Mayo singer ‘buzzing’ for release of his debut single

MAYO singer-songwriter Cathal Gavin is ‘buzzing’ and cannot wait when his original debut single ‘Out of Love’ is released on the nation’s airways later today.

The 23-year-old Swinford native may have been involved in the music industry since he was 13 years old but he feels with the launch of his first single, he is starting all over again.

“I am buzzing for it and I can’t wait,” Cathal told The Mayo News.

“It is a bit surreal actually because when you are doing it for so long and talking about it almost every day it is hard to believe that it all begins this Friday. I am so excited and can’t wait.”

Cathal very swiftly became one of Ireland’s most captivating young talents bursting onto the scene at just 13 years old with the release of his debut ‘Voice of an Angel’ album in 2015.

READ: Father tells Mayo lorry driver he is not responsible for death of his eight-year-old daughter

One of Cathal’s most memorable performances came at the 2019 World Youth Day in Panama City, Central America where he sang for Pope Francis before a staggering 250,000 people, making him the youngest Irish artist ever to perform at the event, aged 16.

Broadcast to over 37 million viewers worldwide, this performance was a defining moment in his career but despite this Cathal felt that as he got older his career needed a change of direction.

For the last two and a half years, he has worked with acclaimed producer Billy Farrell of Deadeye Productions whose credits include co-writing and producing for Westlife, as well as production work with renowned Irish artists Gavin James and Hozier.

Cathal has also worked with renowned vocal coach and singing voice specialist Deirdre Masterson, whose clients include some of the industry’s most prominent performers.

“In the last year we have been solely working on song writing and a newish direction for my voice and editing around that. It has definitely been a process and I learned so much about myself and my vocal ability and how we are able to manipulate that and make that pop sound that we are looking for. It has been a really nice journey and obviously to come out of it at the end with a song that you are really proud of is special,” he explained.

Family support

HIS biggest supporters along his music journey have been his parents Vinnie and Ann and two sisters Colleen and Ava who he says have been with him on every step of the journey.

“My family could not have been more excited or supportive. They are the first people who heard all the demos and all the out takes and changes and are all tied in. I am so lucky that they are so supportive and it will be lovely to share that experience with them as well,” he said.

Cathal’s debut original single, Out of Love, is described as a raw, honest ballad about the ache of holding onto something that’s already slipping away. With introspective verses and a cathartic, soaring chorus, it captures the emotional disconnect at the end of a one-sided relationship—the tug-of-war between heartbreak and hope, when you’re out of love but still can’t let go.

“I wrote ‘Out Of Love’ back in March 2024 at a time when everything in my life felt uncertain — college, home, relationships, and who I was becoming. It started as an eleven minute forgotten piano voice memo and months later became a song about emotional disconnect — that moment when you know it’s time to let go, but your heart hasn’t caught up.

“I wanted the sound to feel like a confessional — intimate and raw — but something with a Europop energy you could dance to in the dark. It’s vulnerable, anthemic, and made for anyone who’s ever needed to let it all out on the dance floor.”

Out of Love will be released nationwide on Friday and available on all online streaming platforms but for Cathal, the hard work will start on promoting his music.

Cathal will be performing live in The Sugar Club in Dublin on Thursday, September 25 where he will also be singing three other of his singles for the first time.

“All eyes are on that gig and it will be great to have one song out in the public and I will be debuting three others on the same night. From there it will be about promoting the song and starting the journey from the get go again. Even though I started ten years ago it is almost like a whole new start again.”