How Damhnait Doyle and a team of musicians from NL lent their talents to the video game played by millions of people

Damhnait Doyle can now add “the video game heroine” to her resume, but the singer, songwriter and radio host from Newfoundland didn’t expect to get involved in the online gaming world.

Doyle told CBC Weekend morning in a recent interview he was asked to work for free online gaming Warframe by a friend and co-worker of the house, Keith Power, who works in Los Angeles as a composer for film, television and games.

“I love his job. So it didn’t matter what he asked me to do – I said ‘yes’,” Doyle said.

But, said Doyle, technology isn’t his strong suit: “I can barely turn on my cell phone.”

Power hired a team of Newfoundland musicians including Alan Doyle, the Ennis Sisters, Greg Hawco and Aaron Collis to compose and record the theme music for the game. The result is a shipyard called Sleep in the cold below, with Damhnait Doyle singing the lead vocals.

Despite her lack of technical expertise and gaming experience, Doyle said, she is much more involved with Warframe than just singing a theme song.

She also voices the character of Captain Vala Glarios, playing for the game director on Skype.

“She’s actually an interactive player in the game. So I expressed, you know, the controls … it’s really interesting to be involved in the process of breaking down how this all works,” said said Doyle.

Doyle said people really identify with the song, which with over 2.1 million views on YouTube has a life outside of role-playing action.

“Right now this song is getting so much attention,” she said.

• LISTEN | Damhnait Doyle and other Newfoundland musicians perform Sleep in the cold below:

Growing up in Newfoundland, Doyle said, she always loved the songs of the sailors, but it took a while for others to find their way around.

“It’s no surprise that the rest of the world thinks sailors’ chants are awesome,” she said.

To hear Doyle’s interview, and other Weekend AM interviews, click here

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