Spotlight Sounds; Episode Eight with Paddy Keyes

Welcome back to Spotlight Sounds, a series by Secrets Behind the Sound celebrating the vibrant world of Irish music. Dive into the blend of tradition and innovation that characterises Ireland's contemporary music scene, featuring both established and emerging artists. Explore the influences and experiences shaping Irish musicians and join us as we delve into their creative processes, stories, and journeys. Through in-depth discussions, Secrets Behind The Sound recognises the groundbreaking contributions of Irish artists to global creativity. Whether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer, Spotlight Sounds invites you to explore the captivating realm of Irish music—a journey into the stories, sounds, and enigmas that make up Ireland's music scene.

Up next we have indie pop sensation Paddy Keyes. Hailing from Sligo, Ireland, Paddy Keyes is an emerging artist who's quickly making a name for himself with his music. His talent shines through in his ability to craft catchy melodies and lyrics that resonate deeply with his audience. These qualities are evident throughout his music catalog, which has earned him a spot on prestigious Spotify Editorial Playlists like "New Music Friday UK" and "New Pop UK." Keyes' music has taken the UK and Ireland by storm, receiving significant airplay on major radio stations in both regions. Notably, he secured a coveted nomination in Hot Press' "Local Hero" Award, underlining his growing prominence in the music scene. Paddy Keyes' live performances are another level of excitement. He has enthralled audiences with sold-out shows in iconic Dublin venues such as The Academy and The Workman's Room. He even took center stage at his debut festival performance at Otherside Festival in Slane last July, leaving a lasting impression on attendees. As Keyes gears up for the early part of the next year, fans can anticipate more thrilling new music releases that promise to captivate and delight. Keep your ears open for this rising star's exciting journey in the world of music.

Can you start by introducing yourself and your musical background?

(Do I need to say hello haha)…

Hi, I’m Paddy Keyes, I’m 22 years old and I’m from Sligo, on the West Coast of Ireland. I’m an indie pop artist and I suppose I started singing when I was… Well I’ve been singing all my life, but I didn’t actually sing properly until I was seventeen like in front of people. I was just so socially anxious, like ugh what are people going to think.

Like as a teenager you’d be conscious of what people think and that people are going to think I’m weird because I’m doing something different than playing Gaelic football or soccer or any of that you know.

I was seventeen, and I was at a house party and I needed to go to the bathroom and there was a piano on the way to the bathroom. I was doing the GAISCE Award at the time and I took up playing piano for that award. So anyway, I was at the piano and started playing and singing to myself, and another guy also needed to go to the bathroom and came across me and ran around the house and was like ‘HE CAN SING, HE CAN SING”. (I ran out of the house and was like oh my god no I can’t do this).

Anyway, in the end I was peer-pressured into singing for about 30/40 people at that party. It was probably the worst thing but also the best thing that I’ve ever done.

One of the girls at that party was doing theme nights in Sligo. This guy Kieran Quinn (who’s actually my boss at the moment, I’m teaching piano with him), was running these nights where you just go up and sing a song associated with a certain theme, and I decided to do one of them.

And it went from there. I fell in love with it. I still get nervous to this day like performing and stuff but I also just feel so at home when I’m on the stage.

Then I decided to do music in college. I was about to do General Science in NUIG and then on the last day of the CAO, I was in holidays in Croatia at the time, I switched to music just to go for it.

And yeah it just went from there. Started writing songs and met people and here I am.

How would you define the genre you primarily identify with, and how do you incorporate other influences into your sound?

I suppose like Indie pop. Like in a Hot Press article they said Alt pop, but like I suppose indie and alt are very similar really. But definitely indie pop. I do have loads of influences in indie rock, like Sam Fender would be a huge influence of mine. But I would say indie pop for sure.

In the beginning when I was like sixteen/seventeen it was kind of like main stream pop. Like sad Lewis Capaldi kind of stuff. But then I started listening to The Academic and fell in love with that kind of indie. Started listening to Catfish, Artic Monkeys like all that kind of indie genre. I kind of found an in-between I suppose.

I just write what I think sounds good. I don’t really think “ah I wanna write a pop song or a rock song or a ballad or anything” I just kind of write.

All five songs that I have on Spotify are so different. There are similarities in some of them maybe, but they’re all different. I just write what I think is good… I think…

What are some of the challenges Irish artists face in today’s music industry?

I don’t think I need to go into detail about this really but the cost of everything, it’s just insane. I feel like you just need to have a good circle and a good surrounding of people who will help you and want you to do well. Everything is so expensive and, you know, sometimes you just need those kinds of people to do you a favour in a way.

For a lot of independent artists like right now, you’re not going to earn a lot of money doing what you’re doing at the beginning and for a long long time. All over Ireland students and that are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, like everything is expensive. So, to try and be able to fund your life and fund your side hustle I suppose is what it is… The money side is just a lot you know.

I always think "Why are the big artists from Ireland living in London?" I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing that they’re in London either, like I’m genuinely considering it as well you know cause that’s where it’s happening you know… On the other side, in Dublin especially I think it’s thriving right now, I don’t think we’ve ever been in a better position. But like there’s still something… like why do the majority of Irish artists still have to come home to play at home.

