Aiken Promotions and The Good Room proudly presents Haley Heynderickx live at Plugd, Cork, 19th April 2019. Tickets €12 + booking fee

It takes a mix of skill and luck to tend a garden well, but it’s impossible without a certain amount of kindness tended. While the cyclical nature of gardening seems inherent, in some ways, Heynderickx is just beginning.

Her debut album, named I Need to Start a Garden out of a search for calm through these waves of uncertainty and upheaval, is available now via Mama Bird Recording Co.

Heynderickx grew up in a religious household in Oregon, closely identifying with her Filipino roots, but also straddling multiple cultural identities. Now residing in Portland, her faith is not overt, but her introspection and continued struggle for self-actualization are easily accessible and relatable.

Likewise, the tracks on I Need to Start a Garden reflect these seemingly disparate elements. Through soft acoustic guitar picking and deftly accented trombone sighs, Heynderickx’s music immediately recalls folk music of the '60s and '70s mixed with a love of jazz radio. But Heynderickx’s singing—her vocals that range from sultry to operatic—belie a tenacity in her soul.

It’s a balance, then, between exposing and protecting herself on I Need to Start a Garden . Heynderickx vacillates between powerlessness (opener “No Face”) and empowerment (lead single "Oom Sha La La"). But her generosity of spirit remains the constant throughout the whole album.