Hailing from Clarenbridge, Co. Galway, John Gaughan is a singer-songwriter who is one to watch on the music scene both in Ireland and abroad. Itâs nearly been a month since John released his brand-new track called Half a Man so we caught up with him to hear all about it and how he has found the move from Galway to Perth Western Australia. Read all about it right hereâŠ.
During lockdown in 2021, the world was forced to press pause. John was living in Woodquay at the time and this period made him âfeel so useless and worthlessâ . âIâm pretty sure I had just been told that our workplace was closing again due to lockdown and I just felt so incredibly low. It was a feeling of inadequacy in everything I was really, I couldnât perform music, I couldnât go and see anyone, I couldnât even go to workâ.
John persevered through the uncertainty and transformed this difficult period into something really special: âI then used that and wrote quite a few songs in that time period and I am glad to have been able to take such a dark time in my life and create something out of itâ, John reflects.
This tune was the confidence booster John needed and itâs really only the start for him: âI feel that Half a Man is just the beginning as Iâm sat on nearly 200 songs that I havenât released and now finally feel confident enough to get them out thereâ. John describes the writing process for Half a Man as âstrangeâ compared to his previous releases. âI play guitar and piano and when I perform I only play guitar but during this time I found myself gravitating toward the piano more and more which opened up a whole new dimension to how I wrote which also inspired me to keep writing more too!â, says John.
âI was kind of lucky/unlucky that there was nothing else to do during that time and was able to sit at the piano for hours on end writing music and recording it and producing demos that I could then send onto producers. The songs I got out of that time period are all ones Iâm very proud of and am hoping that theyâll see the light of day soon!â John adds.
âI was lucky enough to work with an award-winning producer here in Perth who really understood the sound I wanted for this track and he really brought the vision I had for it to life so I canât thank Calvin Bennett enough for thatâ, John mentions.
John describes the move Down Under as interesting, but he has found some similarities to Galway helping him feel more at home: âI did a bit of travelling in Singapore and Bali on the way over, before also visiting some of the major cities in Australia, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to get a feel of which one resonated bestâ.
âInterestingly enough, Perth felt very much like Galway and the West of Ireland in general to me which then made the move a little bit easier. Iâm based in a seaside town called Cottesloe which is very similar to Salthill with its beach promenade!â John admits.
John has been gigging galore since making the move to Oz nearly a year ago. âThankfully Iâve been very lucky with the gigging opportunities here as there is a massive Irish community and a very big surge in Irish pubs opening here and they all want live music, so Iâve been lucky enough to make it my full-time job here!â John reflects.âIâm very fortunate that the musicians here in Perth have taken me under their wings and helped me out in any way possible! If I were to choose [a favourite gig] it would maybe be the gigs on St. Patrickâs Dayâ.
On March 17th to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, John gigged in a bar called Johnny Foxes located in the city centre. There was a âgreat atmosphere and being able to soak it all up for the first time was lovely as well as having Irish dancers in the middle of the gig!âLater on that evening, John made his way to a bar called Mons OâShea, in Fremantle. John admits he âdidnât know what [he] was walking into as [he] had heard the day can get a bit mentalâ. But from the moment John stepped foot inside the door and started the gig he felt at ease: âI just had the best craic and everyone was so soundâ.
John takes us back to the beginning of his musical journey; he confesses that he thought he knew everything at 19 years of age but that wasnât really the case: âI started releasing music when I was 19 and thought that I knew everything then (as any 19-year-old does) but then quickly realised as the years went by that I didnât. So I feel with Half a Man itâs almost like a fresh slate to re-introduce myself again with a more mature approach to my songwriting and style of musicâ.
Over a decade ago, John took the Voice of Ireland by storm making his way to the semi-finals and he still gets recognised from it. âI did the Voice of Ireland when I was in Leaving Cert (my parents werenât too happy about that). That was the 18/19-year-old who thought he knew it all! The Voice is a crazy thing really because even 13 years on, I still get stopped or asked at a gig if Iâm âyour man from the telly way backâ!
John has plans to release more music throughout the year with a Christmas song towards the end of the year and he says, âweâll see where weâre at then!â. If you would like to follow Johnâs musical journey you can check out his social media handles, his Instagram is @johns_songs and his Spotify handle is @johngaughan.
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