Derry's Patrick on song ahead of tour to cap whirlwind year
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Patrick McDonagh (20) has been making musical waves since he secured a much-coveted undergraduate place at the British and Irish Modern Music (BIMM) Institute in Manchester last year.
The talented musician says he has been learning to develop his singing, songwriting and on-stage performance.
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Hide AdPatrick, who hails from Knockena on Buncrana Road, had already been making a name for himself locally as a talented songwriter and as a performer prior to leaving for Manchester last September. He said he has been extremely happy with progress since beginning his Songwriting Degree at BIMM- the same course world-class artists including Tom Odell and George Ezra have completed before going on to attain global success in the music industry.
“It’s been a bit crazy and everything is going really well and really, really fast,” he said. “It’s been amazing, I don’t know where I would be without it: there’s lots of collaborations with musicians, songwriters and producers, and the lecturers are amazing to work with.”
Patrick said these include former Radio One broadcaster Briggy Smale, who overheard him singing in the corridor and has since taken a keen interest in his ability and career.
“My voice has almost doubled in range and I have recorded an EP, which I didn’t think would happen this soon.As a result I’m planning a small UK and Ireland tour later this year, in the Autumn, bringing it back to Derry to start with and ending back in Manchester.
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Hide Ad“I have never performed the way I have been performing this last couple of weeks. It was usually just me and a piano but now there is a full band and I’m moving about on stage. I have never felt as comfortable in that as I do now,” he added.
Despite being a relatively new private university, BIMM is widely regarded as attracting and training the calibre of musicians akin to those who came through the Brit School in London, which turned out performers such as Adele, Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis, although the two institutions are not connected.
But no matter how hectic the schedule, Patrick said he loves coming home to his family and friends. “They are never actually going to get rid of me- I’m like a bad flu,” he jokes.
The new EP will feature at least five self-penned tracks.
To see more of Patrick’s work, check out his official website: www.patrickmcdonagh.wordpress.com and Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/MusicByPatrick or Twitter: @_PatrickMusic and Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/patrick-mc-donagh.