Dermot Kennedy: How the 'Let Me In' singer became famous

‘Outnumbered’ singer Dermot Kennedy has had a pretty amazing few years — releasing his debut album ‘Without Fear’ in 2019, and second album ‘Sonder’ in 2022, with his most recent 'The Weight of the Woods' dropping in April 2026.

He's also had a number of successful songs including 'Giants' and 'Something to Someone' - with his singles 'Funeral' and 'Refuge' released in 2026. And he's also set to go on tour in 2026! Get to know more about Dermot Kennedy...

Who is Dermot Kennedy?

Dermot Kennedy is an Irish singer best known for his single 'Outnumbered'.

How old is he?

Dermot's birthday is 13th December 1991, making him currently 34-years-old.

Where is Dermot from?

He's from Rathcoole in County Dublin, Ireland. In September 2020, he discussed how coming from Ireland kept him grounded as his career took off.

Speaking to Billboard, Dermot said: "Being Irish means so much to me. I’m so proud to be an Irish artist and songwriter, following in the footsteps of incredible people like Phil Lynott, Sinead O’Connor, Hozier, Van Morrison.

"I think being Irish helps me to stay grounded too. There’s no room for big egos and self-centeredness when you’re dealing with Irish people, so I’m very glad my friends and family help me stay grounded.

"I had support from everybody around me, to do whatever made me happy, but I knew from the start I could have a career in music if I kept at it and had patience."

How did Dermot Kennedy get famous?

After learning to play the guitar at the age of 10, he began writing songs at 14-years-old, but he's said he didn't begin to take it seriously until he was 17. Dermot has praised his parents for their support of his initial steps into music, and said that his dad used to often drive him into Dublin to perform at open mic nights, and he studied classical music at university for three years.

He then busked for many years around Dublin, and won first place at The South County Song contest which is attended by music industry workers. He once performed with Irish singer Glen Hansard on stage, and after being spotlighted on Spotify Discover Weekly when it was launched in 2016. He was also in a band Shadows and Dust at that time.

He took to the stage at many dates throughout the US, Australia and Europe, performing at Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2017, as well as Lollapalooza and South by Southwest Festival in 2018 and Coachella in 2019.

Dermot Kennedy: Musical influences

Dermot told Forbes magazine in an interview that he thinks of Glen Hansard, Bon Iver, J. Cole, Stormzy and poet Black Ice as his musical influences. He also told the Evening Standard that he looks up to The National, Elbow, Damien Rice and Ben Howard.

Misneach festival

In 2024, Dermot revealed on Instagram that he'd been working on creating a new global festival to coincide with St Patrick's Day celebrations. 'Misneach' was held in Sydney, Australia and Boston, USA in March 2025, celebrating Ireland's rich musical heritage'.

Pronounced "mish-nyach" and meaning "courage" in Gaelic, Dermot explained what had inspired him to establish the festival: "For so many years now I have watched the St Patrick’s Day celebrations in so many different cities with a massive sense of pride.

"I’ve always been so moved by the way Irish history and culture is celebrated all over the world. But I’ve also had the feeling that, for a country so rich in culture, I didn’t see it being represented fully in these events worldwide and I wondered, could we change that?"

Dermot Kennedy: 2026 tour

Dermot announced in November 2025 that he was heading out on tour to Europe, the UK and Ireland in May, June and July 2026! Fans were absolutely thrilled by the news of the tour... And of his third album!

Dermot wrote on Instagram: 'A new chapter!! I know you guys know that I’ve been working on a new album. It’s almost ready, and I’ve never been this excited to share something with you. I really really mean that.'

He visited Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff, Leeds, Birmingham, London and Dublin.

Speaking about his tour with Scott Clarke on Hits Radio, Dermot said: "I just want to take that feeling from the smaller venues and bring it to those shows and I think that's quite doable. I think sometimes you can be led to believe like, 'Oh, I'm playing an arena, there needs to be this much going on and the show needs to be like this to keep it' and it's just like, I don't know.

“I've been reminded time and time again for the last 10 years that the music isn't off, you know? And if you can get the right people in that room, they feel the same way. So yeah, you don't need to overthink it."

Just short of a week after his own tour finished in Dublin in July 2026, Dermot appeared on stage with country music star Luke Combs, who performed at Slane Castle on 18th July. Dermot sang with Luke in the encore on 'Ain't No Love in Oklahoma', written for the soundtrack of the 2024 Twister film.

Dermot shared the special moment on his Instagram, writing: 'What an honour to join this man on stage at Slane Castle on a song I adore. Thank you lukecombs for letting me sing with you!' (sic)

New music

In January 2026, Dermot released his song 'Funeral'. It is the lead single from his third album 'The Weight of the Woods', and he explained to Hits Radio why it was chosen as the first song from the record.

“Sometimes with a song, it's quite easy to access the meaning of the song and the way you sing it. And this song ('Funeral'), it felt super easy, like just however triumphant it feels... It was easy to kind of throw myself into the song when I was singing it," he said.

"And I think that's a very good sign, I guess for me, it just, it's all about kind of acknowledging the difficult parts of life, but trying your very best to kind of just live in love and light as much as you can."

He also performed 'Memories', co-written by Lewis Capaldi, for the soundtrack to incredibly popular Netflix rom-com show, Nobody Wants This, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody.

