[SOUNDS OF 2017] - #2 - Declan McKenna

Declan Mckenna - the East London 17-year old who has undoubtedly got the best year ahead of him in music. After winning Glastonbury’s emerging talent competition back in 2015 as a solo 16-year old, Declan has come a long way in the short space of a year. Being a favourite amongst numerous music blogs, Declan’s unique voice as well as alternative/experimental tunes definitely captivate the attention from industry experts as well as audience members at live shows.


Declan released his first single ‘Brazil’ back in August 2015, highlighting politics and FIFA corruption in his lyrics. He managed to combine the strong topic with catchy melodies and a tuneful chorus which received a lot of attention from numerous blogs as well as reputable Radio stations such as Sirius XM. Again, Declan’s second single release ‘Paracetamol’ tackles contemporary issues facing transgender teenagers, which again is very topical in our society nowadays. It is hard to believe that Declan Mckenna is only 17, when he manages to write songs that are incredibly mature and so intricate that they’re a pleasure to listen to. These releases have a great alternative edge to them as well as a unique style that only Declan Mckenna can create, he reminds us a bit of an earlier Vampire Weekend-style genre.

2016 was definitely Declan’s year in taking the first crucial steps towards success. He signed a huge deal with Major label Columbia, and also recruited an amazingly talented full band to play with him on his live appearances. In September, Declan performed his most recent single ‘Isombard’ on Late Night With Jools Holland, which received exceptional reviews. Having recently supported Blossoms on their UK tour, Declan reached a whole new audience and most definitely is on the road to a successful career in the music industry.

2017 will definitely bring great things to this amazingly talented singer-songwriter who undoubtedly has exceptional new song material up his sleeve. With a headline tour set to take place in early 2017, make sure that you catch Declan in these intimate venues whilst you still can as we are sure that he is going to become huge! Just you wait!

Written by - Maria Torres