Sorcha Richardson

Easygoing yet reserved, one would not be able to guess Sorcha Richardson’s talent on mere first impression – however, she’s been doing it for years.

“I’ve always been musical,” Richardson admits, in her lilting Dublin accent. “I actually started with playing the drums when I was 11.” Ten years later, Sorcha is just as passionate about her music and songwriting. Finding her inspiration in overheard conversations on the subway and streets of New York City, Sorcha’s singing truly began in college, when she realized how personal the songs were to her.

“I wasn’t comfortable giving them [to others],” Sorcha said of her songwriting. What emerged from her apprehension has sparked a career goal. A Fiction major at Eugene Lang College, Sorcha hopes to intern for a record label or music magazine, though in a “perfect world” her singing would become a profession.

Richardson intends to stay in New York City for a few years after her graduation, though she calls Ireland home. By her own admittance, Sorcha’s decision to attend university in New York City was impulsive, but for her own best interests.

“I had no definite plans in Ireland,” Richardson says staidly. “Literally the first three weeks [in New York], I was thrown in the deep end.” Sorcha adjusted to living in a new country and new city rather well, though she admits her first two years were a bit out of control.

Her most difficult adjustment came when faced with an unforeseen illness while she was thousands of miles away from her home and family. Earlier in the year, Sorcha was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer. Going alone to doctor’s visits, x-rays and biopsies, Sorcha found her illness the most difficult thing to deal with since moving. Sporting a scar on her neck from surgeries over the summer, Sorcha is now “all clear”.

Living with a close friend from Ireland in a No-Ho apartment, Sorcha does not feel homesickness and is eager for her future in the city. Laughingly, Richardson recounts stories of her experiences in the city, including getting caught drinking in the dorm her freshman year. If anything, these small anecdotes told so warmly, endear one to Richardson, and it is easy to see her making it big – she is definitely star material.