But yeah, there’s that and then there’s the cost. I think in Ireland there could be a little bit more too but I’m just not sure what it is

As an Irish artist, is your music influenced by any other Irish artist/band?

Yeah definitely. Definitely The Academic like I said earlier. I started listening to them when I was like sixteen/seventeen, like that first album man, that is a banger from top to bottom. As I said, it kind of brought me from a mainstream pop sound that you hear on the radio every day to more of an indie sound. I discovered new artists from listening to The Academic as well.

I was a huge fan of The Script growing up. Had all their CDS on repeat. I saw them for the first time at EP this year, actually, and seven-year-old me was like screaming inside. So that was pretty cool.

I always kind of look up to Niall Horan a little bit. His music is great but like I look up to him as a person like he just seems like a really genuine, down to earth person. Like I would put Niall, Lewis Capaldi and Sam Fender, like their music is GREAT, but they also just seem like good people you know.

So like if people were to see me as someone like how people see them in terms of being a genuine guy, then I think I’ve done something well there. And obviously Niall’s sound is brilliant, I love his newer album. It's brilliant.

So yeah, those would be the three, The Academic, The Script and Niall Horan…OH and Inhaler sorry how could I forget.

Can you walk us through the creative process when writing and composing music?

It changes every day to be honest. I always start with the melody. So it used to be me and a guitar or a piano and just kind of like saying gibberish until I find the melody that I like and then I'll find the lyrics that fit the melody. I think going lyrics first like I just can’t do that. The lyrics is something I struggle with the most, I think I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the lyrics, which is…great when it works but its time consuming. I could be sitting on a song for days just because I’m not happy with the lyrics… so yeah I can’t do lyrics first.

So I find the structure of the song, and then go find the melody and then kind of build the song, and THEN find the lyrics. Honestly, I think lyrics are last. I think lyrics are important in a song, a lot of people say that they are not but I think they are.

I think the main melody is most important because that’s what grabs people’s attention. But then if you can add lyrics that people can relate to and feel connected to then that’s also very important too.

Then I suppose, the music around it that’s just needs to be good hahah because people won’t listen to it then you know.

Recently, through writing sessions and experiences writing with different people I kind of started writing through the computer like starting with a drum beat first or like chords or think of a baseline first. So I’m kind of finding new ideas to write.

But then sometimes, like you should see my voice notes, like I could be walking down the street or doing my groceries and think of a melody in my head and I’m like ‘"Oh my god I need to get it down before I forget but I don’t want to look like a weirdo like singing into the phone”, which I’m sure a lot of people who write songs can relate to hahah.

But yeah it changes. For me it’s the melody that is most important, like the main vocal melody, and then just build the structure around it.

For me, my favourite songs I’ve written were by mistake. When I sit down to write a song like nothing works. But I could just be doing the most mundane things and all of a sudden I’ll just have an idea. And I think that’s where your best ideas and things come is when you’re not thinking.

In your opinion, what role do live performances and venues play in the Irish music scene today?

Live performances are 100% so important, that’s the place you bring your crowd in. And it’s where you make your money too and people can spot you. I know the lads from the band BASHT who are supporting Wunderhorse at the minute, and like they played a live show in Dublin only a couple of weeks ago and then they’re on tour and since then you can see their growth already, it’s insane. If you want to grow as an artist and find an audience like live performances are so important.

I remember I was useless at live performances when I was starting out. Okay, maybe the singing was grand, but I literally had no stage presence. I was huddled onto the mic and not moving, just staring down at the microphone, there was no interaction with the crowd. But now I’ve started like walking back and forth on stage and peering out. So yeah, your live performances are so important like it will draw attention to you

And then with the venues, we’re kind of blessed with a lot of cool venues in Dublin and in Ireland. I haven’t played outside of Dublin or Sligo but like, places like Dolans, Monroes, they are places I’d love to play in.

And then you have Whelans, which is 500 capacity, and The Academy there are a few different capacities and places like The Button Factory. I played a show in Workmans,I love Workmans main room that’s a great venue and the Grand Social is a cool venue too.

The one thing I will say though is after the Olympia there’s the 3arena, but there is such a big jump from playing a venue with a thousand capacity to going to play the 3Arena with a capacity of 13/14 thousand. At the minute, apart from Fairview the outdoor venue, there isn’t much. So to get an indoor arena in-between the capacity of the Olympia and the 3Arena would be sick, just to get the next jump there.

That’s not a problem for me right now though hahah, but I think we are blessed with really cool places in Dublin and the live shows are very important to bring the audience in.

Variety is an important aspect of any music scene. How do you think your music contributes to the variety of the Irish music scene?

I think the music in Ireland and what Ireland is producing is really really really good. Especially with independent, up and coming artists I suppose. Like there’s so many artists that I know and I’d be a genuine fan of their music. Like F3mii, I think he is brilliant and Khaki Kid is unreal. Post-Party love them boys, Amy Michelle, Bricknasty are the best live show you’ll see right now, you know, there’s so many artists and so many who I haven’t named either. So it’s important to make yourself stand out and unique in what you’re doing.

