Born in Galway, Ireland in 1956, Mary Coughlan forged from the mid-1980s a distinctive path between jazz, blues, folk and chanson. Discovered on the Dublin scene, she recorded the album Tired and Emotional in 1985, which established her as an interpreter with a deep, narrative voice; she followed this with Under the Influence (1987) and Uncertain Pleasures (1990), and in the early 1990s released Sentimental Killer. A long-time collaborator of Dutch musician and producer Erik Visser, Coughlan has built a repertoire mixing jazz standards, melancholic ballads, covers of francophone songs and compositions by Irish songwriters, often arranged sparingly in a style that sits between cabaret and folk. Active on stages across Ireland, the UK and Europe and a regular at jazz and roots festivals, Mary Coughlan alternates between band concerts, more intimate formats and autobiographical stage projects, while continuing to record studio and live albums where themes of intimacy, vulnerability and everyday life prevail.