Sing & Tell :: Owen Denvir

Credit: Liz Wade 

Northern Ireland's indie folk-pop artist Owen Denvir - described as “A songwriter of subtle complexity that belies his tender years” - follows his RTE Radio 1 playlisted singles ‘Jackhammer’ and ‘Human Touch', with 'Crush', a light-hearted, lo-fi "summer love song", released at the end of July.


Who are you?

Owen Denvir, on my lonesome.

Tell us something about yourself and how you came to be where you are today.

I started out performing publicly at the Fringe Festival when I lived in Edinburgh, but worked my way back to Belfast again, because of its vibrant music scene and standard of Guinness. Before then I was a closet singer-songwriter, playing viola in bands and orchestras.

Give us an idea of your musical style and influences.

I've been told I land somewhere between Irish folk and indie pop. Some combination of acoustic guitar, piano and viola. I enjoy catchy hooks and ranty lyrics. I listen to a lot of stuff but main influences would probably be Bon Iver, Bell X1, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, Jeff Buckley, Laura Marling and Ryan Adams.

Explain the production and writing process behind your songs.

I do all my own production so I like to experiment with my sound. Lately I've been making music half through songwriting and half through production, but mostly tying together simple ideas into something that feels different. But usually songwriting happens a lot more when my life starts going down the toilet.

Tell us a little about your new single.

'Crush' was inspired by Skrillex's production on Justin Bieber's 'Sorry'. I wanted to make something that was minimal and exposed but could still be a bit of a bop. The guitar riff came first and I had a lot of fun building around that, so it's great fun to play live.



Can we catch up with you at any forthcoming live shows?

Yes! I'm playing at the NI Open on Sunday 19th August, then Moira Calling Festival on Saturday 8th September, followed by Hard Working Class Heroes Festival in Dublin on 28th/29th September (date tbc!).

How's the rest of the year looking, plans-wise?

Aside from those shows, I live in my little studio almost permanently so it'll depend on what I come up with there. I've been focusing on Irish radio and have had a lot of support from RTE Radio 1 & 2FM, but I might ease things up on the pop music front a little to get back to acoustic roots. For the last while I've been performing private shows in care homes and special needs schools. It's inspired a lot of material, being around such a different type of audience.

Where can we hear more of your music?

Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube, Bandcamp - you name it, I'm probably there!

What social media platforms can we find you on

Website // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram