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Unreleased songs, recent public appearances and participation on a Christmas movie soundtrack…. Dolores’ so very expected comeback now seems to be a thing!

Being a fan of Dolores O’Riordan means uncertainty. In a good way. We can have no news for months, and then have a crazy week in which new performances, unreleased songs, or old pictures unknown to the fans so far will appear all of a sudden, at the same time. This is what these recent days looked like.

On Sunday we could share with you all the amazing news of Dolores’ performance at Billboard holiday party, where she performed “Linger”: https://www.instagram.com/p/BcvMy9Qli-h/ This is the first time Dolores hits the stage after the cancellation of Something Else European and North American tour, and we are over the moon to see her back and with such a fresh, healthy, youthful look.

This was not the only news, though. As we have already mentioned at our socials, Dolores is singing for the soundtrack of Angela’s Christmas, a Christmas film which will be broadcasted on RTÉ One on Christmas’ Eve and on Christmas Day. You can listen to a fragment of Dolores’ song for the movie in the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI5nhZkn3Dc&feature=youtu.be

But the big news came today: On Monday, December 18^th our team at Dolores O’Riordan Spain found a beautiful unreleased song by Dolores (as JETLAG.NYC ) called “Illusion”, at Soundcloud. It is a sentimental, nostalgic kind of ballad in which Dolores sings accompanied only by an acoustic guitar and whose ending seems to point at the introduction of some innovative, experimental sounds that provides the track with an ultimate personality. At the end of the song we can hear her say “OK, that’s the idea”, for which we can deduce this could be an improvised demo version of some unfinished idea. We are not sure how old this track is, since it was uploaded at Souncloud but published under the signature of “Jetlag.NYC”, for which at first we thought it could have been written months, even years ago. However, after just a few hours from its discovery, the song was removed from Soundcloud. Does this mean we have discovered something new to be released, and which therefore we were not supposed to find yet? Are we witnessing Dolores’ comeback to the music? And, most important: is this comeback closer than we think? It seems that 2018 promises to be a great year for us her fans.

Sad times for all of us Cranfans. Dolores’ back injury is not healing as it should be and the North American tour has been cancelled.

You can read the band’s official statement below:

***** The Cranberries – Statement *****

The outpouring of support The Cranberries have received from fans and followers during the past several months is greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately Dolores O’Riordan’s recovery from her ongoing back problem which forced the cancellation of most of the band’s European tour this Summer has not been going as well as expected to such extent that her Doctors have now instructed her to cancel her upcoming almost sold out tour of North America with the band.

Dolores and the band are very disappointed that it has come to this and send their sincere apologies to all fans and ticket holders, and hope to see you all again in the future when Dolores is well again.

All of the band’s shows in North America from September 11th to October 6th as listed below have been cancelled. Ticket holders should seek a refund at point of purchase.

Cancelled shows:

9-11-2017 – Nashville, TN – Schermerhorn Symphony Center

9-13-2017 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle

9-15-2017 – New York, NY – Terminal 5

9-16-2017 – New York, NY – Terminal 5

9-18-2017 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club 9

-20-2017 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore

9-21-2017 – Boston, MA – House of Blues

9-23-2017 – Montreal, QC – Place des Arts

9-24-2017 – Toronto, ON – Rebel

9-26-2017 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore

9-28-2017 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre

9-29-2017 – Council Bluffs, IA – Stir Cove at Harrah’s Casino

10-1-2017 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre

10-4-2017 – San Francisco, CA – Masonic Auditorium

10-6-2017 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern

Dear Dolores and The Cranberries, if you get to read this, we would like to share this brief answer to your letter:

– Health is the only priority; everything else can wait and you Noel, Fergal, Mike and Dolores: YOU KNOW fans have waited and will keep waiting all the time needed. We won’t leave you; you won’t loose us. – Fans will always understand. We are not angry at you and you have not disappointed us. We may be sad and worried, but never angry at you for something like this. – The only thing that would have made us disappointed is to have Dolores go on with the tour despite her injury, because that would have made her health go worse, just to please us… that is too heavy a burden to carry for us your fans. Attending your shows is not only an enjoyment but a need for us, but not at that price.

