Black Magic', and 'Touch', they sold over 60 million records, clocked over 12 billion streams, scored 5 UK number-one singles, and won 3 BRIT Awards, including being the first female band to win the award for Best Group in BRITs history.

Watch this episode on YouTube HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE

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'My Ego Told Me To' Tracklist:

1. Look into My Eyes

2. Dead and Gone 

3. Revival 

4. Been A Minute 

5. Goodbye Goodmorning

6. Burning Up 

7. Most Wanted feat. Valiant & Rvssian

8. Best Version of Me

9. Me Minus U 

10. Sunrise 

11. You ARE a star 

12. FREE

13. Tight Up Skirt

14. Talk to me nice 

15. Heaven

What a year it's been for music! We've had an abundance of great tunes and albums throughout 2025, and I've wrapped it all up into this very special Best of 2025 episode taking you through the pinnacle of music this year. I'll also be joined by Jacob Alon, DUMBPHONE, Aidan Jones, George Lyons & Tebi Rex to talk through their songs which made the list.

Listen to the Best of 2025 Longlist HERE

Listen to the Best of 2025 Shortlist HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE

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Best of 2025 Shortlist (in order of release):

MØ & Biig Piig - SWEET

Lady Gaga - Vanish Into You

Jacob Alon - Don’t Fall Asleep

DUMBPHONE - Cry In Your Sheets

Aidan Jones - Mine

PinkPantheress - Girl Like Me

GRACEY - Gimmicks

Lorde - Man Of The Year

Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun

George Lyons - LOLA

CMAT - EURO-COUNTRY

Conan Gray - Eleven Eleven

Tebi Rex - And I’m Mad. (feat. Becky McNeice)

Lily Allen - Tennis

ROSALÍA - Reliquia

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My Top 10 Albums (no order)

Lady Gaga - MAYHEM

Jacob Alon - In Limerence

PinkPantheress - Fancy That

Conan Gray - Wishbone

Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun

Lily Allen - West End Girl

ROSALÍA - LUX

Rose Gray - Louder, Please

Olly Alexander - Polari

Jamie Duffy - Jamie Duffy

It's been a great decade of music and community from Kildare's No. 1 inter-racial Hip-Hop duo, Tebi Rex. Since forming in Maynooth University, the pair have cultivated a community of loyal listeners who have all grown up together, sold out shows all over the place, and probably played your Fresher's Ball while they're at it.

This is their 3rd time coming onto Léim Thart, having previously chatted about their first 2 albums in 2019 and 2021. We've had a number of path-crossings over the years and I knew I couldn't let this year go by without one last episode.

2025 marked the end, with the band announcing in January that their final album 'Fin.' would be releasing this year. The album dropped in August to a huge amount of love from peers and listeners alike. Their last show takes place in The Button Factory Dublin on Monday 22nd December, last tickets on sale now.

Watch this episode on YouTube HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE

Loved talking to singer-songwriter Benjamin Steer for Léim Thart about his 2025, and his brand-new single 'Miracle'. He's just played The Academy Dublin supporting Arthur Hill on a tour which includes the legendary Brixton Academy in London. We talked about Stromae, a clash of accents when you're international, and even an obligatory mention of the new ROSALÍA album!

The new single is released is off the back of a huge summer in which Steer released his debut EP ‘Figuring It Out’, reached 1.4M Spotify monthly listeners, sold-out his first headline shows at The Grace and Omeara London, along with supporting the likes of Kingfishr, Myles Smith, Calum Bowie, Texas, and Kerr Mercer.

2025 has taken Benjamin's career to new heights, with over 20M streams to date. He's also receiveds editorial support from Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud, on top of publication support such as MTV UK, Rolling Stone UK & Atwood Magazine.

Watch this episode on YouTube HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE

Today's Léim Thart episode is with Monaghan composer Jamie Duffy, recorded live with an audience at the Róisín Dubh Galway to celebrate the release of his debut album, which is freshly landed at #1 on the Independent Albums Chart in Ireland, and #7 All Albums. I loved speaking to Jamie about it, as well as a few live tracks with Claire on cello, which you'll hear in the episode.

Recorded between Ireland and Iceland over the past 2 years, the album takes the listener on a cinematic journey of late nights, raw nature, and intimate moments of solitude. With a big orchestral sound, even the smallest room will feel huge. We spoke about all this, his connection to Enya, and his composing habits.

At just 24, Jamie Duffy has emerged as one of Ireland’s most compelling new artists. His debut single 'Solas' became the most streamed debut by an Irish artist since Hozier’s Take Me To Church, with over 130+ million streams on Spotify, 27 million YouTube views, and 7.3 billion views on TikTok. He has supported Hans Zimmer in Hyde Park London, and has scored his first movie, due for release in 2026.

Watch this episode on YouTube HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE

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'Jamie Duffy' Tracklist:

1. Torus

2. Into the West

3. Solas

4. Rising

5. Take This Slowly (with Colm Mac Con Iomaire)

6. Breathing

7. For the Moon

8. Púca

9. Resonance

10. Against the Atlantic

11. Upon a Hill (with Atli Örvarsson)

Dublin's own RuthAnne is on Léim Thart today! A major Irish figure of music and the industry, she has been in the game since co-writing 'Too Little Too Late' for JoJo at 17 years old. Since then, she has accumulated over 12 billion streams as a writer, and earned GRAMMY & BRIT Award nominations. Now 20 years into her career, she has a brand-new album 'The Moment' out October 10th, and her book 'It's Not Just A Song' is out now.

