10qq with zack.

Meet Zack - an amazing singer, entertainment journalist, die-hard Taylor Swift fan and my best friend. With a job as Entertainment Editor for Popspoken and a worryingly large number of music gigs every week under his belt, Zack Hourihane is a social media butterfly (4.5K followers on Tumblr say what?!) with big dreams, overflowing talent and extraordinary potential. Check out what he has to say in this month's 10 Quick Questions segment! 

1. Favorite song of the moment:

Right now the song that's constantly on replay for me is a Miley Cyrus cover of a Bob Dylan song "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go." It's a beautiful guitar ballad about a summer romance coming to its inevitable demise. The thing that I really love about this cover is the intense emotion Cyrus pours into the tune. Bob Dylan is an excellent song writer but not the best vocalist, so covers of his songs are often more beautiful than the originals. Miley's country twang really adds another dimension to the song and accentuates the bittersweet dreaminess that the song exudes.

2. Elaborate on your crazy Taylor Swift obsession!

It's really difficult to articulate how much I love Taylor Swift! It's going to end up sounding stupid and immature, but I'll try my best not to make it that way. My adoration for Taylor is much more than a simple celebrity obsession. I feel like Taylor is an old friend of mine; someone who is constantly there for me, even when people fail to appease me. She has a beautiful, consoling, thought provoking song for every emotion you could think of, and I really appreciate having that instant access to immediate stress relief. I also generally think she has a beautiful soul - obviously I don't know her personally, but from what I can tell from her music (which says a lot about a person) is that she's thoughtful, intelligent, kind, and inspiring. I have so much to thank Taylor for, as her songs have helped me through a lot of hard times.

3. Biggest achievement of 2012?

Probably performing at Westport music festival in Ireland this summer! It's really fantastic to have the opportunity to perform consistently in Singapore, but it was incredible to have the opportunity to perform internationally. It really meant a lot to perform in my homeland too, as I got to have my extended family see me (who wouldn't necessarily get the opportunity to see me perform) do what I love. I also got to play a song by an Irish band, which was perfect and extremely apt given the circumstances. Getting partnered on my YouTube channel was an amazing thing to happen as well, I've been trying to get partnered for so long and when it finally happened I literally jumped for joy! Another highlight was getting signed on as an entertainment journalist for Popspoken! I've had such a blast working there so far, and I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for me with them.

4. Current food crush?

Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips. I don't recommend trying them, they will ruin your life. 

5. Something you're looking forward to? 
Right now I'm really looking forward to finalising a contract with a management I've been in discussions with for quite some time now. I'm also looking forward to the end of this exam year, and with that - the summer! This summer I'm going to Ireland to see my family and then to America for some college scouting and a Taylor Swift concert. I'm stoked, it's going to be fantastic. 

6. Top two pet peeves?

I really hate it when people are too clingy with me. I love having friends around and hanging out with the people I care about, but when it becomes too intense and too full on with one person I get really annoyed and I pull back from the friendship a lot. Especially when I see the person a lot, like in class or outside of school. 

I also don't like rude PR people! This is one of my biggest annoyances. I don't like it when companies act like they're doing you a favor or they offer you some crappy product reward instead of a monetary compensation when asking to book you for a job. I need money to survive, I don't want your stupid vacuum cleaners! 

7. A goal of yours for 2013?

I really want to achieve good exam results! I've been working my butt off studying for our mock exams, and I hope that this level of studying and hard work is reflected in my grades. I'd like to make my parents proud, to thank them for all they've done for me in terms of my education. 

8. Favorite thing to do in your free time?

Make videos, play guitar, sing, read, watch TV shows.

9. Worst fears?

I'm deathly afraid of birds. I had a frightening encounter with a peacock when I was little, and the fear spread to every bird species and I just can't deal with them. I hate even being in somewhat close proximity, they make me feel really anxious and scared. 

10. Advice for aspiring singers?

It's important to develop an artist identity and not to lose it when you develop or become more successful. No matter what any person tells you, if your personal style or sound works for you and you like it, you should never change for someone else! It's totally up to you how you handle and conduct yourself too, so make sure you're always professional when around seniors who could better your career. 

+ Check out Zack's Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram and Tumblr!
+ Sorry for skipping out on January's 10qq - exams left me with no time to pull together an interview!