A Belfast musician is getting people into the season of giving with a catchy new charity Christmas song.
Fra Donaghy from West Belfast has penned ‘Elf On The Shelf’ to raise vital funds for Barnardo’s Northern Ireland this year and help make this Christmas one to remember.
After falling in love with music when he was just a teenager, Fra is determined to use his skills for good this festive season with the charity tune and music video.
Read more: Belfast Christmas Market named one of the best in the UK
Read more: Belfast man on moment grieving girl ‘mistakes’ him for Santa
Speaking to Belfast Live, Fra said his passion for performing started when he picked up his brother’s guitar.
He said: “When I was 14 my younger brother got a small guitar for Christmas but soon lost interest in it, so when he would be out playing football I’d be sneaking a go on his guitar and secretly teaching myself how to play it.
“I started writing my own songs as soon as I had learned my first 3 chords and after a while, I saved up enough money to go down to Smithfield and buy myself my own guitar second-hand.
“A few of my other friends from school were learning guitar at the same time so we used to meet up at the weekends and play together, learning songs from the big bands at the time like Oasis and Radiohead.”
In his 20s, Fra would frequent open mics spots and perform in venues across the city.
“Around the same time, I started posting some of my very basic home recordings online and getting feedback from other songwriters and musicians from across the globe.
“From there it has just snowballed to where I now have four albums of my own music available online, and a small but loyal following online,” he explained.
The inspiration for ‘Elf On The Shelf’ came from Fra’s background in retail, hearing the same Christmas songs on a loop day-in-day-out over the festive period.
He continued: “Just over a year ago, I challenged myself to write a new Christmas song that touched on something no one else had really done yet, and at the time Elf On The Shelf was taking off as a pretty big thing, so I wrote my song about that.
“I let a few friends hear it last year and it went down well, so I worked on it a little more and released it properly for this Christmas.”
All proceeds raised by the song will be going to Barnardo’s NI, a charity working with children, young people and families across Northern Ireland to promote better outcomes and build better futures.
Fra added: “I was very lucky to have a great childhood in the 80s with some amazing Christmases to look back on.
“As I was listening back to the final recording of the song, there are lyrics in the song where Santa is explaining to the elf that ‘there are children far away, who need help on Christmas day’ so I wanted my Christmas song to in some small way help children who have not been as lucky as I was.”
The song is currently available on all of the popular streaming services alongside a lighthearted music video for the little ones to enjoy.
You can watch the video here and find out more about Fra and his music here
Join our Belfast Live breaking news service on WhatsApp
Click this link or scan the QR code to receive breaking news and top stories from Belfast Live. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our What’s On newsletter
