Cian Ducrot: "You’re sitting there surrounded by everybody you’ve seen growing up - Lady Gaga, Shakira, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Chris Martin. It’s insane"

Despite the pre-Croker Oasisification of the charts, nothing or nobody was going to deny Cian Ducrot his second Irish number one album with the all killer, zero filler Little Dreaming.

Although the cover image of the Corkman splayed across a sofa in a private jet is supposed to be a parody, it’s the kind of A-List pop star life that Ducrot is becoming accustomed to with arena sellouts, awards ceremonies, big name collaborations and the launch of his own clothing line all part of the new norm.

“It was inspired by the famous plane from the ‘70s which the likes of Elton John, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin used to tour America,” Cian reveals with a smile. “You can only imagine what was going on as they flew from city to city. If you stick its name, The Starship, into a search engine all these iconic photos come up including one of Elton John playing an electric organ while people are partying around him. I thought it was such a cool concept and captures the magic of this album for me, hence we’re calling our upcoming dates The Dream Ship Tour.”

The most joyous song you’re likely to hear this year, the Little Dreaming title-track is an everything including the kitchen sink affair which includes trace elements of Elton, the Bee Gees, Robbie Williams and Queen.

“Some of that song actually stems from pre-the first album,” Cian notes. “I knew what I wanted to do with it but wasn’t in the right place personally at that point to pull it off. This time I thought, ‘Just go for it!’ and it worked. It’s nice to feel that my songwriting has evolved."

Another of Little Dreaming’s standouts, ‘Who’s Making You Feel It’, has a Mr. E. Sheeran of Ipswich to thanks for its inclusion.

“When I was halfway through recording, I played Ed some of the songs – I’d written well over a hundred – and he said, ‘That sounds like a really strong first single’,” Cian tells me. “I’m glad I took his advice because it set the tone for the album. It kind of set me free as well. Compared to where I was on Victory, I feel like I’m far more creative now.”

Where did this little tête-à-tête take place?

“Over a curry in his house.”

Is Ed a wimpy korma man or a mean vindaloo motherfucker?

“I was so shook being sat there with one of my biggest idols that I couldn’t tell you, other than it was chicken! ”

The album opens with ‘It’s Cian, Bitch’, a 90 second skit which hopefully means that non-Irish and French people will now be able to pronounce his name properly.

“I used it a little bit as my intro on the Teddy Swims tour I did,” he says. “I haven’t done it again since but I might bring it back because it’s quite funny and audiences seem to respond to it.”

If Ducrot ever goes into MMA, it’d be great walking to the octagon music.

“That’s the plan, for sure!” he deadpans.

Little Dreaming comes to a suitably climatic close with ‘See It To Believe It’, which features a guest turn from teenage American guitarist Grace Bowers who seriously knows how to rock.

“She was at the Grammys, so that was my first introduction to her,” Cian says when I ask how their musical paths crossed. “Then I saw some videos of her afterwards and thought, ‘Wow, she’s such an amazing player with bags of attitude.’ So, I just chanced it and asked Grace if she’d be up for the guitar solo that originally I was going to do. She was, ‘Yeah, love to’ and absolutely shredded it on the song.”

Cian Ducrot at the Grammys.

When Hot Press had its last proper sit down with Cian in August 2023, he perhaps a bit too candidly told us how he’d ended up collaborating with American R&B superstar SZA.

“I’m not a massive pop fan – I mainly listen to hip hop, rap, a lot of jazz and random French stuff – but I went through a phase where I couldn’t stop listening to SZA,” he revealed. “And then one day, completely out of the blue, she follows me on Twitter. I’m like, ‘What the actual fuck?!’ Shortly after that, I’m in the toilets at Soho House in London, having a shit and checking my phone, as you do, and discover I’ve been DM’d by SZA. She was asking, ‘When are you going to be in America? Will you please help me finish writing my album?’ I was like, ‘I’ll be fucking there tomorrow’, y’know?’

Making it to Los Angeles the day before SZA handed her SOS album to her record label, they quickly dashed out ‘Saturn’, which ended up on both the deluxe version of her US chart-topper and, in February this year, earning them a shared Best R&B Song Grammy.

Cian is still trying to get his head round the journey from the Universal Music W.C. to the winners’ podium at the Staples Center.

“I was actually in a meeting with the concert promoters, Live Nation, when I heard I’d been nominated,” he resumes. “I didn’t know the nominations were being announced that day and, even if I had, I didn’t for a second think that ‘Saturn’ would be among them. I was like, ‘Oh my god, how did this happen?!’ Perhaps some people do but I’ve never sat down and thought, ‘Right, let’s write an award-winner.’ It felt totally surreal.”

And even more so come the day of the Grammys ceremony.

