A rising star in the Irish music scene, Padraig Jack’s ability to sing bilingually, in Irish and English, as well as his song-writing gift has led him to tick off many bucket-list experiences. The Aran Island’s musician says he is “enjoying the journey”. You can read all about that journey right here…..
Born and bred on the Aran Islands, Padraig Jack has mastered his musical craft. Music and song-writing streams through Padraig Jack’s veins. Born into a very musical family, his father is singer and composer Barry Ronan. Padraig’s father has had a huge influence on his musical journey he says, “I definitely get the music from him… I would say he is one of the best composers around”.
If you’ve listened to Padraig Jack’s music you’d agree it was no surprise that he was nominated for album of the week on RTÉ Radio 1. Not forgetting his song ‘Déanamh Ganeanh’ was nominated for the award 'Amhrán na Year' (song of the year) at the RTÉ Folk Awards in 2022.
Padraig’s latest single, ‘It’s Alright Now,’ delves into deeply personal themes of depression, anxiety and alcoholism. Reflecting on the impact of the song, he admits, “It made [him] look at the world differently” facing this challenging period of his life: “about 10 years ago”. Speaking about this difficult time Padraig Jack explains, “I went through a time of being anxious and I was depressed after that”.
He shares a particular moment during this time where he turned to alcohol to cope: “I remember going into Aran once, playing in my parents’ pub back home. I had to drink a few cans just to get myself down to the pub because of my anxiety. I remember thinking how unsustainable it was.” This realisation struck a chord within him: “It made me understand what it’s like for people who wake up in the morning and drink just to take the edge off”, he adds.
Padraig Jack says the song “wasn’t as challenging [to write] as the time [he] went through. I wrote the first part while I was in that state”. Talking about the opening lines of the song he says: “The lyrics are pretty dark: ‘Black dreams, the red of hell.’ Hell is in your head, and black dreams cloud your vision—something dark consumes you. It’s a stark contrast of being in pitch black.”
However, as the song progresses, we are brought along on the journey battling with these excruciating emotions. The tone of the song shifts in the second half into a brighter state of mind. “The second part changes as things start looking up, and I feel better. That’s the singalong part,” he adds. Just like Padraig Jack himself, this song goes on a journey of its own highlighting the trek one takes from despair to hope.
This song in particular arouses connection and interest from the audience at gigs. He explains, “I actually talk about it at gigs when I ask the crowd to sing along a little bit and I tell the story of the song and I swear after every gig someone comes up to me and says thank you and it’s great to hear you say that. Hearing people relate to the song is the reason why Padraig Jack shares them with the world: “I do it for that reason!”
When I asked Padraig about the highlight of his career so far he said “I’m enjoying the journey, I have to say this year we’ve played with The Saw Doctors at the Big Top”. He continues by saying: “I did The Ivy Gardens with Damien Dempsey a couple of years ago as a support that was very cool”. This event was Padraig Jack flying solo; “I was literally there on my own I’d no one with me”. But this didn’t phase him, he said; “I'm very comfortable within my own skin and I’m happy to be on my own”.
Supporting The Saw Doctors at the Big Top solidified Padraig’s decision that this is what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. At the gig he says, “we played ‘It’s Alright Now’. We got the crowd singing and that was 4000 people singing the song that made us realise that we wanted to keep going with this”.
Padraig is now recording his second album with producer John Reynolds (Sinead O'Connor, Damien Dempsey) with the first song due in April. We are excited to see everything that is coming for Padraig Jack. If you're interested in seeing Padraig Jack live you can find all information about his shows here!
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