Our new cover star has a big announcement to make: The release date of Dermot Kennedy's debut album Without Fear is pushed back by one week. Originally set to be released on September 27, the record will now come out on October 4.

The beloved Irish singer-songwriter made the announcement on Instagram, writing: "No big drama, just something I need to do to make sure everything is exactly how I want it to be."

He goes on thanking his fans for their patience and explains the reasons for the push back: "I basically haven't stopped for the last two years", Kennedy notes, "My life has either consisted of being on tour or being in the studio. I love that, and I'm very grateful for it, but it also means my plate is always super full with five million things I have to do, and I just need another week to make sure everything's perfect."

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In another post, the Dublin troubadour announced that some of the album launch shows are also moved back, but that he added album signing events to showcase his gratitude for the support he receives from the fans.

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A post shared by Dermot Kennedy (@dermotkennedy)

Dermot Kennedy recently played a superb gig at Electric Picnic: "He sings like he's blindly ripped lyrics out of a notebooks and fed them into a microphone before he forgets the intensity that it took to write them", Hot Press' Peter McGoran writes in his review.

He is also our cover star for this fortnight's issue, talking to Lucy O'Toole about hip-hop, religion, sneaking into festivals, the importance of Michael D. Higgins, and his stunning debut album Without Fear.