On a cobbled street in Dublin once occupied by the likes of Damien Rice and Bono, a teenage Dermot Kennedy strained his vocals while strumming his guitar, and fighting for the attention of passersby more interested in flashy department store sale banners.

A decade later, the internationally-renowned songwriter is performing for crowds tens of thousands strong. The siren call of 30% off sales is no longer his competition and the fleeting attention of Saturday afternoon shoppers is no longer his bread and butter. But getting here took hard work. “I’m not a big believer in fate or destiny,” says Kennedy. “I think you’ve gotta get things yourself. You keep busking; you keep writing and you push on even when it feels like it’s not working. And I guess, over time, you get better.”

The 28-year-old artist has built a reputation for himself around his tortured and gloomy voice; a product of the timeless singer-songwriter genre. His performance chops were fine-tuned in dimly lit Irish pubs to crowds of regulars sipping on Guinness. His self-promotion was old-school. Night after night, Kennedy hit the medieval streets of Dublin, handing out handbills to anyone who would dare to make eye contact. He reached out to record labels and his favourite musicians, sending 20 to 30 messages every day, begging them to listen, just once.

Except it wasn’t working. Kennedy wasn’t discovered on the streets of Dublin or in the candlelit crannies of pubs. Despite the hundreds of leaflets and emails, no record labels came knocking. Instead, Kennedy’s enduring lyrics found resonance when discovered Spotify. “Spotify was massive for me in terms of making a musical transition,” says Kennedy. “In going from not having a career to having one. Certain algorithms started working in my favour, and I started getting a lot of plays. And then that translated into ticket sales. And we got on tour.”

With a modest touring budget and an international audience, record labels started approaching him. However, armed with Spotify funding, he opted out. “If someone had offered me a record deal five years before, I would have jumped at it,” he says. “And I probably would have released a few things and then just been put on the shelf.”

Yes, Kennedy wanted to be big. Yes, he wanted to travel comfortably with a fat budget and a full stomach. But more than all that, he wanted to be himself. A lesson he learned busking on street corners. “After a while of busking, you become savvy,” says Kennedy. “I became aware of what cover songs would get me more money. So I’d play those songs more often. And in a cynical way, I would like the song less because it drew a crowd. I wanted to be able to play my own songs.”

So, supported and encouraged by his three bandmates, Kennedy toured from venue to venue in a van, staying at Airbnbs along the way. Eventually, in need of a North America tour bus, Kennedy signed with Interscope in the US and Island Records worldwide. “The reason we needed the bus is because there were a bunch of sold-out dates across North America,” says Kennedy. “So I was able to go to them and say, ‘Look, this is already working so if you want to get in, then get in but we don’t need it.’ It swung the balance in our favour.”

Ironically, streaming and algorithms, a deeply impersonal system, allowed him to stay true to his identity as a musician. Kennedy’s most recent album, Without Fear, is—much like his musical journey—part old school and part contemporary. Its heartbroken lyrics and bold, soaring, yet tortured vocals are a homage to Kennedy’s inspirations, such as Ray LaMontagne and Damien Rice. However, the album’s R&B elements speak of a new artist in a modern, algorithmic age.
“Power Over Me,” a track on Without Fear, has been streamed more than 138M times. However, in a dramatic, Shakespearian twist of fate, Kennedy knows that his generous and rich benefactor, Spotify, while imperative to his success right now, is nevertheless an uncertain mistress.

“Everybody’s career is so short-lived these days,” says Kennedy. “There’s a New Music Friday every week where about 100 new songs come out. It’s just overwhelming, and the world of art and music is saturated. There are very few artists who are going to be around for a long time. I just hope that whatever comes out of me will have a lasting impact. I want to be a part of some special stuff.”

With that in mind, Kennedy is releasing his Lost In The Soft Light EP on April 24, and the light that he’s emitting with it is very special indeed.

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