Dermot Kennedy brought Dublin’s Grafton Street to a standstill tonight with a surprise impromptu charity concert for fans in the capital.
Thousands flocked to the busy shopping street to watch the Irish singing sensation, 30, perform on the balcony of Bewleys Cafe.
Speaking before the last minute gig, Dermot, who famously began his career busking in his teens, admitted it felt ‘unreal’ to return to where it all began to such fanfare.
He told Irish Daily Mirror: “It’s unreal, it really is. But it kind of feels the same in a way.
“Like what’s changed, I know I play to a lot more people and they know my music now, but It’s the same thing in my head.
“I just kind of get the guitar and do what I would have done when I was 16.
“But it really is nice.”
“Like I had 10 years of playing and no one was paying attention, so it is just about being stubborn,” he added as he reflected on his long journey from the street to the main stage.
The Dubliner, who dropped his second album, Sonder, on Friday performed some of his hit singles on it including fan favourites Something To Someone and Kiss Me.
And despite the crowd loudly singing his tunes back to him in support on the chilly winter evening, Dermot admitted he was still anxious before releasing his new collection to listeners last week.
“I really am. I can’t speak for other artists, but I definitely think people have this idea sometimes that we are so kind of confident, and I do feel confident and free with it, but you definitely are nervous when you release it.
“And so, I think it is more reassuring when the feedback is good.”
“It’s a huge relief. I think again talking about what people don’t see, they don’t see me spending six weeks in London or New York going mad over a certain lyrics or mix or does this song sound right blah blah blah back and forth.
“And then when the song finally comes out it’s just very reassuring.”
Dermot performed the home gig in support of Barretstown children’s charity.
He told the crowd: "Some people just don't have their cards dealt to them and so we should help if we can. There's so many of us here so let's raise a tonne of money for them."
Earlier in the day, the Irish musician met thousands of fans at a signing at Golden Discs at St Stephen’s Green and a pop-up shop down the road at Bewley’s on Grafton Street.
Whilst there, he also made one young busker's day as he filmed and shared him performing his hit Kiss Me, in his old busking spot.
Recalling his own big moment on the famous street, singing along with Glen Hansard and Bono as his own pinch me moment, the singer said: “One Christmas I came in here and similar to this, you know when the Christmas busk is happening there people just playing all day in the street in the hopes of being at the spot it would kicks off and i was doing that.
“And the busk started taking shape and it was Glen, Damian Rice, Mundy, I think Lisa Hannigan was there, all the names, Bono was there and I was just obnoxious. Whatever energy I have now it was that kind of dogged thing and I ended up beside Glen and he was playing a Bob Dylan cover and I knew the song from watching him play it and so I started singing the second verse, and I was so loud[laughed] and so he kind of looked at me and gave me the nod to sing the second verse so that was definitely the highlight of my busking life.
READ NEXT:
- Under 18s to be banned from buying vapes in major crackdown and law shake-up
- Social welfare bump of €12 a week confirmed 'on top of Budget lump sums' as Government agrees pre-Christmas giveaway
- Gardaí hunt for runaway driver after former soldier is killed in horror hit and run crash in Tipperary
- Irish boy, 14, dying three weeks after Covid-19 vaccine 'of significant public concern,' inquest hears
- Ireland weather: Met Eireann forecasts "patchy fog" as parts of the UK wake up to snow
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
