David Keenan's 'Rise Up' is the first song to be performed in a special series of videos, in which artists and bands join the 'Now We're Talking' campaign, to record songs related to the issue of mental health.

A songwriter and performer of unique power, David Keenan is one of Ireland's brightest new stars. He recently signed a deal with Ruby Works and his debut album is planned for early in 2020,

In our first video as part of our 2019 'Now We're Talking' campaign, filmed at the Arran Street Studios, David Keenan performs 'Rise Up' and talks about his experiences in relation to mental health.

Speaking about the song and its history, Keenan says: "I wrote this song when I was about 19. I suppose you can tell from the way I play it, it's full of angst and frustration and anger. It came from a time when I was lost within myself and couldn't express that.

"I suppose listening to my mother and my family - they were worried about me and what I was getting up to, because of all the frustration and the sense of being lost. I was going out and I was being self-destructive."

The videos are shot by Hot Press and are part of the 'Now We're Talking' mental health campaign, being run in a partnership between Lyons Tea, Pieta House – the suicide and self-harm crisis charity – and Hot Press, which aims to take the conversation around mental health in Ireland on to the next level. Lyons Tea is a major supporter of the work of Pieta House. "The reality is that without businesses like Lyons Tea we wouldn't be opening our doors," Elaine Austin, CEO of Pieta House told Hot Press.

The video is directed by Hot Press' Rowan Stokes, with additional filming from Glen Bollard and Sophie Moran, and the interview was conducted by Edwina Van Kuyk.

Listen to 'Rise Up' here and find out details about how to apply to 'Now We're Talking Live' - a special event in Smock Alley on October 10 - below:

Now We're Talking 2019
A partnership between Lyons Tea, Pieta House & Hot Press.
Let’s break the stigma and take the dialogue about mental health issues onto a new level
#NowWe'reTalking
hotpress.com/now-we're-talking

To apply for tickets to Now We're Talking: Live!

Please fill in your detail below.