“It’s actually a full-day event that starts at eleven in the morning; it’s super, super long,” he explains. “I got ready with my friends and my girlfriend and then went down and did photos and press opportunities on the red carpet. There are so many awards that they’re split into two ceremonies, ours being the evening one you see on the telly. You’re sitting there surrounded by everybody you’ve seen growing up - Lady Gaga, Shakira, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Chris Martin. It’s insane. We got invited to Bruno Mars’ after-party, which was just a hundred people and him and his band playing. It felt like I was hallucinating the entire time. I’ll never get over it!”

Ducrot had barely recovered from the shock of winning his Grammy when he got a call from the IRFU asking, “Would you come and sing the anthems at Ireland’s Six Nations game against France on March 8?”

“That was the scariest, most terrifying thing I’ve done in my career by miles,” he admits. “I was so honoured and proud to do it, though, and relieved after singing ‘La Marseilles’ and getting it pretty much right that I didn’t spark a major diplomatic incident.”

Having maintained the entente cordiale at the Ireland v France game, Cian was invited back to the Aviva on June 20 to perform one of his own songs, ‘Shalalala’, on the pitch before the Lions’ sendoff against Argentina. Much to the chagrin of GB ‘News’, Ducrot shouted out ‘Free Palestine!’ at the end. Was the act of solidarity pre-planned?

“No, it just came into my mind as I was walking out five minutes beforehand. I thought, ‘Fuck it, if I don’t do it now I’ll regret it.’ I knew some people would go, ‘Oh, maybe not a good thing to have done… ’ after but I didn’t care what they thought. As insignificant as it was in the grand scheme of things, I felt like I had to say something.”

Ducrot’s politicking doesn’t end there, with one of Little Dreaming’s rockier moments, ‘No Way To Live’, taking aim at homophobes, transphobes and misogynists who are told in no uncertain terms to “Stop being a dick!”

In the track-by-track guide sent to fans by Cian, he says: “Stop judging people. Stop taking offence to the way someone dresses or identifies! It’s not your problem or your life. It shouldn’t affect you, so just live your own life!”

Which given the trampling of LGBTQI+ and women’s rights recently on both sides of the Atlantic, needed saying.

“Battles we thought were won are in play again,” he rues. “I’m very proud of that song, although I wish I’d changed the lyrics of the last chorus to, ‘Life is short, just like your dick.’

“I wrote the song in the US with two friends of mine, one of whom is very close to that issue with their own identity. It felt right to be doing it with somebody who knows more about it than I do as an outsider looking in, and is fearful that things are just going to get worse and worse. It also goes deep into other issues like kids being taken from their parents and families thrown out of the country. The stuff that’s happening at the moment in America is appalling.”

And extends to people having their US visas denied or revoked for daring to criticise their Dear Leader. Does Ducrot worry he’ll be next?

“It’s obviously a huge risk,” he acknowledges. “There’s no use in trying to preach and then being banned from America. What use is it if I can’t go there and get these songs heard by the people who probably need to hear them most? We shouldn’t be filtering ourselves and I respect everyone who speaks up in whatever way they choose. For me, though, there’s no point if I can’t go to America and get to the hearts and minds of people. Singing ‘No Way To Live’ in Europe doesn’t have the same meaning as singing it in America. So, yeah, it’s a fine line.”

Cian pauses for a moment and then adds: “At the end of the day, we have to stand up for what we think is right. If that means opening your mouth and getting your visa taken from you rather than being silent and complicit…”

When we speak to him, Ducrot is still buzzing from selling out his two Cork Live At The Marquee homecoming shows.

“It was crazy… I’ll never get over it to be honest. I just want to do it again tomorrow. Every time I finish playing at home, I’m sad that I’ll have to wait another year or whatever to come back. It’s just so special for me.”

Another of Cian’s 2025 highlights has been supporting Teddy Swims, first during the spring in Europe and starting on September 7 in North America. What sort of a guy is he?

“An iconic, big ass legend!” Ducrot enthuses. “Amazing artist, amazing singer. Just a sweet, dear, kind friend with a big heart. Such a dude!”

As if life as a globetrotting pop star isn’t enough to be going on with, March saw the launch of Ducrot’s MishMash clothing line which promises “hoodies that don’t bunch up under jackets and crop deliciously, and t-shirts that sit perfectly, have the right sleeve length and don’t stick to your ass.”

Who are his personal style gurus?

“I’m a big fan of the French designer, Jacquemus; he’s a genius,” he proffers. “It’s not just the clothes but also the way he markets and promotes his stuff and what he did to get to where he is today. Similar to me, he’d flashmob with his clothes so that’s pretty cool.

“I also look to the past and what different artists were doing in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The Rolling Stones and Elton John who’s my go-to for pretty much everything plus Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga.

“Fashion has been a big part of my identity since early on, so it’ll be really interesting to see how MishMash develops.”

While Cian is clearly loving life at the moment, does being away from home for long periods and the constant pressure to deliver ever get to him?

“It is quite intense and goes very fast but I love it,” he concludes. “I’ve been blessed with the most incredible life, so I’ll keep giving it my all and stop when I’m dead.”

• Cian Ducrot’s Little Dreaming album is out now. He plays the Dublin 3Arena on December 20.