As an artist, her song 'The Vow' blew up when used in the Love Island 2019 finale, and then was asked personally to sing it at the engagement of finalists Tommy Fury & Molly-Mae Hague. As a writer, she has credits on global hit for likes of Britney Spears, Niall Horan, Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha. RuthAnne has been a champion for songwriters, campaigning for fair payment for writers, often overlooked by the industry.

'It's Not Just A Song' is an empowering guide to songwriting and surviving the music industry. RuthAnne speaks to some of the biggest global songwriters about their process and the writer’s room, including Amy Allen (Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, Tate McRae, Selena Gomez, Halsey) John Legend (Estelle, Janet Jackson), Dan Wilson (Adele, Dixie Chicks) and Emily Warren (Dua Lipa, The Chainsmokers.)

'The Moment' is a love letter to classic songwriting and a reminder that vulnerability and craft are timeless. The Moment was written in some of life’s most intimate corners, moments of quiet reflection where she began to ask herself what she truly wanted to say as an artist.

RuthAnne plays The Sugar Club in Dublin on 15 October and One Ninety Four in London on 23 October. Tickets available now.

Watch this episode on YouTube HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE

Kilkenny dance duo 49th & Main have just dropped their long-awaited debut album 'Happy Tears', to wide acclaim and to the delight of their fast-growing base of listeners. With over 200 million streams, 2.2 million monthly Spotify listeners, multiple BBC Radio 1 - backed releases & listed in the NME 100, the pair have become one of the most popular acts in music coming from Ireland and sit at the forefront of indie-electronic music globally.

Their high-energy live shows have propelled them to selling out shows left right and centre, with a sold-out North American tour, Olympia Theatre Dublin, and HERE at Outernet London all within the last year.

49th & Main have crafted an album that captures the pulse of indie-electronic music while crossing over into their plethora of sonic elements, writing their own playbook on success through artistic authenticity. From their audacious rise from Kilkenny to international acclaim, the duo has carved out an unconventional and inspiring path.

Watch this episode on YouTube HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE

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'Happy Tears' Tracklist:

1. Good Times

2. Welcome Aboard

3. 49th & Main & mustbejohn - Rewind

4. Possibly Hunger

5. Most Days (feat. Brandon Nembhard)

6. Happy Days

7. Can’t Walk Away (feat. A Little Sound)

8. Some Advice

9. Nothing Comes Close

10. 49th & Main x SHEE - Hold On

11. Feels Right

12. Roll Over

13. Glenmalure Blue

14. Distractions

15. Percontation

16. Mr Rain

17. Self Sabotage

19. Come Home

20. Ardbeg

21. Invictus

Scotland's newest folk hero Jacob Alon sat in on Léim Thart to share their stunning debut album 'In Limerence', released on the 30th May. With captivating otherworldly lyrics, and a voice that in the words of Annie Mac can crack the most cynical of hearts wide open, Jacob has been winning over audiences everywhere since first releasing music last autumn.

Having recently finished a tour with Olly Alexander (Years & Years), they're now touring Europe with the album, arriving in The Workmans Club Dublin, upgraded due to demand, on the 11th June, tickets available now. Jacob will support Kae Tempest this autumn on tour.

Watch this episode on YouTube HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE

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'In Limerence' Tracklist

1. Glimmer

2. Of Amber

3. Don't Fall Asleep

4. I Couldn't Feed Her

5. Confession

6. Elijah

7. Liquid Gold 25

8. August Moon

9. Home Tapes

10. Zathura

11. Fairy in a Bottle

12. Sertraline

Bringing lush neo-soul to us is Lizzie Berchie as she shares her brand-new EP 'Night Shift', which comes out on the 23rd May. The 7-track project is filled with stunning vocals, tight harmonies, and the relatable story of an artist who balances full-time work with the music career. I loved having her on to learn all about it!

On the live scene, following support slots for Mahalia and Loyle Carner, Lizzie plays a sold-out show in St Pancras Old Church, London, which is set to be a beautiful show.

Watch this episode on YouTube HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE

Lady Gaga has well and truly returned with 'MAYHEM', her first pop album in FIVE years following 2020's 'Chromatica'. Following our review of that album, I invited Dean O'Reilly back onto Léim Thart with me to give initial thoughts on this new era for Gaga. Producers on the album include Gaga, Andrew Watt, Cirkut, and Gesaffelstein. 

This album follows the critical success of single 'Disease' and 'Abracadabra', and the worldwide smash of 'Die With A Smile' with Bruno Mars, which boasts over 2 billion Spotify streams, a Grammy, and charted as the #1 song worldwide for 10 weeks.

At its core, MAYHEM is about embracing the fractured pieces of oneself and discovering how they come together to form something unexpected and beautiful. The album mirrors this concept with its diverse sonic palette and thematic layers, combining elements of chaos, defiance, and vulnerability into a cohesive artistic statement.

Gaga describes this process as assembling a shattered mirror: “Even if you can’t put the pieces back together perfectly, you can create something memorable and whole in its own way.”

Watch this episode on YouTube HERE

Follow Ruairí Egan / Léim Thart HERE