Singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot told David Hennessy about his new album, having Ed Sheeran to bounce ideas off.
After the phenomenal success of his UK and Ireland #1 debut album Victory, Cian Ducrot this week releases his follow up, Little Dreaming.
Cian grew up between Douglas and Passage West in Cork.
He originally came to London on a music scholarship and has now lived here for several years.
He released his debut EP Make Believe in 2021 and a buzz has been building around him for a long time.
In addition to his No 1 album, Cian has achieved two Top 20 singles, countless viral videos, star collaborations and a sold-out headline tour.
He has also amassed over 1.4 billion streams and earlier this year won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song as the co-writer of SZA’s global hit Saturn.
He was also booked as Ed Sheeran’s special guest for six dates in the UK and Europe, and the pair remain good friends.
Cian has given his fans a taste of the new album with singles Who’s Making You Feel It, the title track Little Dreaming and Shalala.
How does it feel now that we’re talking about a second album? Does it feel different to album number one at all?
“Yeah, it definitely does.
“It feels a bit more serious, it feels more legitimate or something like that.”
Did Victory feel more tentative?
“Yeah, it felt a bit more like, ‘Oh, I’m just this kid who’s getting this opportunity so I’m making it and I don’t know what’s going to happen’.
“But then suddenly I went on and toured the world and did all these things.
“Now when I look back at it I’m like, ‘Well, that album is more legitimate now in my eyes because of who I am now’.
“It’s the first album of who I’ve become and the stripes that I’ve earned.
“It’s a beautiful thing.
“Making music, making albums is pretty crazy but what a great life.
“I wouldn’t trade it for the world and hopefully many, many, many, many more albums to come.
“I’d like to make about 70 before I die so I gotta get a move on, gotta get going.”
Well that’s only 68 to go..
“68 to go so I’m flying.”
The album strikes me as triumphant but also with some heartbreak in there. Would you agree with that or what would you say are the themes?
“I would say that it’s a lot more upbeat.
“It’s got a lot more love songs.
“It’s definitely a more present album.
“Victory was maybe a little bit more things that I had wanted to write for a long time, things about my life, my childhood, my past, how they were affecting my life currently.
“And then Little Dreaming I was just writing about being happy and being in love and then maybe missing my friend that passed away but in this present moment.
“It was just very present.
“I’m really happy with it.
“I hope that it connects to people, that people enjoy it and that they feel it feels authentic and that it feels me and they like the songs.
“I’m really proud of it and I really love it.”
Tell us about the title Little Dreaming. Is that hinting at something? Is it because you’re literally living the dream at the moment or what made you call it that?
“It’s just the idea of just dreaming a little bit.
“There’s nothing wrong with a little dreaming.
“I think that’s the idea of that song, which then inspired the title of the album, which is just let people live their lives and let us just have fun.
“And let’s not all judge each other.
“Let people dream and let people express themselves and do what it is they want to do without fear of judgment.
“I think that was kind of a message that I really liked for the album as well.”
The title track comes with a fun video that sees you joined by Chris Walley (The Young Offenders), Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe who played the Price sisters in Say Nothing.
Are they friends of yours? What was it like to have that kind of acting talent involved?
“Yeah, I’m very fortunate to have had such an incredible cast.
“I’m a huge fan of all three of them.
“Honestly it was just fortune of having a couple of friends in common with Chris.
“Another of his friends, who’s a fantastic actor, had been in another video of mine and Chris had kind of mentioned he was interested so I said, ‘Look, I’d love to have you for a video’.
“I just had this script idea.
“I wanted Chris and I wanted Lola and Hazel also because I had just seen Say Nothing and I was floored by their acting and by that show. I just couldn’t see anyone else doing the role.
“We just had this amazing day making this video.
“I was so nervous about having to act next to these award winning actors.
“It was just so cool and thing thing that I look back on like, ‘Wow, can’t believe I did that. That’s nuts’.”
Of course they are award- winning actors but you have had award success yourself with a Grammy to your name. Is that still sinking in or what?
