The wonderful thing about music is that you never know what corner of the world the next great musician will come from. Take the case of Dermot Kennedy, who hails from the Dublin suburb of Rathcoole in Ireland. He began playing music when he was just ten years old, and even after he started to take music seriously, it took him over a decade to get discovered. But Kennedy’s 2019 hit “Outnumbered” and his 2020 follow-up song “Giants” captivated audiences worldwide. Not only does he bring a perspective from a corner of the world that’s rarely heard from, but Kennedy has an emotional tone in his voice that resonates with fans who can immediately identify with what he has to say.

Take It to the Streets

Kennedy’s journey to stardom was by no means easy. As a teenager, he began to perform on street corners for tips. He spent years as a street performer in both Dublin and Boston, trying to build a following and hoping to get discovered. It wasn’t easy, although it allowed Kennedy to develop his own unique sound and find himself as a singer and a songwriter. Of course, that hard work would ultimately pay off. Nearly a decade after he began street performing, Kennedy was selling out concerts on three continents and being invited to perform at festivals like Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Lollapalooza. By the time he released his major studio debut album Without Fear in October 2019, it was clear that Kennedy was something special and had a chance to be the next big thing.

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

Part of Kennedy’s appeal with audiences is that he has a sound unlike anyone else in music. He sounds like an Irish folk singer who primarily uses an acoustic guitar. But Kennedy blends that sound with elements of hip hop, creating a rarely heard fusion of folk and hip hop. He also has a unique approach to songwriting, only writing lyrics after he listens to the song. In that sense, it’s the music that triggers the lyrics and not the other way around. It helps to give Kennedy’s lyrics raw emotion and authenticity, which audiences throughout the world have gravitated to early in his career.