THE WEATHER outside, dear reader, was frightful. But the welcome was warm. And when Derek Ryan brings his blend of Irish charm to Reading’s Concert Hall latest this month you’ll realise just how warm it is.
The 36-year-old has been performing from a young age and as a teenager was in a popular boy band, D-Side, touring the world.
He even made the top of the hit parade in Japan.
Now though, he’s a solo artist, performing self-penned songs, recording in the United States and staging sell-out tours.
If you think he’s small beer – or small Guinness if you prefer – think again. He’s got more than 110,000 Facebook followers, 30 million YouTube views and 25 million hits on Spotify.
And on Saturday, March 14, he will be bringing his latest tour to the Royal County.
As we speak, Derek is busy preparing for a gig in Killarney. And it’s not just any gig: it’s at Ireland’s National Event Centre. But, he says, Storm Jorge is battering Ireland – the fourth such storm in successive weekends. With a red weather warning in place, there are questions as to whether the weather will scupper audience numbers.
The show will go on.
It’s part of his Hits tour, which celebrates his past decade in music and accompanies a celebratory album, TEN, which whittles down tracks from his 10 best-selling studio albums to 21 tracks, including one of his most famous, God’s Plan – a song of romance.
He says of this achievement: “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get to this point in my career – releasing my very own ‘Hits’ album.
“I’ve seen many of my favourite artists release a collection of their biggest songs, and I am very very proud of the 21 tracks featured on this record. I am indebted to my fans for making these songs the hits they were, and I’m really hoping people will like the carefully chosen selection on this album.”
It’s this modesty that peppers our conversation. Derek is, quite simply, a musical genius. He got his first drum kit when he was four. He was performing at Irish music festivals with his family. The D-Side career started when he was 17.
Yet, he is surprisingly humble … “I’m honoured that people pay money to come and see me,” he says.
Derek adds: I started gigging when I was 12, the experience was amazing.”
After his time in his boy band, he switched to studying to become an accountant, performing acoustically in pubs across London.
“I learnt my craft there,” Derek says. “I was serving as an apprentice.”
And as a child, he never imagined that life would be this way: “I was shy, I never thought I’d be anything. I was academic and into sport as well. I never thought I’d be a performer.
“I’m 36 now, and I talk and perform. Never thought that would be me.”
But, typcially of Derek’s modesty, the man who has toured the world, had his face on posters in teenager’s bedrooms and now takes part in big music festivals in native Ireland is also just as happy with smaller ones.
“A gig is a gig,” he says. “I’ve got an acoustic tour that is really, really intimate that can be performed at off-the-beaten track venues, it’s what I do. It’s all about getting the music out there.”
He also tries to make gigs a memorable experience for those who come along. “We put a lot of work into making it different every time. There’s lots of elements, including taking the audience on a bit of a journey.
“It’s very important, people chose to come and see me, we give it our all.”
He is looking forward to his appearance in Reading: “I’ve played in pretty much every town in the UK, but I think this is a first (visit) for me.
“A theatre with great acoustics are lovely, but it’s very much the crowd that make a gig.”
The set will feature some of his most popular songs, but he says choosing which ones was a difficult experience.
The result though is a show for people who love Irish country music.
“It will have high energy entertainment, my songs and my versions of songs such as Shotgun.
“There’s stories you can relate to in real-life, songs with a story and some good craic, as we say in Ireland.”
Derek Ryan will be at the Concert Hall in Reading’s Blagrave Street on Saturday, March 14. Tickets cost £25. For more details, log on to https://www.readingtownhall.co.uk/whats-on/derek-ryan or call the box office on 0118 960 6060.
For more on Derek, visit https://derekryanmusic.com
