For most artists, the challenges of lockdown were innumerable. From cancelled tours to postponed release dates, the pandemic was a devastating blow to the momentum it takes some musicians years to build up. But for Kildare’s Lea Heart, the newfound free time sparked something wholly unexpected – a bright new career in music, and millions of global streams, during a period in which venues around the world remained shuttered.

Of course, now, with the reopening of live music, the 21-year-old is about to make the leap from a predominantly online presence, to playing her first ever headline Irish shows, with two nights at The Academy in Dublin.

In some respects, she can see how her unusual career trajectory has had its benefits.

“I’m glad I had a few months at home to process everything that was going on,” she says. “I got to really work on my music, and set my goals, without being thrown straight into the deep end. But there does come a time when you’re just aching to actually get up and perform live, because that’s probably the biggest part of releasing music – seeing how the crowd reacts. And even seeing your audience. I don’t really know my age group – are they young, are they teens? You can obviously get an idea by statistics and analytics online, but until you see them, you don’t really know.”

Lea Heart’s lockdown success reflects bold new changes currently underway in the music industry. As well as getting her song ‘A Million Goodbyes’ featured in an episode of Love Island, her phenomenal popularity is also largely owing to social media.

“In the first two or three weeks of lockdown, I made Instagram and TikTok accounts purely for my music,” she tells me. “I started posting original songs and covers. I had always sang, and adored music, and wrote stuff myself – but I’d never really put it out there for people to look at.

“I realised, ‘If I’m ever going to make a page for my music, it has to be now.’ So I spent literally everyday at my piano in the sitting room, writing different songs, and recording stuff for social media. It was through that that my management found me. Then I started working on songs to actually release, and I started writing with people, and working with producers. I never expected to start posting online, and end up here. Obviously it’s what you hope for! But you never really think it’s going to happen.”

Fellow Kildare act Picture This have also been early champions of Lea. As well as collaborating on a special version of ‘A Million Goodbyes’, the band have selected her as one of the support acts for their Malahide Castle show in June.

“They’re obviously so successful in Ireland, so they’re amazing role models for me to learn from,” Lea smiles. “They mentored me a bit at the beginning as well. There’s so much incredible music in Ireland at the moment, with all these different genres coming about. Pop is definitely having its moment, which is amazing for me – because pop is what I absolutely love.”

That being said, music wasn’t her only interest during her school days.

“It’s strange, but I really liked economics and business as well,” she grins. “So that was there as an option but music is obviously my passion. My parents were like, ‘Look, there’s always college to go back to. There’s always back-up plans.’ There was definitely no pressure from them – no threats like, ‘If you haven’t sold out the 3Arena within a year you’re going back to college!’”

Lea can probably set those back-up plans aside – as her career trajectory looks set to continue to soar over the months ahead.

“I’d love to release an album,” she enthuses. “I’m constantly working on new music, in the hope that I’ll be able to do that sometime in the future. Playing live, and continuously playing bigger venues, is also really important to me. I just want to grow, get my name out there, and keep working on music.

“I definitely have a lot of plans – but we’re just taking it as it comes at the moment.”

• ‘Taking Back My Heart’ is out now. Lea Heart plays The Academy, Dublin on April 19 & 20.