Country star Derek Ryan told David Hennessy about his new music ahead of his return to London Irish Vintage Day this Sunday.
Derek Ryan returns to London Irish Vintage Day this Sunday having headlined there two years ago.
Derek Ryan is one of the biggest names in Irish country music.
Along with other big names like Nathan Carter and Lisa McHugh, he was part of a fresh crop of young singers that breathed new life into the genre over the last 10- 15 years making them big stars in the process.
It has not been a straight road to success for Derek. While he had success with a boyband, that dream would end and see him gigging around London’s Irish pubs.
But he says that experience stands to him as he does not take his success for granted.
From Garyhill in Co. Carlow, Derek started his musical career early.
He would grow up competing in Fleadh Cheoils and inspired by their singer father, he would start a duo with his brother Adrian.
It was in these young days that Derek and his brother were lucky enough to play support for Big Tom.
Derek was a teenager and had barely sat his Leaving Cert when he joined the boyband D- Side.
The band would have hits in Ireland, the UK and even a number one hit in Japan with tracks like Invisible, Stronger Together, Speechless and Real World.
Although the lads hoped they would be the next Westlife, this did not come to pass and they would disband in 2006.
Derek would return to Ireland and launch his country singer career, also having success as a songwriter for other artists.
He has just released the EP It’s All Country.
Witten, recorded and produced in Nashville, Derek working with some of its most respected musicians including Nashville royalty and Grammy winning producer for Cody Johnson’s ‘Til You Can’t’, Trent Willmon.
The new EP combines a bit of the American country sound with the Irish country style, doesn’t it?
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do really, write some songs in America with an American writer.
“I wrote the songs with Trent Willmon last year and he also produced it as well so it has that American feel but with the Irish ideas, so it kind of meets halfway across the Atlantic somewhere.
“It’s just trying to keep the balance and have a fresh sound too but it’s also not 100 miles away from where we are. what we do at home here as well.
“It’s a nice project to work on and I learned so much from it as well.
“It was amazing to work with the writers and producers in Nashville so lots of positives from it.
“Guinness My Girl Goodbye, our latest single, got a massive response so it’s brilliant.”
That’s always been kind of your style or ethos, hasn’t it? Undoubtedly Irish but with a touch of American influence too for sure..
“I suppose it’s trying new things and trying different things but still remaining true to your own sound that you grew up with, Irish country.
“I love Irish country and I’ll always be an Irish country artist.
“I suppose the show is a balance too of our best known original songs plus the party songs so if you come to a festival of ours, even if you’re not an out and out Irish country fan, you’ll enjoy the show hopefully.
“That’s what we aim to do anyway.”
What was it like to work with someone like Trent Willmon?
“I went out to Nashville quite a few times back in 2016/17, I went out to write with quite a few writers for the week.
“Victoria Shaw was one of them who wrote The River for Garth Brooks and some massive songs.
“But I wrote with Marcus Hummon too who wrote God Bless the Broken Road for Rascal Flatts.
“I met Trent in Warner Music one day and we wrote a song of mine called Heaven Tonight together, and we just kind of clicked.
“We became great friends.
“He’s a Texan so I think we always had the same sense of humour and the same bit of craic in us so we just got on really well and kept in touch.
“He said, ‘Look, if you ever want to do anything over here, let me know. I’ll produce it for you’.
“He’s a Grammy winner.
“He produced Cody Johnson’s Till You Can’t which won country song of the year a couple of years back at the Grammys.
“He’s just an amazing, amazing guy. Very, very humble, very friendly.
“He loved my concept and my idea and loved the project and he gets the feel for the Irish thing too. He’s been over here quite a bit and I think he has Irish ancestry as well.
“It all kind of just seemed to fall into place and I just felt it was the right time to do it.”
How do you enjoy spending time out there? Is it inspiring to be around that much music?
“Yeah, I absolutely loved it.
“Obviously we have amazing musicians and producers here in Ireland, it’s just a different way of doing it.
“I just love the feel of the positivity around it because we’re trying new things.
