Last week, Artist of the Week ventured into international waters with French femme fatale Yelle. So this week, in keeping the Euro theme, we’re stepping out of the States and focusing on another foreign artist.
Enter Paddy Casey. He’s the biggest singer-songwriter you’ve probably never heard of but probably aren’t going to stop hearing about any time soon.
The thought-provoking Irish troubadour started out busking on the streets of Dublin and Galway and was ultimately discovered at a bar gig when he was still just in his teens. He went on to release three full-length albums, each culling from his boundless music tastes — from ’60s funk and soul to Bob Marley to Bob Dylan, to whom he’s frequently (and not lightly) compared — and each gaining him more and more attention in Ireland.
His 1999 debut, Amen (So Be It), went triple platinum and earned him a Hot Press Irish Music Award for Best Debut Album. Three years later, after opening for the likes of R.E.M. and the Pretenders, his career trajectory on a fast and furious pace, he released his sophomore album, Living. And by 2004, it went 12 times platinum, right behind U2’s How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
After opening for U2 and selling out shows on his own (and winning over crowds with his unexpected covers of Blackstreet, Outkast and Frankie Goes to Hollywood) Paddy packed left “the sticks” of Ireland, (as he describes his small hometown) for the bright lights of Hollywood, where he recorded his third album, Addicted to Company — an album that expertly expresses his hyper-evolved musical tastes, genius instrumental prowess and substantial songwriting skills.
With Addicted to Company set to make its U.S. debut this week, a Letterman gig booked, and a spot supporting KT Tunstall on her upcoming tour, Paddy Casey is poised to widen his fan base to include Americans attracted to his unique ability to make sensitive, soulful music that matters and resonates yet never resorts to schmaltz or sap.
Watch our exclusive Buzzworthy interview with Paddy Casey, check out his Artist of the Week videos, and find out more about Addicted to Company, the album that’s set to put him on the mainstream musical map.