Singer Jozef Michael Rigo is on top of the world following the release of his new single last week.

‘Give Me Your Love’, is the latest release from the Sunderland-based, Fermanagh singer-songwriter, whose previous songs include ‘Monsters In My Head’, ‘All I Need’ and ‘I Don’t Need You Anymore’.

The new song is the first single from his upcoming EP entitled ‘Dancing On The Moon’, which is due to be launched on September 9.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter ahead of the launch of his new single, ‘Give Me Your Love’, last Friday, July 15, Jozef was excited to be finally releasing the song, almost a year after it was recorded.

Jozef Michael Rigo has released his new single Give Me Your Love.

Jozef Michael Rigo has released his new single 'Give Me Your Love'.

“I’m really excited for the single because I actually recorded it in September last year. I was gonna release it way sooner than now, but I was talking to the manager and the producer, and they said for me to release it in summer.

“I’ve been waiting for months to release it and it’s been really hard to keep it a secret, but it is very summery,” said Jozef, going on to compare the vibe of his new single to Pharrell Williams’ hit, ‘Happy’.

“It’s about just going to the dance floor, just dancing and hoping to find love one day.”

Along with ‘Give Me Your Love’, Jozef recorded two additional songs which will complete the EP.

These were recorded whilst he was finishing off his degree in Performing Arts at the University of Sunderland, of which he has now graduated with honours.

Describing the EP as “100 per cent Pop”, he went on to outline what his fans can expect.

“It’ll feature three brand-new songs; ‘Give Me Your Love’, ‘Lonely’ and ‘Dancing On The Moon’, the EP’s title track.”

Inspiration

Sharing the inspiration behind his songs, Jozef said: “‘Lonely’, features one of my good friends that I met here in Sunderland. One of the lyrics is, ‘I feel so lonely, even though I’m standing in a room full of people’.

“A lot of people feel that way sometimes and I wanted to write a song about how even though you’re happy, and you think you’re happy and people think you’re happy, you’re not happy sometimes.

“I think asking people if they’re okay, that’s the number-one thing, so this one’s kind of about that.

“Then ‘Dancing On The Moon’ is another little dancey number which I’m very excited about,” said Jozef, going on to explain the quirky narrative of the song: “It’s about going into space and landing on the moon and building a house away from all the people in the earth.

“That’s the whole point of the song, really,” he added with a laugh.

Following the album’s release, Jozef has some gigs on the cards, with his first ever live performance taking place on the EP launch night.

“I’ve been terrified to gig, because when I was younger I was always told that I wasn’t a good singer. So it’s taken a lot of practise to get where I am today.

“Uni helped a lot; I’ve had singing lessons in Ireland, I had singing lessons here in Sunderland, so it’s taken a long time to get to this point.

“Gigging wise, I was very nervous because I thought, ‘I’ve got my own songs but people don’t know them so I’m going to have to do covers’. Doing covers can be really difficult, making them sound great.

Artwork for Jozef Michael Rigos upcoming EP Dancing on the Moon.

Artwork for Jozef Michael Rigo's upcoming EP 'Dancing on the Moon'.

‘A massive gig’

“So I have been practising and practising and I will be starting to do gigs now, so from September 9, when the EP comes out, I’ll be doing a massive gig here in Sunderland, which I’m very excited about! I’ll be doing my own songs, along with covers.

“Then I have six more gigs booked up. So they’re my first ‘proper’ gigs, which I’m very excited about,” said Jozef.

When asked if he has any plans to gig in Fermanagh, Jozef responded: “I hope so! I know all the pubs in Fermanagh do gigs, so I’d love to one day message them to ask if I could do a gig.

“But the last time I was home [to Fermanagh] was April this year; I only came home for a weekend, so I need to come back for longer,” he added, noting how, following his graduation, he is staying on in Sunderland where he will be starting a Masters degree in Music this September.

‘Give Me Your Love’ is available now on all streaming platforms including Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music and YouTube.