“And I’ve always been a little bit like that.
“Even before the Irish country thing took off for me I was always into songwriting, always trying different things and doing a bit of producing then myself as well so there’s lots to learn from it and just a great, great buzz, just a freshness working with different people.
“I’m really delighted with the four tracks we got.”
The title It’s All Country is very meaningful because it does reflect your journey as well, doesn’t it?
“Yeah, I suppose the idea behind that is because it compares Ireland to America and really behind it all, when it’s all stripped back, we’re pretty much on the same wavelength, it’s just treated a bit differently at times.
“We have a great Irish country scene in Ireland, we have a certain style and I suppose that’s what It’s All Country was basically saying.
“If you’re on a farm in Galway or a ranch in Texas, we all listen to country music and we all love it.
“It’s just comparing both cultures, and realising when we strip it all back, we’re very similar in a lot of ways.”
You’re coming back to London Irish Vintage Day, looking forward to it?
“Yeah, it was the hottest gig we ever did.
“The sun was shining the last time we were there: Really, really baking down on us.
“It was two hours and the heat was just unbelievable.
“It was the only gig I’ve ever done where I’ve had to get ice water cloths and stuff to stop me sweating.
“It was a brilliant day.
It’s lovely, we’re looking forward to getting back there.
“It was a big crowd.
“How they dance in the heat is beyond me but they were dancing as well.
“It’s always a bit surreal for me to play Greenford because I remember playing Greenford years ago when I was living in London playing in pubs and little pubs in Greenford.
“It’s amazing to go back with my own show anytime to London really.
“It’s a bit surreal after all the years I spent there gigging and slogging it out, trying to get the break or whatever so it’s great to be back.”
Of course you played pubs in London after the break up of D Side and that was a necessary part of your journey, wasn’t it?
“It was, I’ve been gigging since I was 12.
“I just went back to gigging in pubs with a guitar, I suppose learning my craft in a lot of ways.
“I played at everything from birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, you name it.
“I always say in an Irish pub in London, if they don’t like you, they won’t be shy about telling you where you’re going wrong so you learn very quickly.
“I always feel at home when I go back to play in London.
“I’m an Arsenal fan as well so I go back to Arsenal quite a bit and just always feel a bit of calmness or something when I’m over there.
“I always feel at home when I play London.
“I moved over to London when I was 18 with D Side and by the time I was 23 or 24, that had kind of gone by the wayside really.
“I have fond memories of gigging in the pubs: Always great gigs and just great craic.
“And, as I say, I learned an awful lot from gigging over there, an awful lot.
“It’s always nice to get back.”
You are gigging since you were 12, you say..
“My first professional gig, if you want to call it that, I was 12 because my dad got a call to play at a Christmas party.
“Someone had let them down and Daddy was in a band but they couldn’t do it so he said, ‘Look, my two lads will do it. They’re well able to do it’.
“So we went over and we had a great night.
“That was the start of it really.
“We were gigging.
“And I think I might have got a tenner or something for my night.”
Which was a lot to you at that age probably..
“Exactly. It was a lot more than I had before I started.”
You have written for other people most notably The Tumbling Paddies and their signature song, The Way I Am..
“Yeah, that’s another highlight because apart from my own career and performing and all that, I love creating stuff at home here.
“I’m very, very proud of The Way I Am.
“I always said I’d love to write a song that was sang in every pub in Ireland and I think that’s getting there.
“It’s just massive for them.
“I mean, they’re absolutely flying.
“They’re all over the world at this stage.
“They’re great lads.
“Myself and the lead singer, Gareth Maguire, we wrote that during COVID and I just went away and produced it here in the studio.
“it was kind of like my COVID project really.
“Then when things opened up, they released it and, of course, it just absolutely blew up.
“I perform it myself as well and it’s a great song to be part of.
“Gareth used to drop over and we’d try and write a few songs.
“Or might not.
“We might have a few drinks depending on how we felt.
“There was no real urgency about it.
“I think we wrote three or four songs in the end that ended up in their album.
