From Europe all the way to Asia, Dermot Kennedy is creating major milestones in his musical career connecting with fans on the road.
Finally hitting up Singapore as a stop for his live show in Asia and now set to release his highly anticipated second album Sonder on November 4, we had the opportunity to talk to Dermot Kennedy about his plans gearing up for the tour here and his road to success for his career.
Being in a new country is sure to be very exciting, even for Dermot who has been privileged to travel around the world because of his music. Performing in Singapore for the first time ever, we asked Dermot what are the things he looks forward to most being here, “I’m just excited to know what it feels like to play a show in Singapore and to see if it’s different or the same in certain places.”
Dermot never forgot to mention his appreciation for his fans and finally being able to perform for them live, “Just excited to connect with people and bring my music to Singapore. To play somewhere for the first time even this far into my musical journey is a very exciting thing and to feel like I’m starting somewhere is lovely.”
His love for music started at a very young age from playing guitar to writing songs, and it’s no surprise that his hardwork has brought him from being a street-busker to having sold-out stadiums around the world. But Dermot is still staying loyal to busking by having his ‘Sonder Street Sessions’ where he travels to places busking for the fans. The team at ZYRUP is also curious if Dermot has any plans to busk here in Singapore.
“I’m not sure but that’s kind of the most beautiful part of it if we’re able to find some time on one of the days to do that,” he explains. “It’s a lovely thing because it brings me back to basics because so often nowadays if you’re playing in an arena or a stadium, there’s so much planning that goes into that and so many things that have to be perfect and it takes so long to set it up. With busking you can decide in the morning and do it in the afternoon, it’s that simple. We’ll see if I have the time, I’ll figure it out.” Little does he know, fans are already looking forward to it.
The entire time talking to Dermot Kennedy about his music we could tell just how passionate this man is as an artist and his constant motivation to reach out to people with his music.
“I think if I have to pick one idea it’s probably to just make people feel better about themselves and about their lives. I was thinking about this earlier how I’ll have songs that seem sad but like they’re never fully sad. There’s always some hope and there’s always some light and it’s never just darkness all the way and I think I want people to feel that way.” Dermot explains when asked about what he wants to convey with his music.
With his passion comes the feeling of always knowing that music is something that he always wants to do, “I think as soon as I started playing music I knew it was gonna be a very important part of my life and I’d always do it. To have a career doing it is a massive bonus, it really is.”
“It’s really lovely and sometimes it’s insane because I get this simple job where I really just have to think about music all day and I don’t have to be thinking about anything else which is incredible and that’s the dream right?” It truly is and what’s even crazier is having the dream now realised after years of doing music.
Dermot also shared some fun memories when he first heard his song being played on the radio, “In Ireland, I remember the first time I heard my song on the radio years ago and it was just because my friends texted in to the station to get them to play it and Dublin is small enough that it was small enough for us to make that happen.”
Dermot mentioned that being away from home and touring in different places can be difficult but it’s moments like that where it all works out and it is all worth it in the end.
“I’ve had some really nice moments where I was going to the studio in Toronto a few years ago and I heard it in the Uber while I was on my way there. It’s just little moments like that where you can be really tired and you can feel like you really miss home and then nice stuff like that will happen,” Dermot explains. “It can be really good for your spirit and so I’ve got really nice moments like that, nice memories.”
It’s so nice to hear that Dermot is not only loved by his fans all over the world but also receiving continuous support from his loved ones back home, “I’m lucky enough that my parents will come to the biggest shows. They came to a show we did in San Francisco at the Greek Theatre, and it was just this kind of landmark show and you’ll never get to play at those places for the first time again so it’s a lovely thing to get to share.”
Of course we didn’t miss the chance to ask Dermot about his upcoming release for his first album Sonder.
“I heard the word ‘Sonder’ for the first time a few years ago. It’s the idea that everybody’s living a life is vivid and complex as your own and that just really resonated with me,” he begins as he talks about the album, “I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of if I see someone on the street, I just wonder about people and I think so often if you drive through a town and the houses and you’re just kind of thinking how everybody has their own story.”
He reflects the idea of him being a songwriter and how he doesn’t feel like someone who likes spending so much time thinking about himself and he explains, “Just the idea of this album puts out there about us all being equal and being more aware of each other’s story just means a lot to me.”
Say less because fans are already waiting for the release of the album Sonder that’s releasing on 4 November. With all the teasers leading up to the official release of the album, fans of Dermot Kennedy can definitely agree when we say it’s all going to be worth the wait.
As the chat comes to an end, Dermot continues to show his appreciation for his fans saying, “I’m very privileged to have a career in the music industry and get to be who I am a hundred percent. I don’t have to pretend in any way, I don’t have to change who I am and the fact that people pay attention to me and listen to my music means an awful lot to me. So anybody who’s really here with me, I really do appreciate it.”
Look out for Dermot Kennedy’s second album release Sonder on 4 November!