An Irishman relocated to Berlin – though not right now – delush has found the German capital has crept quickly into his very identity.

His music is a thoughtful journey of self-discovery, with tracks of self-examination, gentle, soulful takes, alongside creative collaborations and almost jazzy undertones.

The whole thing stems, in part, from finding his crowd aborad, spending years working on their music, and then finally turning around to lean into his own output.

I spoke to him about his forthcoming album, and to learn all about his lifestyle and music…

You’ve been in Berlin for a few years now. We all hear about the city’s artist lifestyle – how have you found it, and has it influenced the way you work?

More freedom means more ability or even responsibility to figure out for yourself who you are and what you want and do not want in your life.

Without judgement, who would you be? How do you want to spend your time? The city gives you a close approximation to this particular ideal.

If you are to survive more than a couple of years in the city, reflection on yourself is essential, and of course, this naturally seeps into my work like water.

There are many chances to get lost in the city, in music and nightlife and everything that comes with it, and many do.

There are also chances to find yourself, and many do find themselves.

There is every extreme and everything in between being expressed by artists here. Both in consciousness and unconsciousness. And still there is always space for an artist who is simply him or herself.

What have been your favourite experiences from your time in Berlin?

Our collective, Welcome to the New World, hold annual rituals with music, poetry, and sound journeys. They have been special and transformative for me. You can come to the next!

What prompted you to move to solo work instead, and how does it compare to your previous work with others?

After many years helping others with their music the feeling just came up: “it’s time now”.

When helping others as a producer, I was very focused on developing artists. Rather than go into the studio for longer periods and hope for an evolved record, I preferred to work with artists in rehearsal rooms and small studios over the course of a year, so that they instead would have evolved as artists in the way they wanted to by the time the record was produced.

It meant I had their interests and vision in my mind and heart for long periods of time. It wasn’t really possible for me to also focus on my music during those years. Now I can. When I collaborate with artists as a vocalist or writer, I tend to have a lot of fun, and enjoy the opportunity to explore in a new territory.

With my own music, especially when I’m also the producer and writer, the music walks hand in hand with my own growth and outlook on the world. My natural way of creating shifts over time from one approach into the next. I would say because I am the artist and producer I get to take care of every detail. That is both a great power and privilege and a heavy weight sometimes. But I love it. It’s a greater ask than collaborating for sure.