Brian Kennedy to release new track 'Carolina Rua'

Brian Kennedy will release 'Carolina Rua' – the first single from his upcoming album How Can I Keep from Singing – this Friday.

The record, out October 16, will celebrate his 60^th birthday and the 30^th anniversary of his debut album A Better Man.

“Many moons ago, Mary Black first brought this gorgeous song to my ears from the pen of Thom Moore and we sang on his album Gorgeous & Bright over 30 years ago,” Kennedy said of the track. “Wallis Bird sang it on the Late Late Show Trad-Fest Special and my producer, Billy Farrell, insisted we record it for my 20^th album.”

Kennedy has two upcoming Irish shows – one at Dublin’s Vicar Street on November 12 and another at Belfast’s Mandela Hall on November 13.

The Belfast-born singer began his career busking on the streets of his hometown and, when he moved there, London. He also toured as a guest lead singer with Van Morrison’s Blues & Soul Revue for six years, from 1990 to 1996.

A Better Man and his third album, Now That I Know What I Want, released in 1999, both hit No. 1 on the Irish charts and earned him the awards of Irish Best Male Artist and Irish Best Male Album.

In 2000, he starred in Riverdance on Broadway for nine months. Later, he represented Ireland at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 10^th. He also received a Meteor Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 and a West Belfast Legend Award in 2019.

Most recently, he released his album, A Love Letter to Joni – Volume 2, in 2023 and his single with David Rush, ‘Feel So Good’, in June of last year.

In January, he competed on series 9 of RTÉ One's Dancing with the Stars Ireland, partnered with professional dancer James Cutler.

Tickets for his Irish shows are available here.