Ahead of his headline show at Whelan’s tonight, we caught up with rising Irish artist Arren to chat about his journey so far.
With great songwriting and a powerful live presence, Arren has been making a lot of waves in the Irish music scene recently.
In this interview, he opens up about songwriting, milestones, and what to expect from tonight’s set. Whether he’s been in your radar for a bit or you’re hearing his name for the first time, Arren is an act worth watching out for.
Here’s what he had to say before taking to the iconic Whelan’s stage.
Alan:
What can fans lucky enough to be heading to the show tonight expect?
Arren:
Me and my super talented band have spent months developing this show and it’s the biggest show I’ve done to date. Our set will be over an hour long, and I know there’s something for everyone in it. Plus we have Keith Plunkett opening the show which I’m super excited about.I’ve gotten so many people involved such as lighting engineers, a videographer and a photographer. I’ve also gotten new merch to sell such as my new Brain Boy T-Shirts. Plus there’s a rafle too where you can win drink vouchers and different merch. I’m really going all out to make sure the night is one to remember!
Alan:
Whelan’s has hosted some iconic acts over the years, do you have a favourite memory tied to the venue, either as a performer or fan?
Arren:
Since I’m not originally from Dublin, I haven’t really gone to many shows in Whelan’s over the years. But I guess I’d have to pick Frowning Hours’ show in the main room last year. I went to see it a few months after getting into music after taking years away from it, and the show really inspired me to put my head down and start pursuing my music as much as I can.
Alan:
We’ve reviewed “Broken” on the site and I’ve said it feels like a very personal track. What inspired the lyrics, especially the line “somehow, I’m fine with being broken now”?
Arren:
‘Broken’ was written over Covid during a time when I had depression and anxiety, with no one really to talk to. I put those negative thoughts into songwriting, and hope grew from that, that things will be better. So that lyric is sort of talking about how even though I am suffering now, I believe in a light at the end of the tunnel, that one day, I will be of a healthy mind. That day did come.
Alan:
With the song being so open and vulnerable, how do you strike a balance between emotion and accessibility in your music? Or do you write songs first for you and see it as a bonus if people connect with it?
Arren:
You know, lately I’ve been thinking that having emotion in a song makes it more accessible.The folk genre, a genre that is usually filled with emotion, seems to be becoming more a mainstream genre that people are listening to. But to answer your second question, yes, I write for myself first. The song becomes what it needs to become, then I worry about how I market it. If you are writing songs just to be marketable, I think it’s a backwards way of making art. I believe authenticity is how audiences connect with artists, so I feel it’s important to be who you are in your songs. Also with ‘Broken’, I chose to include lah’s to make it more accessible to listeners. The song is about community in depression, so being able to reachout to people and include them without them needing to know the lyrics was the whole idea behind it.
Alan:
What’s your favorite part of the process when creating music? The writing, vocals or postproduction and promoting it?
Arren:
I love melody above anything else. I’ve always found melody comes to me easier than lyrics. How I write is finding melody first then writing over it. Also I love the production of the song inthe studio. Collaboration is a huge part of the songs I’ve been releasing and they would not be as good as they are if it weren’t for the people I brought on to help me. They really brought the songs to life. I will always have an open mind when going into the studio. I think having a closed mind to a song can be really detrimental. The songs need to become what they need to become, and you alone can’t always do that.
Alan:
I’ve seen the reception to “Broken” has been very positive. Have fans reached out with their own interpretations or stories connected to the song?
Arren:
It’s funny actually. ‘Broken’ was reviewed on this online magazine and the writer believed I was talking about how I’m feeling after a breakup. It’s not, but I was really happy to see that because of how versatile the song can be with different people. What I was aiming for was the song to be sort of vague, so that listeners can align their own challenges to it. So I thought it was cool that this writer heard it completely differently from how I hear it. It’s basically the whole point of the song.
Alan:
With this show coming up Saturday, what do you feel has been the biggest milestone in your journey so far?
Arren:
It has to be my last show in Little Whelan’s in February. Being able to say I played a sold out Whelan’s show is really mind boggling. It really was the culmination of all the hard work I’ve done since starting back in music in January 2024, and to see so many of the new people I’ve met and worked with show up for my show, it was amazing. Now let’s see if this show on Saturday can top it!
Alan:
And I suppose a bit of a continuation of that question, are there any moments where you’ve stopped and thought “Okay, we’re getting somewhere here?”
Arren:
Yeah basically after hearing I sold out my Little Whelan’s show. I decided to host the show because I didn’t want to be relying on terrible algorithms to push my music. I decided to start building an audience in person. To see that I managed to get 55 people in a room on a Wednesday evening just to see me play my music, it was definitely a moment I knew if I kept pushing, big things could happen down the line.
Alan:
What advice would you give to your past self when you were just starting out?
Arren:
Meet more people. More musicians, creatives, everyone. Starting out, music seemed like a big competition, and maybe it is. But it stopped me from helping out other artists or going out to meet other people in case they got ahead of me. But I’ve done a 180 on that entirely. I’m always talking to more and more musicians, and it’s only led to more opportunities for me. Plus, you never know who you are talking to. A musician I became friends with turned out tobe an illustrator and he made my t-shirt design cheaper than usual. So yeah, just become apart of the community.
Alan:
At this moment in time, what does success look like for you right now?
Arren:
I don’t really care about everyone knowing my name. Success to me is being able to do something that makes me happy as a career, and surround myself with people who enjoy the same thing. If I can make a good enough income from music, I’d be satisfied.
Thank you to Arren for taking the time to answer some of our questions. Arren plays Whelan’s tonight, Saturday the 21st of June. There are limited tickets left so get yours quick and be part of what promises to be a great night in the Capital.
Tickets can be purchased from the link below
https://www.whelanslive.com
Words – Alan Robinson @alan_robinson_photography