"Ian, Dermot Kennedy is without doubt one of the best lyricists today. He moves me everytime!"

One of Ireland’s biggest successes of 2019 has to be Dermot Kennedy. He’s been working hard and honing his craft for the last few years, but this year Dermot has reached new heights and really hit the big time.

Dermot found time in his busy schedule to stop by the studio for a chat with Ian, and to treat us to some absolutely stunning renditions of Outnumbered and Power Over Me.

Listen to Outnumbered:

Listen to Power Over Me:

This year has seen Dermot making waves in the US, performing on shows like Ellen and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and he can count Taylor Swift among his fans. When Ian asked Dermot if a collaboration with Taylor Swift might be on the cards, he responded “I dunno if she’d stoop that low” so it’s safe to say his head is still firmly on his shoulders!

When Ian pointed out how the fans are incredibly dedicated and almost like a cult, Dermot said “If it’s a cultish-type thing, it totally exists in the venues” where it’s very real and organic, and he also knows how lucky he is to have these experiences while performing.

Another big fan of Dermot’s is our lovely Lauren who works in reception here at Today FM, she’s been to see him 4 or 5 times around Ireland, and has also travelled to see him in Amsterdam. So of course that meant Ian had to give her a call and let the two of them have a chat!

Dermot’s debut album Without Fear will be released on Friday. This album has certainly been a long time coming - we’ve had singles and EPs so far, but Dermot is happy to get the album out and have a proper body of work - and so are we!

Check out the chat in full by pressing the play button on screen.