“Yeah, it definitely sinks in every day, every time I look at it and every time I think about what it means.
“I feel really, really lucky.
“It’s been a great couple of years.
“I would have never fathomed this.
“A couple of years ago if you told me this is what the last few years would have looked like, it’s mind blowing.
“My whole life has changed and I’m excited for the next few years ahead as well.”
You’ve had incredible moments, what has been the standout for you?
“Maybe the most special moment in hindsight is those shows I played last summer in Ireland.
“When I watch the footage back, I just can’t take it in.
“It’s just absolutely insane that that many people came and wanted to sing along and watch my performances, and are coming out again this year, this September and December.
“It’s just actually crazy.
“For me those shows and the fans, that’s the most special thing, really the pinch me moment of like, ‘Wow, look at all these people. This is crazy’.”
You have toured with Ed Sheeran and you get to bounce ideas off him, isn’t that right?
“I actually just received a message from him there earlier because I had sent him some new music that I’m hoping to squeeze onto the album.
“I messaged him and I was like, ‘Do you think it’s worth trying to get these on and should I fight for them? What do I do?’
“It’s really cool.
“I get to send him the music for him to listen to and get his feedback.
“That’s another mind blowing thing to be honest.
“It’s crazy to have that.
“I grew up the biggest Ed fan in the world.
“All the first songs I learned on guitar were Ed songs.
“He’s my biggest inspiration so it’s crazy that he now is this person that I get to go to for advice.”
Must have been so great to support him when he meant so much to you..
“Dream come true, absolutely dream come true.
“I’ll never forget that.”
You said a friend passed away, do you mind me asking what happened?
“I lost two friends growing up to suicide at different times in my life.
“I guess it’s just something that never goes away but it just creeps up on you randomly one day and in these special moments or moments where you miss them.
“This day I was just sitting on my own in the studio having my morning coffee and the song just came.
“I wrote this song about my friend and how I felt in that moment.
“Sometimes the feeling just washes over you and if you’re lucky enough to have an instrument next to you, you can just put it down and it’s really special.”
You write about personal subjects such as past traumas, is there healing in that for you?
“Yeah, it’s definitely like therapy.
“I write a lot of songs that are probably so therapeutic that I don’t even put out because I’m not sure anyone would want to hear them.
“I do it a lot.
“Whether it’s night time before bed and I can’t deal with the thoughts in my head or it’s in the morning and I need to clear my mind, I just sit with the guitar and I just like to sing and write a bit.
“It’s a magical thing.”
You’ve spoken about a difficult home situation from your family and childhood, would it mean a lot if your music helped someone going through something like that?
“Yeah, absolutely and I’ve had those stories many times and that’s when I just know, ‘I’ve just got to keep going’.
“That’s really the power of music.
“I think we sadly live in a time of metrics.
“It’s all about numbers and it’s so stupid because that’s not at all what it’s about.
“Art has never been about numbers.
“We never even used to see the numbers.
“Nobody used to know how many times a song was listened to per day or whatever, now it’s plastered everywhere as opposed to the power of, ‘What is the song doing? Who’s it helping?’
“I want to have those moments.
“It really just makes you realise that one stream could be saving one person’s life.
“You just don’t know the power of anything.
“That’s the true meaning behind making art.
“Making music and being able to help people with it has always been what I wanted to do the most.”
It was no instant success for you, you had to build it slowly at first..
“It’s one of those things that you just have to keep working at and never give up and constantly try to improve.
“It’s never going to go the way that you’re expecting it to go.
“It will happen in a way that you could have never imagined but it’s a long road.
“I think you just have to go through those years and go through the disappointments and the doors being closed on you.
“It still happens every day.
“It happens at my level now.
“I constantly am being fed bad news or being let down whether it’s a radio station won’t play the song or all this kind of stuff.
“It happens all the time.
“You just have to keep just pushing past it.
“That’s what makes it important to focus on the times when things are amazing and the special things you get to do getting to fill a room with fans and getting to tour the world or play a stadium or park or a massive theatre or whatever, and just getting to see how the music connects with people.
