Country star Lisa McHugh tells of struggle between her career and being a mum
'SUBMERGED' |
Lisa has a three-and-a-half year-old son, Milo, and a daughter, Hallie, aged 11 months, with husband Nathan Khan
Lisa, who has a three-and-a-half year-old son, Milo, and a daughter, Hallie, aged 11 months, with husband Nathan Khan tells how it's important to have a life outside home.
'When you're submerged in mum life and changing nappies, sometimes you can get lost a little bit,' she tells the Sunday World .
'With performing it's great to have that purpose and still be able to remind myself of who I am. I'm not just mum, I'm Lisa, I'm the performer, I'm the artist, I'm the musician…sometimes you can forget that.
'I find it really beneficial, mentally, for me to get that break and release and endorphins from performing on stage.
Lisa with Hallie and Milo
'A lot of mums don't have that outlet and I sympathise with that because it's very, very hard being a mum. Being a parent is the best thing in the world, but it's also the most challenging thing that I've ever had to experience.
'When you speak to any parent, they'll understand that. You don't understand unless you're in it… it's a tough job, but it's also the most rewarding and the most special thing ever as well. Read more
'A happy mum leads to a happy baby and a happy family. That's all you want, you want everyone to be happy and healthy.'
Can some mums can find motherhood very isolating?
'Absolutely, and there's definitely been times where I've struggled over the last three-and-a-half years standing looking in the mirror and not necessarily recognising who is looking back at me,' Lisa admits.
'And that can be scary and it can be daunting and it can be lonely at times. It's very easy for some people to paint the whole motherhood and family life as all sunshine. And the reality is, it's not.
'There are amazing times, but it's also lack of sleep, lonely mornings, it's lonely nights, it's crying babies and it's tough going.'
Lisa, whose upcoming shows include The Folly Festival in Co. Laois, adds: 'I wrote a song called For The Ride, that's on my new live album. It was a song I wanted to write to myself for any time that I do look in the mirror and kind of forget who I am and I'm unsure who is looking back at me.
'Sometimes you can listen to that voice in your head more than the voice in your heart.
'I have always been very transparent with everything and just honest and I think a lot of the time you see people posting online and pretending that everything is amazing all the time, but that is not just real life.
'It's really setting people up for a fall to make them doubt themselves and make them think that what they're experiencing and what they're going through is abnormal and the reality is what people are painting online is the abnormal part of it.
'I'm not going to sit here and tell you that everything in the last three-and-a-half years has been amazing because it's definitely not and I'd be lying if I said it was.
'It's definitely been a struggle, but we've got there. There's been ups-and-downs and there still will be plenty, but that's life.'
Lisa McHugh has just released a new album, Live At The Ulster Hall. She will perform at The Folly Festival, which takes place at Cullohill Castle, Co. Laois, on July 4 & 5. Tickets are on sale at thefolly.ie/tickets/
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'SUBMERGED' | Lisa has a three-and-a-half year-old son, Milo, and a daughter, Hallie, aged 11 months, with husband Nathan Khan Lisa, who has a three-and-a-half year-old son, Milo, and a daughter, Hallie, aged 11 months, with husband Nathan Khan tells how it's important to have a life outside home. 'When you're submerged in mum life and changing nappies, sometimes you can get lost a little bit,' she tells the Sunday World . 'With performing it's great to have that purpose and still be able to remind myself of who I am. I'm not just mum, I'm Lisa, I'm the performer, I'm the artist, I'm the musician…sometimes you can forget that. 'I find it really beneficial, mentally, for me to get that break and release and endorphins from performing on stage. Lisa with Hallie and Milo 'A lot of mums don't have that outlet and I sympathise with that because it's very, very hard being a mum. Being a parent is the best thing in the world, but it's also the most challenging thing that I've ever had to experience. 'When you speak to any parent, they'll understand that. You don't understand unless you're in it… it's a tough job, but it's also the most rewarding and the most special thing ever as well. Read more 'A happy mum leads to a happy baby and a happy family. That's all you want, you want everyone to be happy and healthy.' Can some mums can find motherhood very isolating? 'Absolutely, and there's definitely been times where I've struggled over the last three-and-a-half years standing looking in the mirror and not necessarily recognising who is looking back at me,' Lisa admits. 'And that can be scary and it can be daunting and it can be lonely at times. It's very easy for some people to paint the whole motherhood and family life as all sunshine. And the reality is, it's not. 'There are amazing times, but it's also lack of sleep, lonely mornings, it's lonely nights, it's crying babies and it's tough going.' Lisa, whose upcoming shows include The Folly Festival in Co. Laois, adds: 'I wrote a song called For The Ride, that's on my new live album. It was a song I wanted to write to myself for any time that I do look in the mirror and kind of forget who I am and I'm unsure who is looking back at me. 'Sometimes you can listen to that voice in your head more than the voice in your heart. 'I have always been very transparent with everything and just honest and I think a lot of the time you see people posting online and pretending that everything is amazing all the time, but that is not just real life. 'It's really setting people up for a fall to make them doubt themselves and make them think that what they're experiencing and what they're going through is abnormal and the reality is what people are painting online is the abnormal part of it. 'I'm not going to sit here and tell you that everything in the last three-and-a-half years has been amazing because it's definitely not and I'd be lying if I said it was. 'It's definitely been a struggle, but we've got there. There's been ups-and-downs and there still will be plenty, but that's life.' Lisa McHugh has just released a new album, Live At The Ulster Hall. She will perform at The Folly Festival, which takes place at Cullohill Castle, Co. Laois, on July 4 & 5. Tickets are on sale at