I suppose what makes me different, I don’t know if there are any male indie-pop artists who are doing my sound right now, who are at my up and coming level I suppose. There are plenty of male artists and there are plenty of indie acts but I see a lot of indie-pop bands and I see a lot of male artists who are either like hip-hop, or like alternative, whereas I suppose I would be more mainstream than what’s happening at the moment so I suppose that makes me different. I don’t know for sure what makes me different, I suppose I’m a bit taller than other artists. I mean F3mii is huge, he is so tall, I remember meeting him for the first time and I thought I was tall until I had to look up at him so I guess that doesn’t make me different at all hahah.

*I asked Matty O’Reilly this question and he said it was so tough to answer*

Yeah he is right, It's a tough question really, but it’s a good question too because it’s something I need to look at because like at the end of the day I’m singing the praises of all these artists and they are amazing but at the end of the day you’re competing against them. Not competing necessarily because you want everyone to come up with you and to all get the success together that’s the goal.

But you do need something. If you look at Holly Humberstone she’s so good at what she does and she’s created this new kind of aesthetic but like how many Holly Humberstone influences are there now? Like how many Artic Monkeys or Inhaler influences are there now.

I suppose Matty is right. It is a really difficult question and I don’t really have the answer right now. I suppose we do need to find something that sets us apart from everyone else, and find what’s interesting about this person that no one else has.

So right now I don’t have the answer for that but ask me in a while and I might have come up with something…

*I’ll ask you in a year and see if you have thought about it haha*

As an Irish artist , what advice have you got for other artists trying to navigate the industry and find their unique voice?

First up, be sound. Just be sound because it gets you a long way just by being a good person. Because it’s such a small industry and everyone knows everyone and everyone has an idea of who somebody else is, so if you’re known as a p***k it’s going to get around. And I know people in the industry that have that persona and it STICKS, so just be sound and at the end of the day people will respect you and want to work with you and want to hang out with you. I have never had you know a really bad experience, and I can say now for a fact that the people who are doing well they are good people, and that’s just it like they are genuine good people, they are genuine, honest, and they are there for ya and yeah just respectful people. So yeah, be sound.

And then write songs. It sounds so basic, like be sound and write songs, but that’s literally what opens doors for you. And I had that issue, when I released my first single Tomorrow, it got a lot of attention and I didn’t have anything to back it up. I hadn’t written enough songs to kind of keep going. So the songs will open the doors. Good songs will give the opportunities to you, because at the end of the day that’s what it’s about. So if you can write songs you are able to build around the songs.

I always go back to the Ed Sheeran thing, a song a day and then the muddy water. It’s essentially a metaphor describing the song writing process as a muddy tap. So like an old tap and you turn on the tap and all this mud and all this horrible stuff comes out and that’s like the start of writing the songs. Like the songs are going to be really really bad. But the more you write songs, the more the tap runs and cleaner water is going to come out, clean water being the good songs. And it’s essentially like that. You just need to keep writing songs and then you are able to build around those.

But for anyone who is trying to go down this route, don’t worry about making money right now, don’t worry about like “I need to meet these people”, like obviously those things are important, but if you can get good songs in, your network and resources and reputation will fall into place.

So yeah, songs are most important. It sounds so basic like obviously I need to write songs to be an artist but sometimes I think people undermine it a little. And you can ask anyone who is doing well and it’s always going to be “ I got this opportunity, and I met this person because I wrote this song”. And then when you write that song make sure you’re sound.

Be yourself, but be sound.

What can listeners expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming releases, collabs or projects you’re excited about?

I am writing songs at the moment, I am almost finished. I am just finalising an EP that I want to do for next year. So that will be coming out, kind of leaking out, mid-early next year. I want to do a live show before the end of the year, because they are always fun. I don’t want to give too much away right now but yeah there will be an EP coming out next year and a few little fun things in between so yeah, it’s exciting.

I am going to finish off by asking you, what has been the most pinch-me moment of your musical career so far?

Most pinch me moment… I think it has to go back to Tomorrow, my first song. When it was all like just starting. I had written this song and I believed it was a good song and I was persuaded to just like throw it out there and see what happens. And I did that and I was like why not let’s just see what happens. I woke up the next morning and my friend, who I hadn’t spoken to in years actually, texted me and congratulated me being like “Oh well done, you got on New Music Friday, well done”. And I was like “Wait, WHAT??” and I remember jumping out of bed and running around my girlfriends room and being like “what the hell is going on” like being on the same playlist as Harry Styles, he had just released As It Was and just being in the same playlist as him was insane.

So then, two months later I played my first headline show because one of the lads was like “listen you need to play now” and we got to Tomorrow at the end, it was the last song we played, and I just stopped singing because the crowd was just singing for me. And I just remember putting the mic down and staring into the crowd and being like “WHAT THE HELL'' so yeah that was pretty surreal. That is definitely the best pinch-me moment I have had so far.

And I’ve done some mad things since then, but I don’t think I have yet to experience something like that again. Hearing like 100/150 people just like screaming the lyrics that I had written down in my bedroom like that was surreal.

*Continues to ramble about god knows what*