Interview: Dermot Kennedy Talks Singing, Nerves And Home With Sarah Jane

Dermot Kennedy is an Irish singer and songwriter. He started singing when he was 17 years old on the street which is called busking. He grew up in Rathcoole, in County Dublin, Ireland, He was born on the 13th of December 1991.

Dermot’s favorite genres are rock, pop, folk and hip-hop. He is currently on tour in Australia. 

I interviewed Dermot about singing, nerves and touring the world.

Who is your favorite singer to collaborate with and why?

There’s a singer called Justin Vernon from a band in America called Bonnie Ver, and that would be number one for me because I think sometimes you hear when I sing, sometimes it’s not perfect, but it still carries emotion hopefully. And for me, that’s what he always did, even when it wasn’t, he’s not like the best singer in the world, but just it makes me feel something. So that’s why.

What is your favorite part about singing? 

It’s tricky. I relive memories when I sing and sometimes they’re good and sometimes they’re not as good. And so sometimes it’s kind of good and bad. But the main thing for me is that I can close my eyes and I can relive some of the most important things I’ve been through. 

Where do you spend most of your time?

Travelling, which is not my favourite, but I get to play music all over the world, so it’s the best thing. 

But I think where I’d like to spend most of my time is at home from at Rathcoole, in County Dublin, and that’s where I grew up. So that’s where I want to be.

How does it feel playing in front of big crowds and do you get nervous?

I get nervous in front of the small crowds. I don’t know why. Probably because I can see everybody. The small ones scare me more than the big ones. 

I don’t really get nervous for the big shows, to be honest, I think we’ve played so many shows now and we’ve toured so much that I feel quite confident when we’re playing a show.

There are certain shows, like say when we do the Opera House in Sydney, I’ll be a bit nervous for that, definitely. But it’s not bad. It’s not like scared. It’s kind of just excited.