Interview: Holding My Breath With Paddy Keyes
Photo by Mollie Mckay
Interview by Lindsey V. Britt
Irish singer-songwriter Paddy Keyes is an up-and-coming artist from Sligo, Ireland. Known for his songs “Tomorrow”, and “Over & Over”, along with his latest single “Holding My Breath” he has just announced his new song “Take It” coming out July 31st.
To begin with, how did you get started in music?
I was always invested in singing, I always kind of knew that deep down that I could sing but I had absolutely no confidence to do it at all. Growing up, no self-confidence, and singing in front of everyone was like the last thing I wanted to do. I was at a house party and I was learning the piano at the time, and I found a piano at the house. I just started playing and singing away. I thought I was by myself but then one of the lads had went to the bathroom and found me at the piano and then ran around the whole house party saying “he can sing, he can sing.” Then I got peer pressured into singing to about 30 or 40 people around, yeah, here we are, I started writing songs and ended up here.
What draws you to writing a song about something?
I suppose most of my songs are from as personal experience goes, it’s easier to write about if you’ve endured it. “Holding My Breath” my last single, that was a bit of everything. It was a few different situations that happened in my life but I kind of exaggerated, that’s a song about cheating, but my friends are good people they don’t do that. Then like “Tomorrow” my first song, was about COVID, and not seeing your love for such a long time. So different scenarios that happened in my life I just write about. I know a few people who journal and found their paths or whatever, so I thought if I write songs, I might be right where I ended up.
Photo by Tamara Badran
What was it like writing your latest song “Holding My Breath”?
It was good, I was in a weird spot doing it just cause it’s like a weird song. As I said my friend ran different scenarios when they’d got with someone that maybe they shouldn’t have. And as I was writing the song more of those situations happened. It was just kind of funny while I was writing it. It just kind of happened. It was quite a quick song to write out of all the songs that I have written, like that was a really quick song. It’s definitely one of my favorites that I’m releasing this year. I’m happy that people seem to like it as much as I do.
Do you have an album or EP in the Works?
There’s an EP on the way. I have another single, it’s coming out sometime this month which I’m really excited about, and then I’m releasing the EP later this year. Very exciting times, I’m excited to see how it goes.
You just played your first UK show opening for holler, how was it playing over there?
It was crazy, and definitely one of the highlights of my career so far. Going to a different country there’s people traveling for 5 hours to see you play, it’s mental! Everyone was so lovely, and so kind and supportive, screaming back the lyrics to the songs. It’s a dream come true anywhere you play. But especially when it’s in a different country, you’re singing the songs that you wrote and there are people in a different country screaming it back to you. It was a dream come true and a really, really surreal experience.
Photo by Mollie Mckay
Any plans on doing a show stateside?
Oh man, I would love to play in the states sometime. I mean I don’t think it’s financially feasible right now, but if I can get to the states someday it would be absolutely amazing, I’ll just keep ticking away Ireland and the UK, and then Europe, and then America, and then the world. Hopefully, someday, that’ll be amazing.
Are there any plans for touring?
I have a few headline shows, I haven’t announced it yet. So, England and Ireland headline shows will be there. There are so many places I would love to play, I’d love to do Europe, I’d love to do Scotland as well, up North in Belfast, America obviously. There are so many places, but right now this year if I can get a good gig in England and Dublin then I’m going to be very happy, and hopefully progress the following year.
What are your dream venues or festivals?
Madison Square Garden would be pretty cool, I saw Niall Horan sold that out, so that would be pretty cool. Obviously, Croke Park here in Dublin, that would be amazing. Wembley would be cool. I would love to do San Siro, it’s a football stadium in Milan, Italy, I’m a big football fan so I think that’ll be cool, and I love Italy.
I heard you’re playing The Folly Festival this weekend, are you excited for the gig?
Yeah, we’re all set for that on Saturday. I think it’s a new festival but any festival is a festival at this stage. I just played my dream festival as a kid called Sea Sessions up in Bundoran, Co. Donegal. I literally live half an hour away from it, and I remember 18 growing up at that festival. And then to be able to play it with a decent crowd, I was expecting no one to be there, it actually rained first song, oh I’ll be happy to get like five people there, but people actually showed up, people were waiting inside, it was such an amazing experience. Hopefully, we can do something similar with Folly, have a bit of a better time, a little bit of a bigger stage, we’ll see, I’m excited for that.
Photo by k4tietakesphotos
I’ve been hearing about the petition going around to retain, extend, and expand the Basic Income for the Arts pilot in Ireland, what are your thoughts on that?
I know there’s a few grants coming up but I do think there needs to be a bit more, because there is so much talent coming out of Ireland, even the names that are standard. Obviously we have Niall Horan, Hozier, Inhaler, and so many different big Irish artists, but the small Irish artists like myself and below me who hasn’t even released anything yet, there needs to be a little bit more funding and support from the Irish government I think. If we can get that and we are flourishing at the moment with the emergence of talent that’s coming out of us is insane, so hopefully we can continue to do that with the help of some support.
I saw that you’re a huge fan of Inhaler, what about them inspires you?
I am a big inhaler fan, I just really like their music. Their different styles, their lyrics, all that stuff, they’re just a really, really good band. Maybe if I’m having a bit of brain rush where I can’t think of any ideas, I just have a listen to Inhaler, or some other different artists. I’ll have a listen to some and get some ideas. Not that I’m copying them or anything like that, just some inspiration, they’re really, really, good guys who make good music.
Out of all the songs you’ve released, which one has been your favorite if you had to pick?
I really like “Holding My Breath”, I think that’s one of my favorites, but I think it’s also because it is my latest single as well, I was so excited to release it. I still think “Serotonin” is probably my best song, “Tomorrow” obviously numbers-wise, but “Serotonin” I think is my favorite.
The final question is, do you have a recommendation? This can be anything, book, series, place, anything.
Get to Sligo in the summer, because that’s where I’m from. It’s in the West, it is a beautiful part of the world. Go for a swim, come back, and have a pint of Guinness. I was there a lot this year, cause I was working over there but I’m back in Dublin, I don’t know when I’ll be back again, who knows, it’s a place where I’m very proud to be from and I would recommend anyone to go there. Get to Sligo!
Make sure to check out “Holding My Breath” on streaming platforms now, and “Take It” on July 31st along with the rest of Keyes’ discography.
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