She made hits, now she's making a name

Dolores O'Riordan was the voice behind the mega-selling Irish pop band The Cranberries - a voice that sold millions of records without many fans' even knowing her name.

Only 19 when she landed the plum role of lead singer and lyricist for the Limerick-based band (via an audition), O'Riordan's potent shades-of-Sinead vocals made international hits of songs like "Linger" and 1994's chart-topping "Zombie," about Northern Ireland's so-called troubles.

When the group quietly disbanded in 1999, O'Riordan seemed to quietly disappear as well - but not really, as she'll tell you. While her focus turned toward raising her children, the diminutive singer-songwriter kept her hand in music, showing up sporadically on artsy projects by Italian rock crooner Zucchero, composer Angelo Badalamenti, and German dance pioneers Jam & Spoon.

"I did things that were fun for me," she said by phone from Greece, where she was on tour with her four-piece band. "Challenging as well, but not pressure-filled."

O'Riordan, now 35, recently reemerged as more than just a guest artist, releasing a critically lauded and highly personal solo album, Are You Listening?, a record she made "without expectations."

"The more success, the more pressure you acquire," O'Riordan said. "But when you step away from it and focus on other things - in my case, being a full-time mom - the pressure goes away. Music became a hobby to me again; something therapeutic and fun."

Not that she isn't pleased with critical kudos for her solo effort: "It's quite lovely, actually, because this [record] had my heart in it; it was a strong personal statement."

Now, with her solo career finally launched, O'Riordan's happy to bring old and new to her concerts.

"I play a lot of stuff from my own album, but there's Cranberries songs, too," she says. "To sing 'Linger' or 'Dreams' now, well, it's all lighthearted and filled with good memories."