Dermot Kennedy began his career by busking on Grafton Street in central Dublin as people walked by while doing their shopping or stopped to throw money in his guitar case.
More than a decade later the Rathcoole man returned to his beginnings, standing on the balcony of Bewley’s coffee shop on Tuesday evening and playing for the large crowd that gathered on the street beneath him.
Despite headlining Electric Picnic’s main stage earlier this year, and many other high-profile venues internationally, Kennedy says the performances “feel the same, in a way” to those he did as a teenager.
“What’s changed? I play to a lot more people and they know the music now, but it’s the same thing in my head. I just get the guitar and do what I would have done when I was 16,” he said.
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Speaking to reporters in advance of his performance, Kennedy said that although he would never take the growth of his career for granted, he always had his eye on this trajectory. He launched his second album, Sonder, last week, had a pop-up merchandise shop in Bewley’s cafe on Tuesday and held an album signing in the nearby Golden Discs store.
“I think sometimes you have certain shows, people ask ‘can you believe you’re doing this?’ Well, I can, because I’ve seen every step for the last 15 years, and for 10 years of no one paying attention,” he added.
That is the main thing other young buskers should know, he said.
“If you’re not doing what you want to be doing, it’s not because you’re not good, it’s because the world doesn’t know you yet. It’s just about being stubborn.”
Artists often speak about the pressure of releasing a second album, particularly after a successful debut. For Kennedy, he found the opposite to be true. “I was less sure of who I was. In certain studios, they can be intimidating scenarios. Well, now I know what I’m doing to some degree. I know my ideas are good.”
There was still a nervousness when releasing the music, however, particularly after it was delayed on a number of occasions, he said.
“I can’t speak for other artists, but I do think that sometimes people have this idea that we’re so confident. I do feel confident but also you definitely are nervous when you release it. I think it’s more reassuring than people know when the feedback is good.”
Kennedy has become a household name, with his songs doing well in the charts and receiving significant radio play. While described as meteoric by some, Kennedy said his success did not come overnight.
“I think I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s really impossible to outline what it takes [to make it],” he said. “But also, what puts me in my place is it’s the same as everyone’s job. There are loads of things that are difficult or you overcome that people don’t find out about.”
Sonder is different from his first album, Without Fear. It features a mix of pop music, with softer, almost ballad-like songs, a change Kennedy said was intentional.
“It’s just a natural progression. Some people say to me ‘oh it sounds very different’ but we’re in a different place,” he said.
“There are songs on there that would fit in this room, and there are songs on there that would fit in stadiums. I’m trying to be almost two artists at the same time. You’re trying to be ambitious and draw more people in, while also trying to stay true to the people who have been with you since the start. You can’t limit yourself in either direction.”
The 30-year-old is private about his personal life. His song lyrics, meanwhile, are vulnerable, open and raw. Keeping the balance between the two is easy, he added.
“It’s just all in there [the music]. I feel quite free as a person because I get to go to therapy all of the time. I don’t know who I would be without that outlet,” he said. “If all of those feelings were just bottled up inside of me, and I didn’t write them down, and I didn’t sing them, I don’t know how I’d feel.”
