Singer/songwriter and musician Matty James Cassidy has recently released a charity single with all profits to be donated to Samaritans.

Originally from Lisnaskea but now based in Manchester, Matty has been touring and performing on festival circuits for many years but unfortunately lockdown has put this year’s plans on hold.

“Basically, because of lockdown, most plans for this year were sort of scuppered in terms of gigs and festivals, so I ended up doing a lot of writing and recording at home. As a way of staying afloat I made an acoustic record and the song that ended up being the charity single was one of the songs that came from one of the sessions,” explained Matty.

Titled ‘Someone’, Matty describes the single as “quite upbeat”, a different sound from his usual style.

“It’s just an upbeat song with quite a positive message. It seemed quite appropriate for a charity like Samaritans really,” he added.

Matty explained that he chose to support Samaritans because of the work they do to help those experiencing emotional distress, struggling to cope, or at risk of suicide.

“There’s such a ridiculous rate of suicide in the UK and southern Ireland, particularly in young men. It’s all the statistics that everybody reads that are so shocking,” he said, continuing: “The biggest killer of young men is suicide, which is just crazy and it’s largely because people feel like they don’t have an outlet and don’t reach out to people. That’s why a charity like Samaritans is so important because they are there for people in need.”

“I think the more people who can spread the message, it makes people feel more comfortable about approaching these charities when they need them,” Matty added.

The single’s artwork features an illustration by fellow Lisnaskea native, artist Kevin McHugh, and by teaming up with Hollow Hill Apparel, Matty is also able to offer special merchandise to help raise more funds for the charity.

‘Someone’ can be downloaded from https://smarturl.it/mjc-someone.

To seek help from Samaritans, call for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.