Dear Dolores, get well soon.

It is not the first time that we comment on the fact that Dolores O’Riordan had already started this tour suffering from her back condition (as you know, she is suffering from a bulging disc that had previously forced her to postpone her performances in Mexico and to cancel D.A.R.K. tour in 2016). Nevertheless, and making a super-human effort to please her fans, to whom she respects and loves unconditionally, Dolores has managed to fulfill 11 concerts. On June 17^th and by medical prescription, The Cranberries were forced to cancel a tour that, for both the band and for us, was full of hope and dreams. Following a few out-of-place comments received on The Cranberries’ official Facebook, the group has issued the following statement, which explains in more detail the injury Dolores suffers and the impossibility to continue with the tour.

“Thanks for the many good wishes to Dolores posted on our social pages since the announcement of the cancellation of all our summer shows up to mid August due to her ongoing back problem. There have been some comments suggesting that Dolores could perform if she sat while singing. Unfortunately it is not as simple as that. Dolores’ back problem is in the mid to upper area of her spine and the breathing and diaphragmatic movements associated with singing put pressure on the muscles and nerves in that area and exacerbate the pain. Sitting does not give any relief and at times in her case it can actually worsen the pain. Please be assured that we would not have cancelled these shows if there was any way that Dolores could perform them. We are extremely disappointed that we have had to do so and again sincerely apologise to all affected and hope to get back to see you all at some time hopefully in the not too distant future when Dolores has recovered.”

Luckily and to alleviate a bit the concern that we all share, we remind you that Dolores is progressing properly, but unfortunately, she has not fulfilled a complete recovery. This cancellation has been decided by extreme necessity to give her time to heal completely. We want to thank the fans who have been sympathetic (fortunately, the vast majority) and have sent their affection to Dolores and the band in such hard times. You know how much Dolores loves and cares for us. Thank you for your human quality.

As for the return of the tickets of the new canceled dates (Starlite Marbella and FIM Cambrils), soon these festivals will proceed to the refund of the tickets. Starlite Marbella also offers the possibility of changing the ticket for another one to any of their concerts, paying or receiving the amount difference and offering a 10% discount on the total price for any inconvenience this may have caused. In the case of concerts abroad, the sale channels will return the amount of the tickets automatically, or contact you through email to indicate the steps you must follow to request the refund. It is the case of the concerts in Italy, these require your sending the physical ticket to the signaled email address within the deadline given.

See you all again on the next tour! Sometimes unforeseen happens, but don’t give up on your dreams! After this, there will sure come SOMETHING ELSE 😉

As we have been telling you on our social networks, The Cranberries tour is cancelled, from June 10^th to August 30^th.

The second fortnight of June arrived, and the joy that Dolores’s medical leave came to an end was interrupted by the increasing concern about the lack of news on the part of the band. Last night we got the news that we were all afraid of by Opus One, the official Swiss promoter: The Cranberries tour was cancelled, from June 10^th to August 30^th. Given the uncertainty and due to the lack of an official announcement on the part of the band, apart from Noel Hogan’s trip to Milan these days, many fans asked for the veracity of this news, obtaining a reassuring answer that the concerts would go on as planned, by both the Italian venues and the official website of The Cranberries.

However, today we were confirmed, from official sources to this website, that the press note ready to be published next Monday would be released this evening, at 9pm UK time. And the news was thus confirmed: the whole European tour is cancelled, although the American tour in September will go on as planned. There is only one bright side in this, and it is that Dolores is making progress, so that the reason for the cancellation is to give her time to continue her recovery. This is how it ends, at least for the moment, the Something Else tour, and with it, all the dreams and wishes we had put into it, but if this is the price to pay for Dolores’ complete recovery, then we are willing to pay it.

