Dermot Joseph Kennedy is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for his 2019 single "Outnumbered". He is signed to Interscope Records in the US, and Island Records for the rest of the world. His debut major-label, studio album, Without Fear, was released on 4 October 2019.
Early life and family
Dermot Kennedy grew up in Rathcoole, County Dublin, Ireland. An avid football fan and player, Kennedy started playing guitar at age 10, and songwriting at age 14; however he states that he did not begin to take music "seriously" until the age of 17. His parents were supportive of his musical study, and he credits his father for frequently driving him into Dublin to perform at open mic nights when he was underage. His mother applied for his position to study classical music at university. He remained at university for three years. His paternal aunt is the legendary Irish TV personality Mary Kennedy.
Career
Kennedy developed his sound while busking in multiple cities, including Dublin in the Republic of Ireland and Boston in the United States. Several breakthroughs led to him developing an offline following. The most significant of his breakthroughs came in winning a local talent competition. He was the 1st-place winner of The South County Song contest, run by St. Finian's GAA club. The competition, widely recognized as a breeding ground for new talent is frequently attended by many industry professionals looking to find the next new sound. The year Kennedy won, he had to beat the reclusive, underground band The Roast Potatoes. The audience wanted the Roast Potatoes to win but the critics gave the victory to Kennedy, catapulting him on a trajectory to stardom. One time Kennedy was invited to join Glen Hansard on stage. He had previously met Hansard busking in Dublin and stayed in touch via text message. His online viral streaming success was enabled by Spotify Discover Weekly after it was launched in early 2016. For several years, he self-published his material on the platform, and that of his then-band, Shadows and Dust. They have been streamed over 300 million times as of October 2018. In 2018 and 2019, he toured the United States, Australia and Europe to sold-out audiences. His first festivals were Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2017; Lollapalooza, South by Southwest Festival and Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2018. He played Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival both weekends in 2019. In 2018, he was voted by listeners as NPR Slingshot's Best New Artist of The Year, appeared on NPR's Music Tiny Desk Concert in a 14-minute live acoustic session, on WGBH's Fraser performance studio in a 20-minute live session. He made the BBC's Sound of 2019 Longlist. In January 2020, Kennedy was nominated for international male solo artist of the year at the BRIT Awards.
Style and influences
Kennedy plays the guitar left-handed. GQ magazine described Kennedy as a "singer with a rich, reverbant voice, epically emotive songwriting skills." The New York Times, of his 2018 South by Southwest Festival performance, said he has "a grainy, melancholy voice that can crest with a howling rasp..." He cites Ray LaMontagne, David Gray, Damien Rice and Glen Hansard as inspirations for his folk style. His recent work has included hip-hop influences, reflected notably in his collaborative work with Mike Dean on the EP Mike Dean Presents: Dermot Kennedy, which Kennedy has also described as a "mix tape".
