Louise McMahon is a freelance composer, session vocalist, and audio specialist working across video games, film, television, and radio. She is a voting member of the Recording Academy and a GRAMMY U Mentor.

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Lou has contributed hundreds of audio stories to Culture File on RTÉ Lyric FM, producing work from concept through to broadcast. Her radio work has been widely acclaimed, including coverage in The Irish Independent, which praised her visit to the Disgusting Food Museum in Berlin, Germany, as “another finger lickin’ good item in the outstanding series.”Lou has interviewed celebrities and local artists for the show, and even a virtual human named Imma, covering topics such as food, music, technology, and whatever tickles. Lou sometimes adds music underscores to her audio stories. Notable examples include her piano score and performance on “Summoning Loab” (McMahon, Lou. Summoning Loab. Culture File, RTÉ Lyric FM, 2022), and the melodies, lyrics, and performance of the radio jingle “Refunk” (McMahon, Lou. Refunk. Culture File, RTÉ Lyric FM, 2021).

Her recent credits include vocal contributions to media soundtracks, the Regional Emmy Award–winning documentary Girl Forgotten: What Happened to Brianna Wells (2025) by Crimesonics, the VEGA Award–winning Pacific Drive: Whispers in the Woods video game trailer (2025) with Audiocreatures—where her vocal layerings are described by Polygon as a “haunting drone choir”—and score preparation for Live Score Berlin recordings with the Film Orchestra Babelsburg.

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Louise is a music educator, teaching piano, guitar, and music technology, and releases her own works under Lou McMahon and, at times, Meaisín. Her catalogue includes folk songs, chamber music, choral works, and solo piano pieces described as “immersive and rapturous” by Bernard Clarke (RTÉ Lyric FM). Her classical music is released under the title Butterfly Wars.

Her music has featured on national radio and television in Ireland, Slovakia, Germany, and the United States. Recent contemporary works premiered on Blue of the Night (RTÉ Lyric FM), and her song “DEAD SOUND” (2025) premiered on RTÉ 2XM. Her works have received airplay on Radio Eins, RTVS, RTÉ, A World in London, and more. A publication of her folk song “Wide Eyed Lady” appears in ARC Music’s Ultimate Guide to Irish Folk and can be found in the New York University Library, the Naxos Library during its release, and digital stores internationally. Her folk music features Terry Woods; “A River” was featured on The Apprentice (TV3) and distributed with The Irish Daily Mail.

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“An evocatively enveloping cut, ‘Sabai’ is anchored by Lou’s haunting vocals, Wood’s virtuosic stylings on a custom Veillette guitar completing the picture, as the pair speak to sorrow, loss, and reconciliation.” — Hot Press

Louise’s chamber works are supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Culture Ireland, The Glens Arts Centre, and the Embassy of Ireland in Germany.

BWARS is a regular presence at gaming festivals and industry events across Germany, delivering performances, talks on conceptualising video game music, and audio workshops throughout 2024 and 2025. Appearances include Nerdic Events, Games Ground, and NERDICon, with BWARS also showcased at the European Games Night at Devcom / Gamescom 2024.