Brooklyn singer Aoife O'Donovan set for tour featuring her own recordings of Bruce Springsteen classics
NEW YORK -- The Grammy Awards, one of music's biggest nights of the year, is just a few days away.
CBS2 recently caught up with a singer from Brooklyn who has not just been preparing for the award ceremony, but also a major tour to honor a rock icon.
Renown folk artist Aoife O'Donovan has already won a Grammy, but this year is up for three more, including Best Folk Album for "Age of Apathy," which features one of her hit songs, "Prodigal Daughter."
"Being a musician and being able to actually get to do this for my job, every day I'm sort of like, wow is this real?" O'Donovan said.
While the Brooklyn singer has become a star on her own accord, she is looking to pay tribute to a legend and a local favorite, Bruce Springsteen.
"I am a gigantic fan of The Boss. Who isn't?" O'Donovan said. "People think of him as a rock star, and that he is of course, but he is also truly an incredible storyteller."
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During the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown, O'Donovan sang cover versions of Springsteen's 1982 classic album "Nebraska," livestreaming the songs to her fans on YouTube. The feedback was so positive, she later recorded her versions live.
Now, she plans on touring all over and singing the cover songs. One of the stops will be the Bowery Ballroom.
"There is a different sort of heaviness to it. You're carrying the torch for somebody else," O'Donovan said.
Nearly 40 years ago, Springsteen recorded the songs for "Nebraska" as demos on a four-track recorder, and intended to re-record them with his E-Street Band. However, he ultimately decided to release them as they were.
The album is number 150 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all time.
"The songs are all just, one after the other, these tales of misfits and people struggling, life on the hard side. And the songs just spoke to me," O'Donovan said.
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When asked if she's worried about some people comparing her to Springsteen, O'Donovan said, "I think it's pretty safe to say that Bruce Springsteen is a legend."
To her knowledge, Springsteen has not yet heard her cover songs, but O'Donovan said if he ever does, she hopes she makes him proud.
The Grammy Awards will air live this Sunday at 8 p.m. here on CBS News New York and will stream on the Paramount+ app.
