Let's Do Lynchy: An Interview With Lynchy

Music
11 Mar 16

Having gone viral thanks to a freestyling clip shot on the street, Limerick native Lynchy is looking to reach a wider audience with his debut single, ‘Spotlight’. He discusses his breakthrough moment, his lyrical style and his hunger for success.

Jack Lynch’s musical journey began in 2014, in the unlikely surrounds of a bus-stop on Limerick’s O’Connell Avenue. Whilst waiting, Lynch was goaded into performing a freestyle by his peers to the beat of Philip George’s ‘I Wish That You Were Mine’.
“It was such a fluke,” he recalls. “I was at the bus stop after school, and these guys would not stop pestering me, so I finally said, ‘Alright, I’ll do it!’ I was absolutely terrified, but they put it up on Facebook and a day later it had 50,000 views.”
For Jack, playing the MC started out as a past time. He rapped to dodgy backing tracks, layering wild autotuned vocals over the beats (imagine the soundtrack to a 2006 teenage disco).
“I started out MCing when I was 12,” he reminisces. “My dad bought me the Clubland XXX CD and I remember being really taken by the Blackout Crew and Eminem. So I tried it out for myself. I would post videos to Facebook but I didn’t think anything would come of it, it was just a party piece. I had already decided that I was just going to college to study New Media or Sound Production. But with that bus stop video, everything changed.”
It most certainly did – the clip went viral and made Jack an overnight sensation. Today, it has over one million hits on Facebook and YouTube.
Having adopted the stage name Lynchy, the nascent freestyle artist quickly amassed a significant following on social media. Now signed to Universal Music Ireland, the MC is looking to storm the airwaves with his new single, ‘Spotlight’. Going from the liberty of freestyling to the structure of recording was a new experience for Lynchy, but he relished the challenge.
“In the beginning, I hadn’t the foggiest idea of how to put a song together,” he admits, “When it comes to freestyling, put a cup of coffee down in front of me and I could rap about it. This was different though, because it had to have
structure and in the end it all had to link up. For me, it was like going back to junior infants with Rainy Boy Sleep (the singer otherwise known as Stevie Martin) as my teacher. He taught me how to do all those things and together we sat down and brainstormed. He would pick out key words and I would make a rhyme.”
In this vein, ‘Spotlight’ was written. The track is Lynchy’s attempt to reach a wider audience.
“I was so apprehensive when it came to this single,” he admits. “It had to be faithful to my existing followers, and yet I wanted to attract new ones. The thing with MCing is that Marmite complex – you either love it or hate it. But working with Rainy Boy Sleep gave my stuff a new dimension.”
Brought together by producer Reuben Keeney, the duo recorded in Letterkenny and Dublin. The result? A rollicking number that perfectly showcases Lynchy’s unique lyrical flair.
“The premise of ’Spotlight’ has a lot to do with how I feel as a young artist,” he explains. “I know there are people out there who look at me as this young chap from Limerick who will be around for a couple of months, then fall completely off the radar, but I’m out to prove them wrong. If you knew me as Jack Lynch, you wouldn’t think I was capable of doing what I do. But when I take on my Lynchy persona, it’s not cockiness, but it is that certain aura of confidence. Confidence, composure and coolness, the three Cs!”
With the release of ’Spotlight’, Lynchy is now busy on a promotional tour for the single, but it’s only the beginning for the Limerick native. Asked if there are any artists he would ultimately like to work with, Lynchy has one particular collaboration in mind.
“If there was one person I could work with, it would most definitely be Maverick Sabre,” he enthuses. “I am mad to try and get to work on something with him. His voice and talent are just ridiculous!” If Lynchy continues on his current trajectory, it might just happen...