CMAT

Early life Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson was born on 23 February 1996 in Dublin. Her mother, Sinead Lanigan, is a nurse. She has 3 siblings: a sister and brother who are nurses, and another sister who is a teacher. Her father works in computers.

From a young age, CMAT aspired to be a professional musician; however, her family viewed it as impractical, preferring that she pursue a stable career. She listened to Dolly Parton as a child. Her grandfather introduced her to Skepta, while her mother introduced her to Boney M., Gerry Ryan, The Beautiful South, and Mary Black. She enjoyed watching reruns of The Old Grey Whistle Test When she was 15, she often snuck into gay clubs; she said they were the "first place where I felt I was ever accepted for being the exact person I am". At age 17, she performed a mashup of "Couleur cafe" by Serge Gainsbourg and "Mama Look at Bubu" by Harry Belafonte for her university entrance exam. At the advice of her tutor, she dropped out due to her severe physical and mental health struggle and moved to Denmark for three months to attend a songwriting camp.

Career 2016–2021: Early career In 2016, she formed a band, Bad Sea, with her boyfriend, Alan Farrell, whom she met on Tinder. Her manager, Jamie MacColl of Bombay Bicycle Club, On the Megabus back to Manchester, with no money and no friends, CMAT made the decision to break up with her boyfriend and move back to her mother's house in Dublin. She moved from Manchester to Dublin in December 2018. In October 2021, she signed a recording contract with AWAL.

2022–2024: If My Wife New I'd Be Dead and Crazymad, for Me CMAT's debut studio album If My Wife New I'd Be Dead was released in February 2022. Metacritic gives the album a score of 85 based on 9 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". The album entered the Irish Albums Chart at number one. In June 2022, she released a single called "Peter Bogdanovich", named after director Peter Bogdanovich; in the music video, she dressed as Bogdanovich. In August 2022, the single charted at number 20 on the Irish Homegrown Top 20. In March 2023, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead won the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year.

Her next studio album, Crazymad, for Me, was released in October 2023. Like her previous album, this album debuted at number one on the Irish Albums Chart. In May 2024, the album was nominated for the Best Album at the Ivor Novello Awards. Also in May 2024, a video posted by the BBC on Instagram of CMAT's performance at Radio 1's Big Weekend festival, which showed CMAT removing her shirt to reveal a tighter outfit beneath, received many comments described as "fat-shaming"; BBC then disabled comments on the post.

CMAT provided vocals on the track "I Like Your Look" by Blossoms on their fifth studio album Gary, released in September 2024.

2025–present: Euro-Country In March 2025, CMAT released "Running/Planning", the first single of her next album, Euro-Country. In May 2025, "Take a Sexy Picture of Me" was released. The song, which is a rejection of the criticism CMAT has received about her physical appearance, went viral online. CMAT performed "Running/Planning" and "Take a Sexy Picture of Me" on the first episode of the 66th series of Later... with Jools Holland on 18 May 2025. She performed on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival 2025, earning positive reviews.

The title track for the next album was released in July 2025. It received media attention and praise for its portrayal of ordinary people's struggles after the 2008 financial crisis. Her third studio album Euro-Country was released in August 2025. She describes the album as the "type of loss, pain and lack of community that I feel we are suffering from under modern capital isolation". Like her previous two albums, Euro-Country debuted at number one on the Irish Albums Chart. It debuted at number two in the UK.

In December 2025, she extended her recording contract with AWAL.

Political views and activism CMAT spoke out against fascism at the Brit Awards 2026, saying that fascism was on the rise in the UK, Ireland, and the United States. Previously, in 2023, she stated that Ireland was "infiltrated" by a "Neo-Capitalist snake". Upon the release of Euro-Country (2025), she said that "Ireland is a European country run by the euro" and that "capitalism is one of the worst things to ever happen to us." She blamed the high cost of living in Ireland for the increased emigration from Ireland. In 2023, CMAT said she would fiercely oppose Fianna Fáil politician Bertie Ahern, who was the Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, if he ran for President of Ireland in the 2025 elections in the Republic of Ireland. CMAT's single, "Euro-Country" (2025), references Ahern with the lyrics "All the big boys, all the Berties, all the envelopes, yeah, they hurt me..." and "I was 12 when the das started killing themselves all around me." CMAT stated that, as an Irish person, her relationship with England will always be "complicated" and that she moved there only because it is necessary to further her music career; her goal is to move back to Dublin. Coachella 2026, She has stated that it important to "get that slogan ['free Palestine'] correct" to avoid what may be considered "as hate speech". In May 2024, CMAT said she would not perform at Latitude Festival due to the festival's sponsorship by Barclays, which allegedly "increased their financing of various companies who are supplying weapons and military technology to Israel". In June 2024, she rejoined the lineup after Barclays was dropped as the main sponsor. CMAT additionally supports trans rights and opposes TERFism, which she noted came to Ireland from the United Kingdom.

In March 2026, CMAT criticised the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival and Wim Wenders, who said that cinema should "stay out of politics", calling it "cowardice".

Personal life CMAT is bisexual. She had her first "lesbian experience" at a Little Comets concert at Koko in Camden Town. CMAT has been noted for her large fanbase among Irish LGBTQ+ people. She once said that "I'm making music for the girls and the gays, and that's it."

CMAT lives in Hackney, London, with a roommate, Mia, and a pit bull named Paris.

Released: 25 February 2022 Label: CMATBaby / AWAL Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl

Released: 13 October 2023 Label: CMATBaby / AWAL Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl

Released: 29 August 2025 Label: CMATBaby / AWAL Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl

BPI: Silver

Extended plays + List of EPs, with selected details Title Details Diet Baby Released: March 2021 (Ireland) April 2026 (RSD 2026) Format: 12" LP Label: Diet Baby (DBEP001)

Singles + List of singles as lead artist, with select chart positions, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions AlbumIRE UK — group=lower-alpha|"Stay for Something" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 39 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart. 2024 — — — "Running/Planning" 2025 66 — — Euro-Country "Take a Sexy Picture of Me" 22 60 42 "The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station" 43 — — "Euro-Country" 9 — — "When a Good Man Cries" 23 — 92 "—" denotes recording that did not chart in that territory."*" denotes that the chart did not exist at that time.

Awards and nominations Award Year Nominated work Award Result Choice Music Prize 2022 If My Wife New I'd Be Dead Album of the Year 2023 Crazymad, For Me Stay For Something Song of the Year Artist of the Year BBC Sound of... Sound of 2024 Brit Awards 2024 International Artist of the Year Ivor Novello Award Crazymad, For Me Best Album 2025 Euro-Country Choice Music Prize Take a Sexy Picture of Me Song of the Year Artist of the Year Brit Awards2026 International Artist of the Year Ivor Novello Award Euro-Country Best Album