Brian Kennedy (singer)
Encyclopedia
Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy (born 12 October 1966, Belfast
, Northern Ireland
) is an Irish
singer-songwriter
and author
, known for his ballad
s, and has represented Ireland
at Eurovision 2006. He is the younger brother of musician Bap Kennedy
.
. He has described in public the violence of The Troubles
, during his childhood and teen years. He once described seeing a young man being chased and then shot dead by a British soldier a few feet away from him. He also would harmonise with police, ambulance and fire engine sirens.
Kennedy came out
as gay
in 2009. He is a long-term friend of Katherine Lynch
.
Singles
Other Songs
; their album, Goodbye to Songtown (August 1991), featured the songs written by Nevin for a second Fairground Attraction
album, which was never realized.
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) is an Irish
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, known for his ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, and has represented Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
at Eurovision 2006. He is the younger brother of musician Bap Kennedy
Bap Kennedy
Martin "Bap" Kennedy is a singer-songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland and older brother of singer Brian Kennedy. He is noted for writing the song "Moonlight Kiss" which was on the soundtrack for the film Serendipity .Kennedy was in a successful band, Energy Orchard for many years and has...
.
Personal life
Kennedy was born and grew up on the Falls Road in BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. He has described in public the violence of The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
, during his childhood and teen years. He once described seeing a young man being chased and then shot dead by a British soldier a few feet away from him. He also would harmonise with police, ambulance and fire engine sirens.
Kennedy came out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
in 2009. He is a long-term friend of Katherine Lynch
Katherine Lynch
Katherine Lynch is an Irish television personality from County Leitrim.Lynch is known for several television series broadcast on RTÉ Two: Katherine Lynch's Working Girls , Katherine Lynch's Wonderwomen , in which she plays a variety of unusual characters such as Singin' Bernie Walsh, Liz Hurley and...
.
Career
- Kennedy came to prominence with the masses as one of Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
's backing singers, appearing on a string of recordingsSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
including A Night in San FranciscoA Night in San FranciscoA Night in San Francisco is a live album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1994. Guest artists were John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells and Jimmy Witherspoon as well as Morrison's daughter, Shana Morrison...
, Days Like This, The Healing GameThe Healing GameThe Healing Game is the twenty-sixth album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1997 .The June 30, 2008 reissued and remastered version of the album contains a take of the "Rough God Goes Riding" B-side "At the End of the Day"."Rough God Goes Riding" from this album was...
& Back on Top and live in concert, frequently alongside Georgie FameGeorgie FameGeorgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
. - Kennedy had a minor UK radio airplay hit with the title track from his 2001 album 'Get On With Your Short Life'.
- He was chosen as the Irish competitor for the 2006 Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest 2006The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
in AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, where he sang the self-penned "Every Song is a Cry for LoveEvery Song Is A Cry For Love"Every Song is a Cry for Love" was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, which was written and sung by Brian Kennedy in English. He came 10th in the final, and his performance in the semi-final marked the 1000th Eurovision song of all time...
". Kennedy's performance in the contest's semi-finals marked the 1000th song to feature in the history of the Eurovision competition. Following qualification, Kennedy finished tenth in the finals on 20 May, with 93 points. - He performed on the original Secret GardenSecret Garden (duo)Secret Garden is an award-winning Irish-Norwegian duo playing New Instrumental Music, also sometimes erroneously known as Neo-classical music.Secret Garden features the Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and the Norwegian composer/pianist Rolf Løvland...
version of the song You Raise Me UpYou Raise Me Up"You Raise Me Up" was the debut single from Westlife's fifth studio album, Face To Face.This version is considered by many to be the most popular , of all the various versions of the same song. The single peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's 13th Number One. It was the first...
, which has now been recorded by more than a hundred other artists, such as Josh GrobanJosh GrobanJoshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
and WestlifeWestlifeWestlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
; he also sang this song at the funeral of the footballer, George BestGeorge BestGeorge Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...
. - He performed at the opening of new studios for his local station Belfast CityBeatBelfast CityBeatBelfast CityBeat is a two-time Arqiva 'Station Of The Year' and multi-Sony Award winning Northern Irish radio station. It broadcasts to Greater Belfast on 96.7 MHz FM and on DAB Digital Radio across all of Northern Ireland. From 5 April 2007, Citybeat became available on 102.5FM for North Belfast,...
in 2006. - In July 2008, he joined the judging panel of the Citybeat Young Star SearchYoung Star SearchThe Young Star Search is a kids' talent radio competition based in Northern Ireland and is the current holder of the New York Festival Gold Award for best global radio station promotion. It was also nominated two years running at the UK Arqiva Radio Awards...
, Northern Ireland's biggest kids talent search. - On 23 August 2010, Brian Kennedy played a version of 'Christopher Street' on a small Balcony overlooking Dame Street, Dublin for the music viral show BalconyTVBalconyTVBalconyTV is a leading daily online viral music show that features bands, musicians and other variety acts on balconies around the world. It was founded in Dublin, in June 2006....
. - He is to be a coach on The Voice of IrelandThe Voice of IrelandThe Voice of Ireland is a reality singing competition, created by media tycoon John de Mol, and will air from December 2011 and throughout early 2012 on RTE One. The show will be hosted by Kathryn Thomas. A spin-off show will air on RTE Two hosted by Eoghan McDermott.One of the important premises...
.
Brian Kennedy solo
Albums- The Great War Of Words (1990) - UK #64
- A Better Man (1996) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#19 - Now That I Know What I Want (1999)
- Won't You Take Me Home (2000)
- Get On With Your Short Life (2001)
- On Song (2003)
- Live In Belfast (2004)
- On Song 2: Red Sails In The Sunset (2005)
- Homebird (2006)
- Interpretations (2008)
Singles
- Hollow (1990)
- Captured (1990)
- Believe It (1990)
- A Better Man (1996) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#28 - Life Love And Happiness (1996) - UK #27
- Put The Message In The Box (1997) - World PartyWorld PartyWorld Party is a British pop/alternative rock band, which is essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving The Waterboys.-Career:...
coverCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
- UK #37 - Get On With Your Short Life (2002)
- George BestGeorge BestGeorge Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...
- A Tribute (2005) - UK #4 - If You Don't Believe In Me (2006)
- Destination (2006)
- Every Song Is A Cry For Love (2006)
Other Songs
- A cover of "Dry Your EyesDry Your Eyes"Dry Your Eyes" is a UK garage song written by English rapper The Streets for his second album A Grand Don't Come for Free . The song describes the persona trying to cope with his girlfriend breaking up with him. It was released as the album's second single on 19 July 2004...
" by The StreetsThe StreetsThe Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
on Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 2 is an Irish charity album featuring a variety of artists performing acoustic cover versions of popular songs. It was released in 2004 by RMG Chart Entertainment Ltd...
(2004)
Sweetmouth
In Sweetmouth, Kennedy was joined by Mark Nevin, formerly of Fairground AttractionFairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction were a British acoustic pop band. They are best known for their hit single "Perfect", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist Eddi Reader.-Career:...
; their album, Goodbye to Songtown (August 1991), featured the songs written by Nevin for a second Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction were a British acoustic pop band. They are best known for their hit single "Perfect", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist Eddi Reader.-Career:...
album, which was never realized.
Writing
- The Arrival of Fergal Flynn (Hodder, 2004), a novel.
- Roman Song (Hodder, 2005), a novel.