Dermot Kennedy shares live take of "Power Over Me", says it's about being "under somebody’s spell"

Hotly-tipped singer/songwriter Dermot Kennedy has already surpassed four million streams of his powerful "Power Over Me" single that was premiered by Annie Mac as her Hottest Record In The World last month.

Today he's shared an acoustic live session of his huge new single, where he unleashes his true vocal power backed by little else than a grand piano and some soulful backing singers. You can check out the session below, and find our Q+A with Kennedy below that.

BEST FIT: Could you introduce yourself and your sound to our readers?

Dermot Kennedy: "I’m Dermot Kennedy, and I’m a singer/songwriter from Ireland. I was first inspired by artists like Ray LaMontagne and Foy Vance but now my sound has progressed, and is influenced more by hip hop, which is no surprise because it’s basically what I spend most of my time listening to these days. So the arrangements have grown and developed, but I still try to keep that intimacy and passion of an acoustic show."

What is the crux of your latest single "Power Over Me"?

DK: "The main idea behind this song is just that thought of being totally in awe of somebody. Where someone controls your mind and your thoughts, but in the most positive way. When you’re just under somebody’s spell and totally enamoured with somebody."

Have you got a routine when it comes to writing and recording? If so what do you need to create?

DK: "I don’t really have a set routine. Sometimes lyrics come first, and I put them alongside the music like a poem. And then sometimes the music will come first, and if it really makes me feel something, then I might write the whole song that day. I’ve taken one day and I’ve taken weeks to write songs. It’s never the same way twice. I just need my notebook and a long walk in the morning before heading to the studio, to clear my head."

You've got a very soulful voice, were you influenced by anyone in particular?

DK: "I’d say the two singers who influenced me most at the very beginning were David Gray and Glen Hansard. Two masters of delivery. I was obsessed with how those guys got a song across. Since then people like Justin Vernon and Stormzy and Drake have influenced me hugely."

What has been your biggest highlight of 2018?

DK: "My best moment this year was probably coming home to Ireland to play to almost 10,000 people at Electric Picnic. I’ve spent so much time away from home this year, and so to come home to that reception and that energy was a really incredible feeling."

Any big goals for 2019?

DK: "My biggest goal is to put together my debut album at the beginning of next year. It’s been a long time coming, I have so many songs floating around, and so it’s time for me to figure out which ones deserve to exist and put together the best project I can."