From this website we wish you, dear Dolores, that the pain will disappear and that you will recover that strength so typical in you; that your smile will be back to your little fairy face, and that your eyes will recover that shine they have when full of emotion; we hope that you will enjoy your performances as much as you make us enjoy them, and that you will feel the love and support we are sending you in these hard times, because you deserve all the love and fondness you always give everyone; We hope, from the bottom of our hearts, that every pore in your skin will emanate happiness again, because it is this, and not the shows, what we miss the most. “We will wait for you”, whenever you are ready to be back on stage.

These are the news we received this morning. The Cranberries announced the postponement and future rescheduling of their acoustic tour as follows:

Most regrettably, Dolores O’Riordan has been instructed by her doctors to immediately cease work for the next 4 weeks for medical reasons associated with a back problem. This means that sadly the following shows will not go ahead as planned :

24 May The Sage Gateshead
25 May Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
27 May York Barbican
28 May Manchester Bridgewater Hall
30 May Tours Le Vinci
31 May Lyon Amphitheatre de la Cite International
2 June Nantes Centre de Congres de Nantes
4 June Barcelona Auditori Forum
5 June Madrid Barclaycard Centre
7 June Marseille Silo
9 June Strasbourg PMC
10 June Geneva Theatre du Leman
12 June Milan Teatro Arcimboldi
16 June Amsterdam Rai Theatre

We are working hard to try and re-schedule these shows to future dates and will post further news updates as soon as we can. We sincerely hope that you will hold on to your ticket until we can update further but if not, please go to place of purchase for your ticket to be refunded. We are very sorry for all and any inconvenience and disappointment that this causes our fans, the decision has not been taken lightly but Dolores’ health is paramount.

There is no much more to add, but as devoted fans of The Cranberries, we would still like to share a thought with you all:

The Cranberries are making a great effort to make you happy and not to disappoint you. We have seen them twice in May. We met Dolores after their gig in Belfast and it was really painful to see how exhausted she was, how tiny her voice sounded as she spoke, how slow she walked, moving like a rag doll. Never had I ever seen her that fragile, that weak, that vulnerable. It broke my heart in pieces because I could really see how great an effort Dolores is making to go on tour and become a beast on stage to make her fans happy every day. To whom it may concern: please, let’s not forget that our favourite artists are just human beings. As fans, we are extremely happy to see The Cranberries at as many dates as possible and such an insanely big tour is really the dream of every fan, but not at the price of Dolores’ health. Before our money, our dreams and our delight, there is Dolores and her health. Each and every of their fans would feel extremely guilty if she chose our happiness over her own health. I hope you will all understand how hard this decision is for both Dolores and The Cranberries. Please, do not be disappointed, they love you and will be glad to see your shiny eyes and big smiles in the new dates. Give them the opportunity to make you happy, just as they wish.

I have always said that The Cranberries concerts are an experience that everyone should try, at least once. But the Something Else tour brings together all the ingredients to repeat such an experience as many times as possible. On Wednesday they lighted their shine again, in Belfast, for more than 2,000 people at the Waterfront Hall Center.

The D.A.R.K. show Live PA opened the night as usual. Olé Koretsky and DJ Wool give us a taste of an incredible and very personal version of “China Girl” by Iggy Pop and David Bowie, introduce some unreleased tracks from their repertoire, or rescue “Miles Away” and “Watch Out” from Science Agrees, the most greatly acclaimed. Their extravagant performance transported us for almost an hour to the 80s; the show always seems so short, it is too good; they are too good.

After a brief break between performance and performance, the lights turn off and the intro begins. The attendants’ impatient cries are heard, and the full band of The Cranberries together with the string quartet hit the stage one by one, acclaimed by their audience, whose wildness grows more and more at every second. Dolores hits the stage in last place and makes the madness unleash. She expresses her happiness for playing in Belfast that night and the audience melts into applause and cheers.

One of the problems with seated venues is how to remain seated. The guards expect you to do so; Most of the audience expects you to do so; But for those of us who were kids in the 90s, who have grown up with The Cranberries and have been touring with them for 10 years: how to stay seated when that unrestrained “Salvation” intro explodes, or when “Desperate Andy” sounds and your feet move on their own; Or while right in front of you Noel Hogan is playing flat out the most powerful guitar riffs in “Ridiculous Thoughts”. We cannot avoid the jumping, the headbanging, the kicking and the stepping; It is not us, it’s the music that moves us. We end up on the floor, dancing on our knees so as not to disturb the people.

The surprise came from the hand of “Zombie”, the anthem of a whole generation, the song that gets the audience leave their seats and some even start to dance. Moved by the influence of electric guitars, such a familiar music, such a meaningful letter especially that night when we are in Northern Ireland, or perhaps even moved by the memories of the 90’s that “Zombie” always brings back, a woman crosses the security fence to shake hands with Dolores. The guards do not take long to run to the place, but our Dolores does not hesitate to raise her to the stage and invite her to sing with her. That’s why we love you, Dolores. That’s why you deserve a little bit of happiness and love that you always try to give everyone else. That’s why you’re the best, and not just because we fans say so. Great ideas have been the inclusion of the already classic “Loud and Clear” and of course, the impressive “Rupture” in the encore: Johanna opens the song with that chilling piano intro before the solemn silence of the whole audience, that minutes before had left their throats chanting the greatest hits by the band. It is impressive the stillness with which Dolores interprets this song, it is impressive her torn voice when she sentences “Ruptured to hole in my heart”, and it is impressive the silence, everything is impressive. That little acoustic set formed by “Rupture”, “Why” and “The Glory” is undoubtedly the most emotional and sentimental moment of the night. It is when we really let go of the madness unleashed by the songs of our life to immerse ourselves in the inner world of The Cranberries. We now have to hold the tears, we stopped listening with the ears to do it with the heart. The soft cadences of violins, viola and cello of the string quartet add a special magic to that beautiful universe to which The Cranberries invite us in these three songs. It is too beautiful an experience to try to express it with words. As in every concert, the night is closed with “Dreams”; It is a classic, the most suitable and perfect song to close the night, and the public is back in ecstasy. It is the first song that gets to make the whole room stand up and sing in unison, and many people join us in the front row. Dolores walks along the edge of the stage to shake hands with us: sometimes she has to stretch a lot but she does not give up, she winks her eye to me and then it is when we get hold hands; She holds my hand for a while and smiles at me as she sings. I put my hands in the shape of a heart to say “I love you” and she dedicates me her cutest reaction. Here you can see our videos of D.A.R.K show. And The Cranberries:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49XxYdWFThc&index=1&list=PLroSxU_tuyL4G3eioMOcfX3g8fx1lccX7

The concert is over; the stage is empty, lights go on in the Waterfront Centre and the crowded venue is now just a collection of empty seats and security guards cleaning the remains of a night that ruptured a hole in our heart that, instead of hurting, it made us dream.

The Cranberries’ Something Else tour has just started. On May 2nd The Cranberries inaugurated the acoustic tour that they will take throughout Europe in the forthcoming months. We travelled to Berlin to be with them on such an important ocassion.

Getting to the Admiralspalast in Berlin is breathtaking; It is one of the most beautiful and welcoming theaters that The Cranberries could have chosen to present such a beautiful show. The evening began with the performance of D.A.R.K. (Olé Koretsky and DJ Wool), which featured some unreleased tracks from their electronic repertoire, such as the groovy “Spirit Animal”. As incarnating the spirit of the 80s, Koretsky moves around the stage as if in slow motion; he distorts his voice and plays with it, sometimes whispering, others drawing more guttural sounds. He might remind some of Keith Richards a bit in his extravagant way of singing and playing the guitar; It is rare, but that is where his uniqueness is, while DJ Wool plays flat out on the mixer sonic table. The big surprise came with “Watch Out”, a song taken from Science Agrees, that made the public go crazy and sing in unison. The group closed their small repertoire thanking the public and the Cranberries fans (besides Cranfans, we are also Koretskiers), thus making way to the kings of the night.

As the tradition establishes, The Cranberries opened the night with “Analyse”, making clear that this is not an acoustic unplugged concert: The presence of percussions and electric guitars take a major role, while the excellent team of musicians who formed the string quartet adds an extra of sensitivity and emotion. “Animal Instinct” sounded beautiful, the staccato of the violins endowed the song with a great intensity and dramatism; “Ridiculous Thoughts” maintained the vocal format in Something Else, although its live version allowed Noel his most distinctive guitar technique, and we enjoyed watching him play with that passion. With powerful riffs and a great command of his instrument, he walks around the stage and writhes, as if the music pierced his skin through his guitar to reach his soul; “Ode To My Family” kept that beautiful violin intro and, like “You And Me”, those soft cadences of violins that give that much sensitivity to those songs that are so special, because of their personal meaning and the affection with which they are received by the audience. As if she wanted her outfit to represent the concept of Something Else and the format of the concert, Dolores chose for the occasion an elegant lace dress and a velvet jacket that contrasted with her big buckle boots. Around the third song she got rid of her boots and continued the concert barefoot; shee moved on the stage with the freedom with which one would walk around their house. The stage is her house, it has seen her grow. Thus she was able to move freely around the stage with songs that made the crowd go crazy and chant in unison: It was the case of “Wanted”, “Can’t be with you”, “Zombie” or “Salvation”. The Cranberries were euphoric; It was seen in Noel’s passion and devotion; In Mike’s permanent smile, in the complicity that the musicians hold between each another, and between them and the audience.

The magic came in the encore: Sitting on a footstool that presided the stage, and accompanied only by the acoustic guitar, the bass and the string quartet, Dolores opened the encore with “Why” and thanked us “known faces” for having been with them that night. With that touch of the era of Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, and those lyrics written during the most difficult time after the death of her father, Dolores extends her arms and cries out to heaven when she chants that “Why?”, which gives a strong drama to a song that already has a significant emotional load; something difficult to express in words. She looks at the sky with teary eyes and sings the chorus in a thin voice. Dolores gets emotional and feels her songs because she opens her heart in them; Few people have that much truth in their singing, very few have that sensitivity and that gift of being able to transmit that much in such few words. I can’t hold back the tears anymore; There are no words to describe something so beautiful.  The acoustic set continued with “The Glory”, one of the greatest jewels of Something Else, a song that seems to be taken from Bury The Hatchet. Dolores has changed the sweetness of the final choirs by a slight cooing, and the song still transmits those feelings that are able to touch your heart and caress your soul. We come back from that parallel dimension to which Dolores has taken us and the guitars and percussions return, to make the finishing touch: “Dreams” closes an unforgettable concert, the end of something beautiful that has just begun.
You can watch our videos on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLroSxU_tuyL4YYT0EyOItDJ58k_72L2iu
The Cranberries will be touring Europe during the months of May, June, July and August. They present an eclectic and innovative show, where the classic mixes with rock, the strength of guitars with the intensity of the string. A wonderful show that more than a concert, it is an experience itself.

Just coinciding with the official release of Something Else, The Cranberries are on a little promo tour, where they gave several interviews in which they talked about the album and how they see themselves at this moment in their lives. Dolores O’Riordan spoke to Huffington Post UK in one of those interviews that will be forever kept on all her fans’ hearts. “I’m still fragile, but I look after myself”, she said, some encouraging words to her fans, who seem to have played an important role in her recovery: “I get a lot of really nice letters encouraging me, wishing me luck with my health, they don’t realise the strength they bring. Reading their nice words, it helps me to cope.” One can’t help getting emotional when reading her words.
For many of us, she has been the most inspiring example on earth; she has always been there for us in the hardest times. But she is a human being, and needs understanding and support as well. She deserves the love and happiness she keeps trying to give everyone else. But there is yet another joy Dolores wanted to give her fans in this interview. When asked about the best piece of advice she has ever been given, she said: “The best one I can remember came from Bono. He told me, ‘Remember people’s names. It’s respectful’.” As some cute anecdotes, Dolores says she is an athletic person and sports have helped her a lot. She likes running and swimming, goes to the pool often and does yoga. As far as for things she still has to do, she says she would like to visit India.

