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Stories   >   Olafur Arnalds - Talos 'We Didnt Know We Were Ready' collab. is an emotional tribute to creativity / ReviewsNewAge

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Olafur Arnalds - Talos 'We Didnt Know We Were Ready' collab. is an emotional tribute to creativity / ReviewsNewAge

Posted: February 16, 2025

Icelandic composer and producer Ólafur Arnalds and the late Irish musician Talos (Eoin French) have released the striking single “We Didn’t Know We Were Ready.” The song marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between the two artists and was co-written alongside Niamh Regan and Ye Vagabonds at Sounds from a Safe Harbor (SFSH) festival & artist residency in 2023. Listen to the song here. “We Didn’t Know We Were Ready” was finally fully recorded after Talos’ untimely passing in August 2024 and poignantly features Talos’ lead vocals alongside contributions from his friends, family and collaborators: Sandrayati, The Staves, JFDR, Memorial, Christof van der Ven, Laoise Leahy, Niamh Regan, Ye Vagabonds, Myles O’ Reilly, Ross Dowling, Eoin’s wife Steph French and Icelandic orchestra, SinfoniaNord. This single is a testament to their enduring bond forged through music.

A masterful melding of the writers’ deft and emotional songwriting, “We Didn’t Know We Were Ready” is a powerful reminder of the uncertainty of life: "This song was always an expression of community and creativity. But with Eoin’s untimely passing, it has now taken on meanings we could never have imagined back when we wrote it," said Arnalds. "Barely a day goes by where I don’t think about how fortunate we are to have this platform to channel our grief into."

After the track was written in 2023, a spontaneous pop-up performance [watch HERE] in the lobby of Cork’s The River Lee hotel soon followed – the song’s journey continued with a festival performance at the first OPIA Festival in Berlin, late 2024, solidifying its place as an impactful and evolving collaboration with fans repeatedly asking for an official release.

On January 4th 2025, approximately 5 months after Eoin’s passing, Arnalds and many of the aforementioned artists as well as others who played a big part in the inception of the song at SFSH (such as Dermot Kennedy and cellist Kate Ellis) paid tribute to him with a heartfelt performance of "We Didn’t Know We Were Ready" closing out the Tommy Tiernan Show on RTÉ, which has since garnered over 1.5 million views on Instagram alone.

The performance, stunning in its sincerity and vulnerability, struck a chord with audiences worldwide, and galvanized the official release of the track, allowing it to reach a broader audience. The artwork for the track, created by Eoin himself, underscores his multi-talented creative expression and enduring artistic vision.

ReviewsNewAge writes……….Icelandic songwriter and producer Ólafur Arnalds and the sadly departed Irish musician Talos (Eoin French) present the striking single “ We Didn't Know We Were Ready .” Born from a fruitful collaboration during the Sounds from a Safe Harbor festival in 2023, the track is an emotional tribute to creativity, community, and the bittersweet interplay of uncertainty, sadness, and the beauty of life.

Originally co-written with Niamh Regan and Ye Vagabonds, the song took on even greater significance following Talos ’ untimely passing in August 2024. Recorded entirely posthumously, “ We Didn’t Know We Were Ready ” features Talos ’ evocative lead vocals , alongside contributions from an intimate circle of friends, family, and collaborators—including Sandrayati, The Staves, JFDR, Memorial, Christof van der Ven, Laoise Leahy, Niamh Regan, Ye Vagabonds, Myles O’Reilly, Ross Dowling, and Eoin’s wife Steph French—plus Icelandic orchestra SinfoniaNord. The single is a testament to the enduring bond forged through music.

Reflecting on the song’s evolution, Arnalds comments: “This song was always an expression of community and creativity. But with Eoin’s untimely passing, it has taken on meanings we never could have imagined when we wrote it. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about how lucky we are to have this platform to channel our grief.”

The journey of “ We Didn't Know We Were Ready ” has been as dynamic as it is emotional. Shortly after its creation, a spontaneous performance in the lobby of The River Lee hotel in Cork sparked excitement among fans. Later, a performance at the first OPIA Festival in Berlin, in late 2024, cemented its status as an ever-evolving collaborative work, with audiences clamoring for an official release.

On January 4, 2025—approximately five months after Talos ’ passing — Arnalds , alongside many of Talos’ original collaborators (including Dermot Kennedy and cellist Kate Ellis), paid tribute to his memory with an emotional performance of the song on RTÉ’s Tommy Tiernan Show. The performance, celebrated for its sincerity and vulnerability, resonated with viewers around the world and has now amassed over 1.5 million views on Instagram. Complementing the single, the artwork—created by Talos himself —underscores his multifaceted creative spirit and enduring artistic vision.


BAFTA-winning composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds is renowned for fusing classical, electronic and ambient sounds. His acclaimed albums and groundbreaking collaborations have cemented him as a leading figure in contemporary music.

Eoin French , known professionally as Talos , was an Irish musician celebrated for his evocative voice and genre-defying sound. His atmospheric compositions, steeped in both electronic and orchestral influences, earned him a loyal following of fans. “ We Didn't Know We Were Ready ” marks Talos ' second posthumous release of new music , following the collaborative EP Sun Divider with Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson, released in November 2024.

With “ We Didn't Know We Were Ready ,” Talos ' legacy lives on through the universal language of music, reminding us that even in the midst of loss, beauty and connection endure.

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