Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst To Release Album With His Daughter Jay O’Shea

Midnight Oil co-founder Rob Hirst has collaborated with his daughter Jay O’Shea for the second time. The album ‘The Lost and the Found’ will be released on 28 February.

The title of the album refers to the relationship between Rob and Jay. Jay was given up for adoption. She was reunited with her father Rob in 2010. Jay’s mother, Rob’s girlfriend of 1974, became pregnant and was sent to Adelaide to have the child. The baby was taken from the couple. The parents weren’t even told the sex of the baby.

Jay O’Shea and her husband Mark O’Shea are now successful country artists based in Nashville. What was even stranger is that Jay had become friends with Midnight Oil bass player Bones Hillman in Nashville.

Jay and Rob’s first collaboration was ‘The Truth Walks Slowly’ in 2016.

‘The Lost and the Found’ will be released on 28 February. “Some of the songs are bluesy, others are ‘atmos-pop’” explains Rob. “Plus there’s some rock and country thrown in”. The common thread is strong storytelling, as well as the use of real instruments: piano, cello, violin, harmonica, trumpet, acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums.

“Unsurprisingly, Jay and I have a natural chemistry” says Rob. “We both like songs with melodies that stay in your head, and lyrics that tell little stories. We’re suckers for a strong chorus. And of course, Jay’s voice is a remarkable instrument: It lifts every lyric, magnifies every melody. This album was a joy to make”.

Jay adds, “‘To be able to collaborate has been one of the biggest highlights of my life. I loved that we got to work on a project without any kind of pressure or parameters of what a father and daughter should sound like together. We just got to make some music. I’m not even sure it has a genre, but I guess that’s just fine. To get to know my birth father more through this collaboration has been the most beautiful, epic adventure.”

Rob Hirst also recently released the EP Driver Reviver for Sean Sennett.