“It’s important to take in those moments, like yesterday.
“Last night I went to a public piano just down the road from where I live.
“It was in this big place and I thought it was closed.
“There was basically nobody there so I just sat down and just started singing and then, to my surprise, when I finished the song there were 20 or 30 people just stood around clapping.
“I just went for a walk with my girlfriend and then I was like, ‘Oh, let me just sing a song for some fun, for nobody’.
“And then suddenly I just did this little performance for 30 people and it was really special.
“And just a little moment like that is more valuable than anything.
“That’s what I’m trying to fill my life with, more of that.
“I think Ed is somebody who inspired me even to do more of that kind of stuff.
“He does shows all the time for 40 people or 100 people, loves to really just reconnect with the core fans so that’s something that I’m really excited to keep doing moving forward.”
You had a special moment earlier this year. When Ireland met France in the Six Nations you, with heritage from both nations, sung both national anthems before a game that Ireland lost.
“Another amazing moment, something that not many people will ever experience in their lives so I just really tried to take that in and be like, ‘Wow. What an honour and what a blessing’.
“Very nerve racking but I’m so, so blessed to have experienced that.
“I’ll never forget that and what a memory to have when I’m old and grey.
“So it’s just ticking off all these things to just laugh about in the future, you know?”
But who did you cheer for during the game?
“I was kind of cheering whenever anything positive would happen for either side.
“But I had to hold back a bit because I was in Ireland and I didn’t want to wake up in the morning to footage of me cheering on France too hard.
“I was sat with my French manager and I was also sat with all French people around me so they were going crazy and my manager was like, ‘Just relax a little bit, don’t look too happy whenever France score’.
“I was just celebrating seeing a goal or a try or whatever and any bit of excitement.
“All the people next to you are like celebrating and then it was like, ‘Wait, I’m not sure if I should be celebrating or not’.”
I interviewed an actress and film maker a little while back called Lisa O’Connor about her Repeal the Eighth short, Fleeting. You were named in the credits as a producer..
“Lisa is a fantastic friend of mine and her partner Fionn is my drummer that I’ve known since I was like 13 years old.
“Lisa is like family and she’s one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, one of the most talented and incredible actresses and filmmakers.
“This was, I think, her first short film, Fleeting.
“I just loved the film, I loved the message, I loved the idea and I just wanted to help out and be a part in any way that I could to give back and help with Irish art.
“I love that.
“I like to get involved in projects like that if I can and especially when it’s friends and people that I really love and believe in.
“Just being any part of that is amazing for me.
“There’s so much incredible talent in storytelling out of Ireland whether it’s acting or writing or producing or directing.
“It’s really cool.”
There’s a lot of talent coming out of Ireland at the moment, is it exciting to be a part of?
“There’s so much.
“I spent the morning just looking at new artists and songwriters that I’ve discovered online that are just so fantastic.
“Honestly it scares me because I’m like, ‘I better pull my socks up and start writing better songs’.
“But I’m really excited to be a part of it and I think there’s going to be a really big wave of heads turning, ‘What is going on over there? Why is there so much good music coming and good art and good acting and everything coming from Ireland?’
“I think it’s our time again to shine and to show the rest of the world.
“The talent in Ireland is just a joke.
“Honestly, it’s obscene.
“It’s amazing to see.”
Before you go I would ask what’s next but I already know, it’s 68 more albums..
“68 more albums so I better get writing.”
Little Dreaming is out now.
Cian Ducrot tours Europe in September – December and plays O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester on 13 September, Corn Exchange, Cambridge on 14 September, O2 Academy, Bournemouth on 16 September, O2 Academy Brixton, London on 17 September, O2 Academy, Birmingham on 13 December, Bristol Beacon, Bristol on 14 December, O2 City Hall, Newcastle Upon Tyne on 16 December, O2 Academy, Glasgow on 17 December, O2 Academy, Leeds on 18 December and 3Arena, Dublin on 20 December.
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