Flaunt is delighted to premiere the new music video for “Giants” from rising Irish star Dermot Kennedy, which follows the smashing October release of his debut record, Without Fear. The Brit Award-nominated artist, coming off the heels of over 100 sold out live shows globally, will be doing one of the first virtual ticketed live concerts "Some Summer Night" on July 30th at London's Natural History Museum.
Flaunt caught up with Dermot quickly to talk quarantine, the next generation, and digging deep for a better sense of self.
How has quarantine influenced your artistic practice?
Quarantine has really helped me to take some time as an artist and let songs breathe and grow whenever it feels right. I’m a strong believer in finding the balance between work and patience when it comes to songwriting. I think you need to be patient to wait for the idea to show itself, but there are also days when you just need to sit yourself down and treat songwriting like a job. Just show up, try your best, and if nothing special happens, that’s fine, tomorrow might be the day! So quarantine has helped me to be kinder to myself creatively, and make sure I don’t panic if I’m not writing all day every day! Life influences music inevitably, so I’m trying to live too. Quarantine has afforded me a normal life for a little while and I have loved it! I like sleeping in a bed that isn’t going 60mph on a tour bus.
When do you feel the most invincible?
I feel most invincible when I’m on stage playing a gig. Which probably seems like an obvious answer, but I do also feel my most vulnerable when I’m up there. It depends on the night. But when it’s all going well, and when everything’s moving smoothly. When the music’s moving right, voice feels good, that’s a really powerful feeling.
What do you appreciate about the younger generation at the moment?
One thing I really admire about the younger generation is their willingness to voice their opinion on important issues. The Black Lives Matter movement in the US is a good example. There are so many young people out there protesting and making sure their voices are heard, which I think is beautiful and brave. I think they belong to such an important generation, and with the help of their bravery, I hope that in the future we can look back and see how important changes were made because of their courage.
Do we need chaos in order to have calm? Are the two concepts interchangeable?
I don’t know if that’s true necessarily. I would say it’s case by case. But I do think the chaos definitely helps you appreciate the calm more. And it maybe gives you a clearer path towards the calm, once you’ve endured the chaos. If you’ve experienced difficult things in life, I feel like it’s less likely that you’ll put up with bullshit or things that don’t serve your happiness. So I feel like seeing the chaos helps you reach the calm, and that’s worthwhile.
What's a goal of yours for the remainder of 2020?
My main goal for the rest of the year is to make the best music I can. I have a second album to make, and I refuse to just churn out another project because it’s expected of me. A lot of work, life, love and pain went into the making of my debut album, and I want my next one to be just as meaningful. I want to challenge myself creatively, and I want to continue to make unique music.
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