I never immersed myself into a community surrounding an artist until I started listening to Dermot Kennedy. I honestly didn’t understand them. I remember going to have my windshield replaced a few years ago and being overwhelmed with the amount of KISS memorabilia in the office waiting area. I’m talking signed guitars, photos with the band, photos at conventions with other fans, magazines, posters, etc. At the time, all I could think was, why in the world would you want or need all this stuff? I had my favorite artists, but I never had the desire to own keepsakes, follow fan or community pages, or meet strangers who just happened to like the same music as me. Little did I know that a couple of years later, I would understand the desire to be part of a fandom.
I had this idea that the word “fandom” had a negative connotation. I fully understood what it was to feel close to music and appreciate the artist providing you with that music, but I guess I drew a line at needing to understand the inspiration behind the song or connecting with other people who also liked it. Don’t get me wrong, if an artist shared personal information about the creative process, I found it very interesting, but I didn’t seek it out. The funny thing is that until you catch the fandom fever, you cannot fully understand how it even happens. It’s almost as simple as love and that old saying, “when you know, you know.”
So, when did I catch the fandom fever? It was back in 2017 when I heard the song “Moments Passed” by Dermot Kennedy. I had my phone sitting on the counter near me while I was washing dishes and it started playing. I swear I actually looked at my phone and, as if it could understand me, said ‘okaayyyy,’ very excitedly as the vocal loop began. I knew you could love songs, but I fell IN love with that song. It felt personal. Something awoke in me after hearing it, and, for the first time ever, I felt the need to find out everything I could about the person who created it.
After learning the name Dermot Kennedy, I went on a deep dive in YouTube to find any interview with him. Guess how many I found? ONE. I’ll link it here. I ended up going down a YouTube rabbit hole and found out that he had been in a band called Shadows and Dust and that he had done some busking. His age was a mystery, and soon, I started joking that he was immortal. After YouTube, I went to his Instagram where he had less than 15K followers at the time. It was good for new music and tour announcements, but it did not satisfy my desire to learn more about this, seemingly mysterious, artist. I remember one Instagram post, a few months after I started following him, where he was in a hospital bed and made a joke about how life imitates art because his current situation was similar to a scene in the “Moments Passed” video. I panicked a little. I felt an urge to call someone and make sure he was okay, only to remind myself that I didn’t ACTUALLY know him. That should have been my first clue that I was catching the fandom fever. My light research into an artist, to gather information to write about them, was quickly turning into heavy, unnecessary research. I am not exaggerating when I say that I searched his name at least once a day on YouTube for about a year (or more, yikes) to find new interviews. Some things on my mind were: What inspired him to start making music? What is his fascination with bears? What’s the story behind that sticker on his guitar? What does it all mean?!
I finally got to see him live in the fall of 2018. I had been living in his songs for a year and never been more nervous before seeing a show in my life. If you’ve ever seen Dermot live, you already know that it’s absolute magic. There are no words to adequately describe how I felt after that show. I remember not sleeping at all that night. The gig felt personal. It always feels personal because he is intentional in everything he does when it comes to the music. I often tell people that it feels like he read my journal and wrote a bunch of songs about all my secrets.
When friends and family didn’t seem to catch the same fever I had, I realized that I needed people to talk to that understood how close I felt to these songs. Not long after, a few fan pages started popping up on Instagram, and I reached out to the owner of one of them. Mind you, I’d never talked to someone online that I didn’t know in person. I was basically taught that if you did that, you’d probably end up dead in a ditch. I’m alive and well so I’d say the conversation went alright, and I made a new friend. Since then, I’ve met several other Dermot Kennedy fans, who all feel the same closeness to him and his songs as much as I do. There is a beautiful community that surrounds Dermot, full of some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. Our gratitude for him goes beyond a few songs. We have gratitude for the friendships we’ve made. For the experiences we’ve shared. For the family we’ve created. So, take it easy when we are a little extra passionate in our opinions when he releases new music or makes changes to his setlist or plays a new guitar. As I said, it feels personal.
I no longer think negatively when I hear the word fandom. Connection through music is a powerful thing, and I hope everyone finds music that gives them a sense of community.
Dermot is currently performing in cities around the world to raise money for various charities by way of pop up busks known as the Sonder Street Sessions. Keep an eye out, your city may be next! Dermot’s sophomore album, Sonder, is due to be released November 4, 2022.