Dolores also talked to U105 Drive with Johnny Hero show, where she expressed her excitement about Belfast concert. She talked about how the members of her family are all connected to music, and she adds that her mother has a lovely voice.

In BBC UK, Noel & Dolores talked about Something Else, described by them as the end of one chapter and the beginning of something new. They now try to take it easy and not to repeat the mistakes they did in the past that led Dolores to breakdown. Now they will be touring around Europe for 6 weeks, then they will go to North America and Canada in September and October, and they will also visit South America and Australia in the winter. They expect to have some new material after the tour. Noel admits how hard it is for Dolores to have all the pressure on her but fortunately, she got to take over and regain control of her own life. They talk about how meaningful their old songs are to their fans, since they form part of their lives and how the production process was not as difficult as it might have seemed, and everything fell into place by itself.

They were also at Live BBC The One Show, where they gave an emotional performance of Linger with their talented string quartet. You can see the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScK26E4Akho

On Saturday 29th in the morning, Noel and Dolores were to BBC Breakfast, where they remembered their beginnings, their reunion and the origin of Something Else. They do not expect to have more gaps in their career, since now they are on tour they will have more time to write new material in a natural manner. “When we focus on it, we really focus on it”, Noel says. Dolores also talked about her health issues last year, when a bulging disc in her back made her stop playing the guitar. Her guitar, she explains, is too heavy and it makes her have problems of posture and with her neck, so she had to stop playing the guitar, something she has been depressed about.

With or without her guitar, nobody can question Dolores’ outstanding talent and the quality of her human nature. We really hope this will not sadden her anymore. Joyful times to both The Cranberries and their faithful fans are coming: The Cranberries’ Something Else is out now, and their European tour starts next week! Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster and www.cranberries.com

The Cranberries’ Something Else Tour starts in exactly one week, and we are having the best supporting act ever: Olé Koretsky and DJ Wool will delight the audience with an innovative PA show in which we will have the pleasure of enjoying some D.A.R.K. tracks, as well as some other material from their DJ-ing repertoire.

When you thought The Cranberries’ concert couldn’t get any more perfect than they already promise to be, Doctor Music and D.A.R.K. came up with the greatest news: Olé Koretsky and DJ Wool would be the supporting act that would open The Cranberries’ concerts during May and June. Olé Koretsky wanted to share with us his excitement about the news. Riding a stationary bicycle, he would explain the whole concept to the camera for a video he would post in D.A.R.K. socials:

“Getting ready to hit the road with The Cranberries. They’re working really hard on my little open set. It’s tough not having your band with you and a little bit challenge doing somebody’s songs without Andy and Dolores but I’ve got DJ Wool with me”

After two album release date postponements and two tour cancellations, many of us feared we would never have the chance to enjoy Science Agrees live. Fortunately, the situation is about to change. Olé Koretsky also explains the main concept of their “Live PA” show:

“And between the two of us we have vocals, guitars, a synthesizer rig, a DJ rig, a lot of MIDI cables and spaghetti… should be interesting.”

We can’t help being extremely excited about the last part:

“Hopefully the rest of the band can join us on stage, later in the year. Either way we’re going in and there should still be some tickets available. All the links and dates should be up on darkofficial.com and cranberries.com. See you soon.”

It is not the first time the band hints about the possibility of D.A.R.K. recording some new material: Two weeks ago, Koretsky shared a video in his socials titled “Serenading my corner”, in which a fragment of what sounded like a new track was being played. Bassist Andy Rourke has also talked about the existence of some brand-new material, in an interview for Music Radar: “In terms of the D.A.R.K project, we are in writing mode at the moment although our schedules are all over the place (…). But we have a few ideas already. Watch this space is all I can say.” Taking all of this into account, the idea of D.A.R.K. as a band doing some gigs, maybe during the American tour, does not seem so far away now.

