Danny O’Donoghue has said that listening to Sabrina Carpenter has helped him reconnect with music following the death of his close friend and The Script co-founder Mark Sheehan.

Speaking to Stuart Clark in the current issue of Hot Press, O’Donoghue explained how his relationship with music changed in the aftermath of Sheehan’s passing. "Yeah, I’ve been reconnecting myself with music," The Script frontman said.

"After Mark passed, it wasn’t really touching me in the same way. I was like, 'This is fucking weird. Every time I think of an act I want to listen to, I turn it off two songs in.'"

He recalled how a friend suggested a new approach: "A friend of mine suggested, 'Why don’t you check out acts you’ve never listened to before? Go with my suggestion; Sabrina Carpenter.' I was like, 'Arrrgh, no, it’s just a pop thing.'"

However, O'Donoghue gave it a chance. "I go for an hour-long walk every morning and night, so I stuck Short n’ Sweet on and, bro, three songs in I was a Sabrina Carpenter fan!"

He added that his passion for music has returned. "I’m back in love with music now the way I used to be," he said.

O’Donoghue also noted another recent musical discovery. "I took Kendrick Lamar out for a walk as well and went, 'Jesus Christ, I don’t know what this is – rap jazz or something – but it’s so fucking cool!'"

The Script are set to perform at Thomond Park, Limerick on 12 July, with special guests James Bay and Allie Sherlock.

The full interview with O’Donoghue, in the new issue of Hot Press, is in shops now – and available to order online below: