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My Journey

 

I’d always wanted to be a musician. For as long as I can remember, deep down it’s what I wanted to do. That’s not to say I tried very hard at first, though. I had so much fear, combined with very little natural talent for singing. I was pretty good at the piano growing up, but I never had any interest in being a solo pianist. I played a few gigs and released a few videos on youtube of songs I’d written but they never really went anywhere. I figured it would always be a fun hobby, as much as deep down my heart wanted to go out and chase it.

I finished university with a pure mathematics degree and took a job as a software engineer. I stayed there for a year saving as much money as I could. Two friends and I split a decent campervan, and we hit the road for a year. My boss thought I was mad for quitting so soon, but even back then I had a weird feeling I wouldn’t need to go back. We had originally planned on busking with juggling, but music was an option too. From the very first night it all changed. My friend Dara played the Cajon and I sang pop songs on a street in Rennes for 2 hours. We made 40 euros in total and got free beers and some stale bread. We were on top of the world. I’ll never forget that night. The next day I began tracking my busking income in my diary, and resolved to make all of my money from busking, spending as little of my savings as possible. My goal was to start making a real living from it before a year passed so that I wouldn’t have to get a real job again.

Nearly 10 years later, I’d become one of the most prominent buskers in Europe. Millions of views on Youtube, living in a lovely apartment in Dublin city center and making a respectable living. Without Covid I’m not sure I would have even realised how off-path I was. Sure, I was writing plenty of music. I’d spend 3 days a week doing just that. Somehow I didn’t think it would ever become “real”, though. I think deep down I knew I wasn’t really putting enough work in to ever make a living from my original stuff. Covid hit, and for nearly a full year I was only writing, living on government support. I couldn’t afford my apartment anymore and moved into a campervan again (this time my own!). It was a real wake up call. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing the weddings, the corporate shows. But it wasn’t the dream. I could still play them when I’m 50 - 70, even. I decided it was a time to truly go all-in again.

Next I met Enda Gallery. He actually approached me on Grafton St after a busking show, but I’d seen a video of him performing online only the night before, and when we met I felt he was someone I ought to know in my life. A few months later when I was nearby his studio in Clare ( in the West of Ireland) I met him for a walk and had a great feeling in my gut about working with him. I couldn’t really afford it - after Covid I didn’t have much spare cash left. I tried to apply for funding from the arts council a few times but didn’t manage to get it. When a flight got cancelled and I ended up stuck in Ireland for Winter again, I decided it was meant to be - I booked a session. It was life-changing. We spent a whole day figuring out what I wanted to do in music. Something I’d never really given all that much thought to. My “why”. Everything became much clearer. I knew what I was doing finally. The song we recorded was also the first release I’ve been fully happy with.

So, here we go. I don’t want to sound too Hollywood with this story. I’m still playing some corporate gigs and weddings this year. But every penny I make from them is going straight into my original music, be it more recording sessions, live videos, or promotion on social media. My busking will become far more authentic, I’m only going to play originals and a select few covers that I’ve re-done in my own original style. I’m so excited for this new chapter of my life, and all the joy, pain, and struggle it will be sure to bring.

 

A journey from grafton st to the olympia theatre

 
 

A joUrney of manifesting and belIef

I first took an interest in meditation about seven years ago while travelling in Sri Lanka. Since then it has become an important part of my life and a staple of my daily routine. Over time I incorporated these techniques into my songwriting practice. Last year, after receiving the Agility Award from the arts council of Ireland, I had the opportunity to take time and develop a practice involving using meditative techniques to really sink into energy and try to tap into it to write songs. This led to a whole new style of music, something almost tribal in feeling, and with a much more specific intention than before. They’re not songs written to be “good” or even catchy - rather, I hope that they can help people to get in touch with their own feelings. As with many young males, understanding my own emotions was something I struggled with for many years and music was always a shortcut, be it in coping with feelings I couldn’t express to myself, or even in changing my mood by bringing me on a journey.

Why the big explanation? Well, having music written to help people means I can detach from the ego side of things a little bit. I’ve always known typical fame would both be bad for me and something I wouldn’t really enjoy. I’m a real introvert and the idea of having to talk to random strangers when I’m sitting in the park watching the ducks fills me with unease. But now there’s a bigger picture. So that brings me to manifesting.

Manifestation tends to go hand in hand with meditation practices. The basic premise is: you practice feeling the energy of something as if it’s already happened, then you will automatically align your life to make it happen (and if you believe in this, perhaps the universe aligns too!). I’ve never really practiced manifestation before as I’ve never known what’s best for me in the music world, I’ve simply taken the journey as it came. Now that I feel a real purpose though, it’s time to change that. So, here is my rough plan so far - very liable to change, but the important part is are my steps each morning. I’m going to document this while journey beginning on July 14th 2023 - my 34th birthday, and completing on July 14th 2028 (or there abouts - even something as powerful as manifesting can’t guarantee an exact booking day in a theatre!).

Technique: each morning and each night before going to bed I take a few deep breaths to relax, then I visualise these 5 steps:

1) I’m standing off stage at the Olympia, it’s a totally sold out show and the lights have just gone down.

2) I walk onto the stage and look at Kevin my drummer and partner in this five year journey, I smile at him and we both laugh - we’ve done it.

3) Kevin starts tapping the beat on his sticks and I begin singing the tribal song.

4) I feel the energy and begin to hold the space as I start to sing the low chant part.

5) I remind myself of what I’m here to do and set out to help everyone have a great night and really get into their feelings.

Year 1:

  1. Finish 8 songs that are show-ready and fitting in with my values, musical goals, and the vibe I want to create.

  2. Record 3 of these so that I’m ready for year 2.

  3. Achieve financial security by buying an apartment so that I don’t worry about money constantly as I intend on using all that I make towards my goals.

  4. Begin making 1 video per week interviewing myself / showing what I’ve done in the studio. There won’t be anything too interesting yet but it’s about getting the habit so that I’m not jumping in too deeply in year 2.

Year 2:

  1. Begin practicing the songs together with my drummer/housemate and moving them around to be ready for a show.

  2. Hire a lighting director, dancers, rent a venue and work on creating a spectacular show in which the goal is to help people to feel deeply and in which we as performers are not necessarily the main attraction - this way the show isn’t about people going to a see an act, it’s about a whole experience and people don’t need to know the music beforehand at all.

  3. Record a short version of the show in order to promote on social media, and to try to secure funding from the arts council or private investors in order to develop the full show

Year 3:

  1. Begin touring the show, I think it might be best to begin in other countries like Germany or Czechia, as we can use social media to promote and sell tickets to decent-sized venues ahead of time and having done that it will be much easier to sell tickets in Ireland as we grow reviews and content

  2. Focus on growth rather than on income - it’s okay to run at a loss for a few years as a new business, this is an investment into a bigger picture.

  3. At the end of the year play one gig at home in a medium sized venue with all the show set up etc, eg the Sugar Club. If we sell this out easily we are on track.

Year 4:

  1. Basically a repeat of year 3 but on a larger scale as I continue to release music and grow the brand on social media, bringing more and more people along on the journey.

Year 5:

  1. Headline the Olympia theatre. Take 2 months off, one to rest fully, one to plan the next dream.