But going back to the live PA that will open every show by The Cranberries during their acoustic tour, there is one thing that looks now even more revealing than it did in the first place: In March, Olé Koretsky published the following video in his Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/OleKoretsky/videos/?ref=page_internal It was recorded in February, during his stay in Cancun for The Cranberries’ shows, and he described it with the following words: “new song about time travel. got a few fresh ones. #cessna + #livePA vs. #scienceagrees”

“A few fresh ones” and the hashtags “LivePA vs Science Agrees” make all the sense now! Is this the beginning of the (definitive) D.A.R.K. era? We really hope so! Stay tuned!

The release of the new album by The Cranberries, Something Else, is getting closer, but the road has been long, and not always easy. Their own inner strength and their fans’ support have been two essential elements for The Cranberries in the creation process. This is what Dolores O’Riordan shared in one of her most personal interviews, for Soul Sisters Billboard.

In a calm and natural tone, Dolores opens the interview talking about Limerick, her hometown, and her performance on New Year’s Eve 2013 for Limerick City of Culture, and she sings their county song, “Limerick You’re My Lady”, which she learned at school. As she is the youngest of seven siblings, five of them boys, she feels that she has been “the girl of the group” since her childhood and that her life has been very connected to music: she learned to play tin whistle at the age of 5 and to dance Irish dance, a hobby that two of her siblings share. She describes her sister as very creative: she dances, but she also draws and writes.

Glancing at her past and the obstacles she had to overcome in life, she recalls a time 2 years ago when she didn’t feel well, a period she describes as “I was manic”; when she used to wear very strange clothes, with metal complements, masks… She remembers her beginnings in the music industry as a roller coaster: she went from joining The Cranberries in her school uniform at the age of 17 to reach the top. She had told her mother that she would be singing in the band for a year and that if things didn’t go well, she would go to college. Without realizing it, a promising future was awaiting her and it would lead her to be the frontwoman of one of the most mythical bands of the 1990s up to the present day. The interviewer emphasizes the wisdom with which she speaks despite how young she is. Dolores claims that being the frontwoman in a band involves having to prove to be three times better than a man to get to the same place.

Back to the present again, she takes some time to talk about the creation process, how she writes songs spontaneously when she gets the inspiration and stores them so she can select them later, when it’s time to record. The song “Why” is about her father’s death and how hard it was for her to get out of the initial shock that was such a traumatic experience. She felt that her father had not left, that somehow he was still with her and he was around protecting her; hence the recurring “somewhere in between here and heaven”, verse that opens the song. Dolores has always been concerned about death. Now she sees that death and sadness are parts of life. She feared that her father would die while she was on tour, just like it happened with her grandfather.

But not everything in this interview is sadness; Dolores also talks about what she felt when she became a mother: She sees motherhood as a gift, one of the happiest experiences in life. She wasn’t sure how being a mother could be compatible with going on tour with the band, but she has proved this in time perfectly.

She wrote “Twenty One” the day she turned 21, a time when she lived “in a dirty flat” with her first love; Dolores relates that first love as an experience that can be traumatic. “Linger” talks about her first kiss; “Dreams” about her first love. Over time she has achieved maturity, and this has brought her wisdom, serenity and self-confidence to deal with problems and get ahead.

She recalls her experience as a coach in The Voice of Ireland and says she was surprised to see 5 and 6 year olds greeting her on the street in Ireland, as they recognized her from TV even though they hadn’t heard of The Cranberries before. We can’t avoid feeling very lucky as we ourselves witnessed this, when a group of little dancers, with their white stockings and coloured skirts, went with their mothers into The Helix and greeted Dolores from the windows on the first floor.

Something Else is an intermediate step between the past and the future. Originally thought to commemorate the group’s 25th anniversary, The Cranberries now see it as a present to the fans. Dolores reflects on how technology and the Internet have changed the way music is consumed, but she says that it also allows her to be connected to the crowd all the time: she has been able to see conversations between her fans and this fact has allowed The Cranberries to be aware that people still love their music and want some more. This was what made them say: “maybe we should release something else…”