Abertay student teams up with former Grammy nominee to record single

Abertay student teams up with former Grammy nominee to record single

An Abertay University student has struck up an unlikely partnership with a 76-year-old two-time Grammy nominated musician, after successfully persuading him to provide vocals for a song he wrote.

Computer Arts student Daniel Pukkila penned ‘Come Rest a While’, an emotional song about his father, during the summer holidays.

The 20-year-old then stumbled across David Maloney, from the legendary folk music duo Reilly & Maloney, on Youtube and decided to ask him if he would help him perfect the lyrics and tune and then record the track.

Daniel said: “When I listened to his work I thought to myself that he was perfect. I had initially been looking at younger artists but no one really fit with the tone of the song.

“David’s voice had so much soul and energy to it, it had emotion and depth. I have to be honest, at the time I had no idea how successful he had been in his career.

“After he agreed to work with me, I did further research and discovered that he was a folk-music veteran and a former Grammy nominee and I realised what a big deal this was.”

The pair have since become close friends. Daniel added: “There is a big age difference between us and we haven’t actually met in person, but as David put it, art can transcend any border.

 “He inspires me, and he told me that I inspired him - he’s actually working on a new album. We are like kindred spirits and share the same ideals.”

Maloney’s career has spanned decades and he is best known for his pairing with fellow folk singer Ginny Reilly, which started back in the 1970s.

In 2016 the duo performed together for the final time during their ‘45^th Anniversary Farewell Tour’. Since then, he has been working as a solo artist.

He said: “As a lifelong songwriter and performer I was intrigued by Daniel’s query about turning his song into a ballad with universal appeal and accessibility.

“After several days of writing, rewriting, composing and sculpting, ‘Come Rest a While’ felt complete. 

“I then spent two full days recording the piece at my home studio and both Daniel and I became very excited and pleased with the result.

“It is my view that the creative spirit knows no age and our communion on this project was an uplifting experience for both Daniel and myself.”

Listen to ‘Come Rest a While’ here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1uGRUOvd0rNSzxWHnqg7Jb

For more information about studying Computer Arts at Abertay visit: https://www.abertay.ac.uk/course-search/undergraduate/computer-arts/

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