Hot For 2026 – Dove Ellis: A captivatingly original Irish artist on the verge of a major international breakthrough

Dove Ellis

Two-and-half years ago, in May 2023, hotpress.com hosted the premiere of a then relatively little-known Galway artist’s debut single, ‘Adonis’, a day before its official release.

Described as a unique blend of “RnB, pop, country, funk and alt-rock”, the track offered an intriguing insight into a captivatingly original new musical force, who – having previously performed under the moniker Donohue – had already built up a small but devoted fanbase through demos on Soundcloud, and a string of lauded live appearances.

Soon after, however, ‘Adonis’ vanished from the internet – and it wasn’t until 2025 that Thomas O’Donoghue, better known as Dove Ellis, officially re-emerged, in a sudden, swirling mist of myth and enigma, as an act on the verge of a major international breakthrough.

Interviews and biographical details about the Galway-raised, Manchester-based artist are few and far between, but the lore surrounding Ellis has spread regardless – including reports that he sparked a bidding war with his early Bandcamp tracks, though ultimately opted to go indie (AMF/Black Butter) over one of the major labels.

Following a run of intimate shows in spaces such as the Windmill in Brixton – the 150-capacity venue that famously inspired the ‘Windmill scene’ of Black Midi, Black Country, New Road, and the like – Ellis saw his profile continue to rise dramatically in the latter half of 2025, as he joined band-of-the-moment Geese on their US tour, clocked up well over a million streams across his singles, and secured a coveted St James’ Church slot at Other Voices.

All of which led him to the release of his debut album, the self-produced Blizzard, in December ‘25. Despite arriving at the bitter end of the year, after most of the best-of-2025 lists had already been compiled and published, Blizzard instantly caught the attention of major music outlets around the world – scoring glowing reviews everywhere from Pitchfork to The Guardian, which helped Ellis land spots on a slew of ones-to-watch features.

Comparisons to both Jeff and Tim Buckley, as well as Rufus Wainwright, have abounded – while his remarkable voice and soul-baring approach to songwriting have also found him likened to contemporaries Jacob Alon and Cameron Winter. Ellis himself cites the eclectic likes of Gillian Welch, Prince and Shane MacGowan as key inspirations – with the spirit of The Pogues’ bold, boundary-pushing take on folk music channelled on the Blizzard track ‘Jaundice’.

Through it all, however, Ellis’s own creative vision has remained central, and ever-moving – with a sound that’s both intimate and richly expansive, and lyrics that seem to dance between the deeply personal and the thrillingly cryptic.

The hype, it’s safe to say, is warranted, though where he’ll go from here is hard to predict. But most will agree that, with Blizzard, Ellis has crafted one of the finest Irish debuts of the decade – and an album to savour over the cold winter months still to go.

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