Hannes Hager is an Austrian singer/songwriter whose life changed when he moved from his native country to Dublin in 2000. Falling in love with the place, he decided to stay and continued his career as a musician. When he started writing songs in the English language he began receiving radio play and this was the start of a journey that culminated in recording the album My Irish Heart at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin.
This song, U2, despite its title and being recorded at U2’s studio, is not about the globetrotting Irish group, but a perfectly produced acoustic ballad about an unnamed loved one. Hager’s style of songwriting is that of the troubadour, and when your sound is merely vocal and acoustic guitar, it is rather imperative that you are a good player and singer. Fortunately, Hannes is both an excellent musician and possesses a warm, likeable voice with a good range.
Driven along by confident, precise acoustic strumming Hager lays down the simple but effective vocal melody with some suitably thoughtful lyrics: “This life’s a great big destiny..it’s the same for you and me”. The chorus hook is also simple (“I wanna be with you…”) but, more importantly, very catchy and the overall song has a nice feelgood factor.
Overall, this is a fine piece of crafted songwriting, and having an exotic backstory will help Hannes in standing out from the many singer songwriters out there. He is currently touring the album My Irish Heart that features this track, so be sure to check his music out, as he could be a big name for the future.
By Alex Faulkner
