"Dermot Kennedy: An Introduction" by Blanca Reyes

Dermot Kennedy is a up-and-coming singer/songwriter from Ireland who is already making his name known in the music scene with his distinct voice and his lyrics that could pass as something you would read in a poetry book.

When you listen to his music, you’ll be able to hear his favorite genres and his influences take part in his art. Dermot has said that he never intentionally tries to sound like anyone but rather the mix of his influences just come naturally in everything he does: songwriting, vocals and production. You’ll hear his love for hip-hop in his production and lyrical structure, his love for Bon Iver in his songwriting and instrumentals and his love for David Gray in his vocals.

Dermot Kennedy is an expert songwriter. The way he creates a story that you can so easily visualize in your mind, a picture so clear that you feel like you’re actually experiencing it in real life, makes me speechless. I wish I could explain how beautiful his music is as well and eloquently as he writes his own songs but I am truly stumped here. Dermot is special - his songwriting and that powerhouse of a voice along with his perfect mix of genres brings something refreshing to the music industry.

It’s also refreshing to see a man who is so comfortable writing poetic, vulnerable and passionate lyrics in a society where men are typically scared or are not used to being so open with their emotions. And whether or not he intentionally means for that to be an anti-toxic masculinity message, he’s still setting his footprint in that movement along with other up-and-coming artists Sam Fender and Matt Maltese. His lyrics are what he’s starting to become known for (along with that voice of his) and one of the things I love about his songwriting and his intentions is that fact that there are no mean lyrics. I know it sounds silly but in a world where breakup songs can be pretty harsh ("I Don’t Fuck With You" by Big Sean, anyone? Still a tune though), Dermot’s breakup songs make me want to fall in love. He can be talking about how someone ripped his heart in two but the way he phrases it makes it sound almost heavenly. Here are some of my favorite lyrics of his:

• “When she kissed me, I felt a new freedom or something.” - "Moments Passed"

• “What’s important is this evening I will not forget. Purple, blue, orange, red - these colors of feeling. Give me love, I’ll put my heart in it.” - "An Evening I Will Not Forget"

• “Deep into the night, eyes closing, heart swollen with my loving for you.” - "A Closeness"

• “I wanna know who you are, I want your heart to beat for me” / “Remember the lake in the moonlight? Remember you shivered and shone? I’ll never forget what you looked like on that night” - "Power Over Me"

• “But she’s bringing the moon and stars to me. Damn permanent reverie” / “We were open and vulnerable, it was wonderful” - "For Island Fires and Family"

The fact that someone can love a person so much that they write songs about that person with lyrics as beautiful as Dermot’s is the purest form of art there is. It will bring you tears of joy, sadness and pure peace.

Dermot’s debut album (yes, debut!), Without Fear, is releasing on September 27th. Until then, get your tissues and ice cream ready and listen to everything he has released on any streaming service. Also, don’t miss out on future tour dates. Trust me, you’ll want to see him live.

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