Dermot Kennedy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dermot Kennedy
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Kennedy performing in 2019
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dermot Joseph Kennedy |
| Born | 13 December 1991 |
| Origin | Rathcoole, County Dublin, Ireland |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
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Dermot Joseph Kennedy, born on December 13, 1991, is a talented singer and songwriter from Ireland. He is well-known for his popular songs like "Outnumbered" and "Power Over Me" from 2019, and "Giants" from 2020. He also sang on the hit song "Paradise" with the producers Meduza. Dermot Kennedy has released two studio albums: Without Fear in 2019 and Sonder in 2022. He also released an EP called I've Told the Trees Everything.
Contents
About Dermot Kennedy
Early Life and Music Journey
Dermot Kennedy grew up in Rathcoole, County Dublin, Ireland. He loved football and started playing guitar when he was 10 years old. He began writing songs at 14. However, he only started taking music seriously when he was 17. His parents were very supportive of his musical dreams. He often thanks his father for driving him to Dublin to perform at open mic nights when he was too young to drive himself. His mother even helped him apply to study classical music at Maynooth University in County Kildare, where he studied for three years. His aunt, Mary Kennedy, is a well-known TV personality in Ireland.
Building a Music Career
Dermot Kennedy began his music career by busking, which means performing music in public places, when he was 17. He spent over ten years working hard before his career really took off in his mid-twenties. Busking helped him develop his unique sound. He traveled to big cities like Dublin and Boston, US, to perform.
In 2015, Dermot uploaded a song called "An Evening I Will Not Forget" to Spotify. He felt like this song truly connected with people. He was also invited to open for the famous musician Glen Hansard, whom he had met while busking.
Before his solo career became big, Dermot was part of a band called Shadows and Dust. He formed this band with three other members, including Micheál Quinn, who is now Dermot's tour drummer. Even though he enjoyed being in the band, they broke up in 2015.
In 2018 and 2019, Dermot Kennedy toured across the US, Australia, and Europe, performing for sold-out crowds. He played at major music festivals like Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2017, and Lollapalooza, South by Southwest Festival, and Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2018. He also performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2019.
In 2018, listeners of NPR voted him as Slingshot's Best New Artist of The Year. He also performed a 14-minute live acoustic session for NPR's Music Tiny Desk Concert. The BBC included him on their Sound of 2019 nomination list, which highlights rising music stars.
After releasing several singles and EPs, Dermot Kennedy released his first full album, Without Fear, in late 2019. This album included many of his older songs, some of which he had written eight years before the album came out.
In 2020, Dermot was nominated for International Male Solo Artist at the 2020 Brit Awards. In 2021, he recorded a cover of the Metallica song "Nothing Else Matters" for a charity album called The Metallica Blacklist.
On March 3, 2022, Dermot Kennedy won the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year 2021 for his song "Better Days".
His second studio album, Sonder, was released on November 18, 2022. Dermot explained that the album's title, "Sonder," means realizing that every person you see has a life as detailed and complex as your own.
Helping Others Through Music
Dermot Kennedy uses his music to help others. In early 2020, he sang on the album Songs for Australia. This album was created by Julia Stone to raise money for organizations helping Australia recover from bushfires. Dermot covered the song "Resolution" by Matt Corby for the album.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dermot took part in Billboard's Live At-Home concert. He helped raise money for Housing Works, a non-profit organization, by performing a short online concert. After that, in May 2020, Dermot organized his own virtual concert called Sound Waves. This concert supported the WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
On September 6, 2020, Dermot Kennedy played in the Soccer Aid charity match for the first time. He joined other famous people to raise money for UNICEF UK. Playing for the World XI team against England, he helped his team win their second match in a row. He even scored one of their three goals! The team won in a penalty shootout, and Dermot was named Man of the Match.
Dermot's Unique Sound
Dermot Kennedy's music blends two main styles: folk and hip-hop. This is a change from his earlier songs, which were more acoustic. Unlike some songwriters, he doesn't usually write songs about specific moments. Instead, he lets memories and feelings come to him naturally as he listens to the music.
GQ magazine described Dermot as a "singer with a rich, echoing voice." They also noted his "epically emotional songwriting skills," comparing him to Ed Sheeran but with a darker, more thoughtful style. The New York Times said that during his 2018 South by Southwest Festival performance, he showed "a grainy, melancholy voice that can crest with a howling rasp."
He looks up to artists like Ray LaMontagne, David Gray, Damien Rice, and Glen Hansard for his folk music inspiration. His newer songs include hip-hop influences. This can be heard in his work with producer Mike Dean on the EP Mike Dean Presents: Dermot Kennedy, which Dermot called a "mix tape".
Life Outside Music
Dermot Kennedy bought a house in Ireland in 2022. He likes to keep his private life to himself. He has said that he has "always been resistant to the idea of celebrity." He also prefers not to share his political views with his fans.
Dermot Kennedy's Albums
Studio albums
- Without Fear (2019)
- Sonder (2022)
