Cork born, Nashville based singer-songwriter Darren Kiely is in the middle of his ‘Never Been Here Before’ world tour. Catching up with him on a day off in Germany, Darren delves into life on the road, how the pandemic kick started his career, and why he made the move to the vibrant Nashville. The European leg of his tour complete, Darren is warming up for a whirlwind tour of Ireland before a first time adventure down under.

Beginning his ‘Never Been Here Before’ world tour a couple of weeks ago in Copenhagen, Darren and his band have travelled through the Nordics, Germany and Switzerland, playing sold out shows most nights across the continent.

“It's been nuts really. It’s hard to think we're a few weeks into it. We did a few days practice in Limerick beforehand. Aaron the drummer is from Manchester, Jake on keys is from Dublin, and Frankie who's doing sound with us is also from Dublin. When I play in America it's a different band, so we haven't played together for a minute.”

The tour follows a support slot which brought Darren across the United States with Matt Kearney last year. “We were playing mostly theatres all over,” he says. “So we did like twenty dates on the east side of America and a bit of the Midwest, like Chicago and stuff. And then we did ten or eleven shows on the West Coast run. It was a lot of shows.”

With what seems like endless dates spanning from Ireland to Australia with gigs in Asia, America and Europe, the Cork born singer is hitting every continent on his aptly named ‘Never Been Here Before’ tour.

“I think it's all so new. You know, when you walk somewhere that you've never walked before and you could do it for a few hours because everything's new and you don't really miss the time going. That’s the only thing I can liken it to.”

“We're not going crazy either on the road. We're not really like rock stars or anything, so that probably helps. I'm lucky the lads are super chill. We watch a movie after the gigs. It's our way of decompressing.” 

Darren iterates the importance of finding a balance between embracing the present and wishing for continued success. “It's a bit crazy. It’s hard to take in,” he says.

“I was talking to the lads about it yesterday. We were a little bit tired ‘cause it was our third show in a row and we had one day off before that. I was like two years ago, I'd be absolutely buzzing. I wouldn't be able to sleep with the excitement knowing that I was playing a sold-out gig in Cologne.”

Full of appreciation for the opportunities that touring has presented (regardless of how exhausting they might be), Darren concludes “I'm going to look back on this time and think, God I wish I stayed in the moment a bit more and appreciated it.”

The ‘Lost & Found’ singer had modest beginnings in music, playing Irish traditional music as a child with CD’s and the radio soundtracking every car journey. “My entry into writing music wasn't until probably about five years ago or so. I always loved music and listening to music. It was only after I learned guitar that I was like, what's the next thing?”

From voice notes to finished songs, Darren brought his words to the masses at the helm of COVID. “I had to come back from America,” he says, “and I decided to put up a song every day on Instagram. I was in a room alone for ten days so I had time. A lot of them are covers, but I put up a few originals and I liked some of them. From there, I wanted to figure out how to record. It kind of just came from curiosity.”

Vulnerability flows through Darren’s music. “Cause I’m the weight / I’m the problem / The stones that drag your soul down to rock bottom” rings the chorus of ‘Weight’.

“I remember before the first release, I was like, “I'm not doing this”,” Darren reflects. “Like, you can easily just cancel an upload, but I had announced it and so I didn't go back on it, thankfully.

“That was definitely a very self-conscious feeling, a very vulnerable feeling that this is stuff about me that you just wouldn't be vocal on in general. It’s not that I don't care now, but there was no negative side to doing it.”

Touring for the first time in November of 2023, music has since brought Darren to vibrant places. After some shows in Nashville and his old stomping ground of New York, Darren and his band returned home to play acoustic shows in venues across Ireland from Whelan's and Cyprus Avenue to the Róisín Dubh and Dolan's.

“Then I supported a band called the 502s throughout Europe. I did my own acoustic tour in the US. And now we're here,” Darren concludes.

For someone with youth very much on his side, Darren has experienced the world in a unique fashion.

“Culture is such a thing I would never have thought about before,” he admits. “Playing in front of crowds, people's values and beliefs are so different.”

A career highlight for Darren rings back to the very beginning of his music journey. Living in New York, he would share the stage with four or five other musicians. His graft paying off, Darren began to get offered his own shows.

“I was working a job. I was playing in pubs at night. I was trying to write and record. I didn't know how it was going to change. I played a song and people sang and in that moment I just knew things were changing. That's a once in a lifetime kind of thing. I've been lucky enough to play in front of big crowds like Electric Picnic. But that is the one where I was like, this is it, I’ll get a shot. That's so special to have.”

Darren returns home this week before taking his guitar and sweet tones to Australia in April. Tickets for the following dates can be found here.

13th March - 3Olympia, Dublin

15th March - Live At The Big Top, Limerick