Portumna singer/songwriter John Luke charts his steady progress towards the top

It’s all down to Ed Sheeran really because seeing him live in Limerick was the lightbulb moment that made Portumna singer/songwriter John Luke realise this was the road for him too.

True to his word, a year after seeing Ed in Thomond Park he had his first single out while still in his teens. That was in March 2023; the song was called Already been Told – and ‘it’s just been go, go, go since’ admits the 20-year-old.

Or as he puts it: “It's been a journey so far, I’m still nowhere near where I want to be but I'm just so excited”!

More recently, on July 18, John Luke released his latest track called Green Eyes. It’s a song that will resonate with anyone who has ever had an idealised perception of someone and then later finds out the picture in their head doesn’t quite match the reality.

“It’s about being with somebody, and it's gotten to that stage where they're actually not making you feel good about yourself at all, and you're putting this perfect picture in your head about this person”, John Luke describes.

This song explores the theme of emotional neglect. “You think that this your ideal person, and then you kind of slowly realize they're just not anything that you're imagining, and they're actually just not good for you”, he adds.

John Luke’s most recent music reflects this new period of his life.

“It's been a lot of pop songs, love song, I'm starting to feel a lot happier and it's coming into the music which is really nice”.

And he traces it all back to that evening when he saw Ed Sheeran perform live at Thomond Park in 2022 –when he realised that he wanted to pursue a career in music.

“The more I wrote, the more I learned, and I got better at hooks and stuff like then I released Already Been Told. I went to a writing camp in Wicklow, and I met five producers and ten artists, and we just worked with each other every day – that kicked off me writing loads”, John Luke reflects.

Another big stepping stone was his first time playing at the iconic Whelan’s in Dublin, when he supported Galway singer/songwriter Jamie McIntyre.

“I had supported a few artists, but it was my first time playing Whelan’s – so that was very exciting, I was the first person on for that so it was like I was only warming up the crowd”, John Luke says.

That’s why opening for Donegal singer/songwriter Mark O’Donnell felt a bit different. “This time I was the second person on, and the crowd were feeding off me; I had them singing back my own song City Lovin’.”

And in keeping with his upward trajectory, last month he announced that he will be bringing his music to life on the big stage for his first-ever headline shows – playing in Monroe’s Galway on October 24 and upstairs in Whelan’s on November 1.

“I'm stoked, I'm starting rehearsals in my band now next week and it's so nerve wracking but I just can't wait to hop on the stage because I have so many unreleased songs,” he says.

“I have my debut EP coming out in October as well, which should come out on October 11, and it's called Comical Romance VI…. it's all exciting”, he says – as he builds on the fire lit by Ed Sheeran on his own way towards the top.

To keep up to date with John Luke’s musical journey and upcoming gigs, see @johnlukemusic on Instagram – and to listen to his music, his Spotify handle is @johnluke.

Pictured: John Luke...new single out with headline dates to follow.