“But to perform it on the Late Late Show was like, ‘Wow’.
“It just comes full circle from creating the song at home to performing together on the Late Late, it was a very proud moment now.”
Someone else you’ve written for is Daniel O’Donnell..
“Yeah, Daniel was one of the first to endorse me really as a songwriter.
“I met him on a cruise and he said, ‘I’d love to record God’s Plan, would it be okay?’
“And I said, ‘Yeah, fire away’.
“He said, ‘Send it on to me’.
“So I sent it on and- Very cheekily- Sent on another song of mine and I said, ‘This was an album track of mine. I think it would really suit you’.
“He went on to record that as well.
“He always reminds me that,” Derek laughs.
“I suppose he was one of the first major artists to say, ‘Look, have you got anything for me?’
“And then, of course, I went on to write for Philomena Begley as well, and Foster and Allen and people like that, legends of Irish country but he definitely helped get the ball rolling.”
What have been the highlight for you over the years? Obviously you’ve had some great moments as a solo performer..
“There’s been quite a few.
“I suppose my number one album, The Simple Things.
“That was a very special time, went to number one with Hold Onto Your Hat with Sharon Shannon that summer as well.
“It was just a big summer for me, for my career.
“And Pick a Bit of Cotton, we had a few big songs.
“And then the album went number one in the official Irish charts.
“I remember my mam was alive to see it as well.
“It was, looking back, just a magical time to be able to ring home and say that.
“I remember I was playing a game of handball actually and I got a call and ran out of the alley.
“It was my record company telling me we were number one.
“It was great.
“And then I rang home and told everybody and that’s probably a highlight.
“We did a big gig at Trafalgar square too.
“We played St Patrick’s Day at Trafalgar Square (in 2016).
“That was pretty surreal as well going back to play for thousands in Trafalgar Square.
“I remember when I played in London to two people, the bar man and some old guy at the bar so it’s come a long way since then.”
You mentioned Guinness My Girl Goodbye going down well, I’d say that gets a great reaction when you perform it live, does it?
“It does.
“When we do it live, you can see people singing along which is always a good sign early on.
“And it fills the floor as well at the dances.
“I had in my head that would probably be the one that people would connect with here.
“The songs that seem to connect for me are either the jives or the emotional ballads like The Flower, Life is a River, God’s Plan.”
The Flower, written about your late mother, has really resonated, hasn’t it?
“Yeah, I always say it’s the first song I road tested before I recorded it.
“I started singing it at gigs and it just got a massive response so went to the studio, recorded it and now we do it pretty much every night.
“It’s just one that made a connection.
“Everyone can relate to grief in one way or another.
“It’s kind of a reflection over time because time doesn’t really change a whole lot when it comes to grief, you’re still missing that person and it just feels like yesterday really since they left.
“That’s really what The Flower represents.
“It describes, I suppose, a typical Irish household when a parent or grandparent has died and that’s what seems to have made the connection with people.”
Later this year you bring your acoustic songwriter show to the UK so people will see a different side to you from the big band sound they might know you for..
“It’s totally stripped back and it’s pretty much all originals.
“It’s definitely different.
“It’s something I’ve been wanting to develop for a long time so we’re just going to give it a go.
“And, as I say, I’m always up for trying something new and challenging myself.
“It’s a big challenge but it’s good.
“I’m really enjoying it.
“I think with this show people will get to know me a bit more.
“They will go home knowing a lot more about my life and where the songs come from and what the songs mean to me rather than just listening to them and saying, ‘That’s a good old lively one’ or whatever.
“There’s a reason why it was written and I’d say it’s an opportunity to talk about the songs, my songwriting, my life in the music and that’s really what I’ve been trying to do.”
London Irish Vintage Day takes place this Sunday 7 September at Tir Chonaill Gaels, Greenford.
The EP It’s All Country is out now.
Derek Ryan: The Songwriter Show comes to Irish World Heritage Centre, Manchester 20 November, Irish Centre, Derby 21 November and Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith 22 November.
For more information, click here.
