Young Omagh singer to release his version of old classic

OMAGH’S very own Conor Chism is set to release his newest single next month which will see the singer put his own spin on an all-time classic, with a big band version ‘I Will Always Love You’.

Originally written and recorded in 1973 by Dolly Parton, the song has been recorded by some of the biggest names in the music industry including Whitney Houston, Kenny Rogers and LeAnn Rimes.

Recorded and produced by Paul McNeilly at Pinegrove Studio in Ballymena, Conor spoke of how working with Paul inspired him to put his own spin on the classic track.

“It’s one of my top three favourite songs of all time, I’ve always love it,” Conor explained.

“I was very passionate about recording it, so we went ahead and tried two different styles.

“We tried a stripped back piano version, but Paul thought it ‘wasn’t really me’, and having worked with him on my last single, he knows me well, so wanted to do something that was more my style.

“So we ditched the piano version and decided to go for a ‘big band’ sound.”

Conor said the sound of the single was inspired by such other classic songs as ‘Let It Be Me’, ‘The Wonder of You’, ‘Bridge Over Trouble Water’ and ‘Unchained Melody’.

“That was the backbone of the sound we were going for,” said Conor.

“Paul did a phenomenal job producing it and I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

The track is set for release on all major music streaming platforms on Friday, October 17.

Following its release, the Omagh singer is set to take to the stage at the CountryNI 2025 Music Weekend alongside such other performers as Norman Borland, Big Chief Raymond Kelly, Shawn Cuddy, and Alastair Spence.

The event will take place from Friday, October 31 to Sunday, November 2 in Castlederg.

Ahead of the release of ‘I Will Always Love You’, you can listen to Conor’s previous work, including ‘An American Trilogy’ and ‘Got My Mojo Working’ now on all major music streaming platforms.