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.
