Ballyvaughan musician to make Wembley debut

A North Clare student will perform at one of the world’s most famous venues this weekend as part of a major competition where he is up against five other top class musicians for a prize worth £100,000.

Ballyvaughan man Daithí Ó Dronaí will play a new piece of music for thousands of people in London’s Wembley Arena on Sunday. The performance will be televised as part of Sky 1’s Must be the Music series.
“I’m not nervous at all. I am not seeing it as a competition. It is more of a performance and I looking forward to playing to such a big audience. I have a new track too that I am looking forward to showing people. The new track is very different and has extra stuff in it,” Daithí told The Clare Champion.
Must be the Music is strongly artist-orientated, offering creative support and promotional advice to participants. After Daithí performed Carraroe in the semi-final of the show, the track became available to download on iTunes and Sky Songs. The Clare musician reached number 11 in the iTunes download charts and it was two in the alternative music charts. All the profits from these downloads go directly to the artist.
On Sunday evening, Daithí will perform a piece entitled Ci using a fiddle and loop station. After he plays it, it will be available to download.
“The piece this week is called Ci. Ciara, my girlfriend, it’s her birthday on Sunday so I said I’d name the piece after her,” he explained.
Through his performances so far, Daithí has earned some high profile fans, not least the judges, rapper Dizzee Rascal, Ivor Novello award winner Sharleen Spiteri and Britain’s biggest-selling jazz artist Jamie Cullum. “It is a bit messed up because it is a bit frustrating. I expect criticism from the judges but I am not getting it which is good in one way but I would like to hear the criticism and see extra things that they would add on or change,” he stated.
“The reaction from everyone has been amazing. I have been blown away by it. It is fantastic to be part of it. I played Electric Picnic recently and I couldn’t believe the number of people who came to watch me. There is a good passion for my music and people seem very interested in it, which is humbling to me,” he added.
Although he still sees himself as a student and part time musician, Daithi’s exposure on the show means he is now being recognised.
“There seems to be two levels. I still see myself as a small musician from Clare who is living in Galway doing gigs whenever I can. Then there is the other level where Davina McCall downloaded my track and Tweeted about it and I am in the charts. Then I was in Topshop in Galway and this guy from the UK came over to me and said he had seen me and loved my music and we chatted about it and that is so humbling. It is weird having that when you still see yourself as a small time musician,” he outlined.
Like many other reality talent programmes a public vote decides the winner. Unlike other British shows, on Must be the Music, Irish people can vote.
“It is the first time a British TV show has put an Irish number up on the screen. Irish people can vote just the same as people in the UK,” explains Daithi.
“While I am not looking at it as a competition any votes that came my way would be great. It is brilliant to have an Irish act in the show and it would be great if people voted for me,” he said.
The Clare man came to prominence in Ireland last year after he reached the final of RTE’s All-Ireland Talent Show.
Daithí is going to London on Thursday to prepare for Sunday’s performance and a contingent of his family and friends are expected to travel this weekend to support him.
“I can’t believe how supportive people in Clare have been. They have been brilliant. They voted for me and downloaded the track and I really appreciate that,” he says.
The final is on Sky 1 on Sunday at 7pm.