Dermot's break from music in 2024

In early 2024 Dermot took a well-earned break after being pretty much non-stop for seven years! He opened up about feeling rested and taking time away in an Instagram post in May 2024, adding that he was writing with some other exciting projects in the pipeline.

He wrote: 'I’m writing, and working on some very exciting stuff in the background ... Now that I’m here I’ll fill you in. I’m just working away on music by myself every day. The time away from touring has been incredibly helpful honestly.

'That 7 year stint was really something. When I look back, the gratitude I feel is infinite, and I feel like I’ll never capture it. All those venues and moments, how much you all believe in me. The privilege of travelling the world to play my music to people is such a special thing. But it does a funny thing too, or at least it did to me.

'It kind of nurtures this competitive side as well. I took pride in being the one that was always on tour, who could always do 4 nights in a row even though my voice was so sore. Who could play in 3 different continents in a week. I always had that kind of mindset, because I always believe you have to do a wild amount of work to get to do extraordinary things. And that’s cool, but I don’t know if competition necessarily has a place when you’re creating.

'So since I got off tour I’ve just been trying to come back to that person I was before the 1st album. When I created with no expectation, with no real goal for a song, other than loving it. So I’m spending a lot of time with myself, staying off my phone, allowing myself to get bored and then seeing what thoughts and lyrics show up.

'I have days where I feel so peaceful, and then other days where I feel anxious and useless, or as if I’m falling behind. But I do believe so strongly in the idea that if I can create an album I’m so happy with and so proud of, then that will get me exactly where I need to be. I’d imagine that’s also how you guys will like it best then too.

'So that’s my only goal right now. Forgive me if I’m on here less, I feel like this is a place where that competitive side of me grows, and feelings I don’t like can pop up sometimes, like insecurity and jealousy, which is so dumb cause I love the artists whose success I see and I want to just be happy for everyone. So I’ll speak to you soon. As Ben Howard said, “I will become what I deserve”. Love ya.' (sic)

Dermot Kennedy: Songs

Dermot has released some huge hits in his time in the industry — most notably 2018's 'Power Over Me' and 2019's 'Outnumbered', which have both been certified 2x Platinum.

READ MORE: Find out the meanings of Dermot Kennedy's biggest songs

Dermot Kennedy: Albums

So far, Dermot has released three albums - 'Without Fear', 'Sonder' and 'The Weight of the Woods'.

Debut album: 'Without Fear'

His debut album was released on 4th October 2019, reaching Number 1 in both the UK and Irish charts and spawned singles 'Outnumbered', 'Moments Passed', 'Power Over Me' and 'Lost'.

Second album: 'Sonder'

'Sonder', which was released in November 2022, also reached Number 1 in the UK, and Dermot had success with 'Better Days' and 'Kiss Me'.

Third album: 'The Weight of the Woods'

'The Weight of the Woods', Dermot's third album, was released on 27th March 2026 and features singles 'Funeral' and 'Refuge'.

He also released a self-titled compilation album in January 2019, as well as EP 'Doves & Ravens' in 2017. Dermot also worked with American hip hop producer Mike Dean on the EP 'Mike Dean Presents: Dermot Kennedy', which Dermot described as a mix tape.

Is Dermot Kennedy married?

Yes, he is! Dermot discussed his life in a March 2026 interview with Evoke, confirming that he was both married AND a father! Talking about how he likes to keep his wife and daughter out of the limelight, he said: "I don’t see any positive to putting your private life out there. By doing that, you lose control."

In November 2022, there was a lot of speculation that he and his long-term girlfriend Aisling Finnegan had tied the knot in a small wedding abroad, as he was spotted wearing a necklace with what looked like a wedding ring on it.

Dermot is notoriously private when it comes to his personal life, but he dropped a hint about his other half back in June 2017 when he posted a photo of himself next to a woman, pulling his trousers up with a jump, writing the caption: 'Find you somebody who makes you levitate.'

He tagged the private Instagram handle aisf__ - his now-wife, Aisling. Someone with the surname Kennedy jokingly commented: 'When Aisling says jump you jump😄,' which fans took as confirmation that it was indeed Dermot's partner and that her name was Aisling Finnegan - this turned out to be correct!

Aisling's sister Roisin Finnegan also posted on Instagram in March 2019 about visiting the couple in New York. It's also reported that Aisling won the Dublin Rose competition.

In November 2019, Dermot confirmed in an interview that he and Aisling had been together for six years, and that she was on the road with him. Aww!

Which awards has Dermot Kennedy won?

Although he didn't win, Dermot was up for International Male Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards 2020. It eventually went to Tyler, the Creator and Dermot told us about how honoured he was to have been nominated. He also added that he'd love to collaborate with Dave the Rapper.

You can hear Dermot Kennedy's biggest songs on the MFR playlist.

Author: Emma Dodds

Emma Dodds is a Digital Content Editor across Bauer Media's Rayo brands, including the Hits Radio Network, Greatest Hits Radio, KISS, Cool FM and Magic Radio. With a focus on long-form features, Emma prefers digging into a topic and really uncovering a well-rounded view of an artist - using honed SEO skills to figure out the answers to the questions people are really interested in. She especially enjoys a deep dive on song meanings analysis and lyrics interpretation!

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