The first session recorded during this year’s visit to Kilkenny in Ireland, was with Dubliner Ro Yourell. Joined by Finnish-born but Ireland-based Fanni Fagerudd on backing vocals, the singer covered David Gray’s Please Forgive Me and Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark, and played When You Look At Me off his debut solo album Commencer which was released a couple of weeks after. Join us in the upstairs room of Bridie’s for an intimate and joyful session, and make your acquaintance with Ro Yourell.

Sitting in a coffee bar in Kilkenny, just minutes after filming his session for The Influences, Irish songwriter Ro Yourell (full name: Rónan Yourell) tells me all about his – since then released – debut album Commencer and the road he took from being in a band to a solo artist. Yourell tells me about the impact of artists like David Gray and Bruce Springsteen on his work, his journey from band member to solo artist, and the reflective nature of his album. Yourell is also known for his work as a member of Delorentos, a band that’s enjoyed success in Ireland and internationally, and is now on hiatus while its members pursue other projects.

“I love the gravity in David Gray’s voice.”

Ro Yourell’s connection to music is often deeply rooted in his attachment to voices, he shares: “As a songwriter, I’m really attached to voices primarily when I write my songs. It’s quite an unconscious, meditative thing—more about the sounds and the feeling than the words at first.” This attachment is evident in his admiration for David Gray: “He is one of those singers whose voice I just connect with. I love the gravity in his voice, his melodies and his authenticity.” Although he has never met him, Yourell feels a kinship with Gray. “He seems like a really sound person, just down-to-earth. He’s all about the music. His album White Ladder was massive in Ireland – there was a joke that every household had a copy. And it seemed like every song was a hit single, you know, back in the time when people were still buying a lot of CDs.”

Bruce Springsteen, too, has left an indelible mark on Yourell’s music. “Growing up, my parents played a lot of Springsteen in the car. His songs were the background to my childhood. He can write about big issues, but I also love how he writes about simple human experiences in a profound way. And I admire his commitment to his craft and I’ve always respected how much he gives his audience as a performer.” Yourell had the opportunity to share the stage with Springsteen at Nowlan Park in Kilkenny with Delorentos back in 2013. Although he didn’t meet him, the experience was unforgettable he tells me.

Yourell’s musical journey began with nineties bands like Blur and Oasis, evolving to the influence of early 2000s guitar bands with angular riffs like The White Stripes and Franz Ferdinand. Over time, he found himself gravitating back towards narrative songwriting inspired by artists like Springsteen.

“I don’t have myself or the world all figured out, and that’s okay.”

Transitioning to a solo career has been a liberating yet vulnerable experience for Yourell, he reflects. “It’s a whole new adventure. Having grown up in a band, it’s like discovering myself again. There’s a lot of freedom, but also a lack of security. No defenses. In the beginning I struggled with that, because I felt like I needed to know who I was, or have this lovely boxed-off identity. But sharing my music and getting responses helped me feel more comfortable. I don’t have myself or the world all figured out, and that’s okay.”

So, Yourell’s creative process has evolved, embracing a variety of influences from his parents’ era to more modern, experimental sounds. His debut album Commencer reflects this; there are songs that are more stripped back and lyrically focused, and then there’s a song called Incinerate with Radiohead-like electronic elements. “It’s been musically quite interesting to have just this open book of where I could take a song. When I was writing the songs that ended up on the record, I was quite reflective, thinking about my growing up and my influences, but also instability in the world and finding your place.”

One of the standout tracks, When You Look at Me, delves into the desire to be seen for who we are amidst societal pressures. Yourell articulates: “There’s a social divide in Ireland at the moment, there’s a lot of people really struggling, on a very basic level, who don’t have somewhere to live and there’s also people working really hard in these big jobs, trying to climb this ladder to somewhere, they don’t even know where, and they might be just as unhappy. This song is about finding common ground and being seen as human beings. We’re all trying to search for something and sometimes it’s just trying to make things a bit more simple and just to be seen for who we are.”

Asked what he would like people to see when they look at him, Yourell doesn’t have to think about his answer. Finishing up his coffee, the singer concludes: “Hopefully, somebody who’s looking back at them. I’m interested in people so, if they’re looking at me then I’m looking straight back at them. That’s it, paying attention.”

The Influences in Kilkenny

In the summer of 2023, The Influences collaborated with the Kilkenny Arts Festival and in May 2024, I returned to the beautiful Irish city to collaborate with the Kilkenny Roots festival. In three days time, twelve sessions were filmed, with artist on the festival’s roster and Irish artist who drove there to record with The Influences. This is one of those sessions. Find them all as they’re published, on the Ireland page.

Photos

Keep watching

Thank you for watching and enjoying this session. You’ll probably like some other sessions from The Influences’ archive too, like these earlier ones with Bruce Springsteen covers we filmed.