Omagh’s Karen Turley talks tunes, songwriting and singles

IT was artists such as Johnny Cash, Sheryl Crowe, and Fleetwood Mac that inspired Karen Turley to pick up guitar at the tender age of 14, and, fast-forward to today, and the Omagh singer-songwriter’s career in music is flourishing.

Not only is Karen looking forward to releasing her original solo music later on this year, but her band, Motel Sundown, are releasing their newest single, ‘Your House’, this Friday (May 3).

The song is part of a new EP, which the band will release in June, and it is a must-listen for anyone interested in Americana-influenced tunes.

Speaking to the Tyrone Herald, the Omagh singer-songwriter said explained that her love of music developed at an early age.

Coming from a musical family, her uncle is a well-known face in the local music scene, playing bass in bands around the town, and her aunt teaches piano locally.

And after becoming proficient at guitar, Karen began playing gigs in local bands, and performing her own music at open mic nights and in bars.

After school, she took the big step of moving to Liverpool and going to university to study music.

While at university, Karen continued performing and playing gigs all over the city she now calls home.

Motel Sundown

It was while playing at a singer-songwriter night where she met the members of her band, ‘Motel Sundown’, the first being Newtownstewart singer, Naomi Campbell, and then Liverpudlian guitarist, Robert Johnson.

Together they shared a mutual love of Americana music growing up, listening to Johnny Cash, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Bob Dylan.

They have performed all over England and Ireland together, performing at huge festivals including the Black Deer Festival in Elridge Park, Kent, which they will play again this year, sharing the festival stage with huge acts like Sheryl Crow and Joe Bonamasa.

They have also released their first album, ‘If You Were Listening’, in 2022. As a solo artist, Karen has also continued to grow and has played some big concerts on her own.

‘Iconic stages’

She even had the opportunity to play one of the most iconic stages in the world after winning a songwriting competition. Karen got to play the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.

The iconic venue, which only holds 90 people, is where huge acts get their starts, including Steve Earle, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, and Faith Hill.

Karen also told the Tyrone Herald that Motel Sundown hopes to play an Omagh show in support of the new EP that they will be announcing shortly.

Karen will also be releasing new solo music later this year under her own name; her first solo EP, ‘Like We Used To’, was released in 2017 and is available to listen to on streaming services.

l To check out more of Karen’s music with Motel Sundown or solo, you can visit their Spotify pages, and to learn about when Karen will be playing locally, check out her Instagram page, @karenturleymusic.