Young Tallaght-based rapper Fay’d’s musical story begins at age 16. Originally learning piano, his trajectory took a turn. “It all started when I was in secondary school,” he tells us. “So, like, most of what I did up until then was kind of just, like, instruments. I was a musician; I played piano – not very well! I got a few lessons, and then I met my producer in boarding school, actually, and he was all into this…the digital audio workstations and, you know, FL Studio, and he loved making these EDM beats, and I saw it and I was really intrigued, and I wanted to know more.

“So, I would always come to his room and just start watching him as he’s doing all these beats and stuff. I thought it was really cool and, yeah, he made one this one time – it wasn’t really EDM – and he asked me to write on it, and I was like, ‘I’ll try my best!’ And it just kind of started from there, and we just love making music, and that’s literally how the first song came about, is just writing. And I did this all for fun until, you know, I really thought, ‘Oh, maybe I could actually take this somewhere.’”

This friend is producer dOn’t ch0ke, who Fay’d simply refers to as Chris. When asked how they have grown together as collaborators, Fay’d responds, “When it came to making music…I was terrible at articulating what I wanted, and as our chemistry grew, and we made music more and more together, he was very good at articulating what I want, like, because [Laughs], for me, I’d explain to him, like, ‘The “boom-boom” doesn’t sound this way,’ and he’s like, ‘Oh, you mean the 808s?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that one!’ [Laughs]

“And it became a thing where, as we go on, he kind of realises that if there’s something that I feel is missing, he can kind of find what it is based on, you know, a pattern of what it is, or what I like, or what I’m used to, or what I enjoy in my sound, and it’s become a thing of, when he makes a beat for me, he knows, ‘He likes…you know, Fay’d loves strong 808s, he likes really complex melodies mixed together in some kind of weird beat that’s not really generic,’ kind of thing. So, I think it’s definitely in unison. It’s almost like he can read my mind and kind of knows what I like.”

The first hit for the duo came when their drill version of the Irish Leaving Certificate poem, “An Spailpín Fánach,” suddenly went viral. “It’s kind of funny how…when I made that song, all my music up to then was just fun, fun, fun, you know? We just [did] it for our own personal enjoyment, me and Chris, in our rooms, just kind of making music,” says Fay’d. “When ‘An Spailpín Fánach’ came around, it was more like a thing of, ‘I’m doing this for fun,’ and it all came off just me not wanting to do a class test, really! I was like, ‘Yo, miss, you can give us anything but a poetry test.’ I hated poetry, me personally, and I hated being quizzed on Irish poetry because I didn’t know how to, I guess, write a good answer for a poetry question, so I was like, “Miss, if you postpone this test, maybe I might make you a song on Irish poetry!’ So, we kind of made this song and were like, ‘This song is kind of good! We might want to release this or something!’ and we did release it, and the reception to it was insane, man.  

“I kind of remember the first time it started to bubble was…I was working with my friend over the summer, and my boss calls on the phone and was like, ‘Your song’s on The Ryan Tubridy Show!’ I was like, ‘Are you having the laugh?!’ I almost ran! I ran to where I could find a radio, I pulled out my phone, I was like, ‘No way!’ You hear a lot of things. The emails started coming in and, you know, people were like, ‘Did you make this song?’ ‘Did you make that song?’ and I was like, ‘Oh, my God! People really know this song!’ And with TikTok and all…like, posting it on TikTok, that went crazy as well. And I just think it was something new to the ears that was different, and I think that’s what got it where it was, and I think I want to keep creating that kind of sound; I don’t want to stick to this genre that everyone’s already doing. I want my own sound, kind of thing. So, once I started rapping in Irish, I think I enjoyed it. No going back from there. I was like, ‘Yeah! This is what I enjoy and like.’”

Through this virality, Fay’d was able to break into some markets thought atypical for hip-hop, such as TG4 and Galway Bay FM. Through the creation of interesting and stimulating art, he believes public interest in the language can be regenerated. In his words: “For me, even being in school – I was only doing the Leaving Cert last year – and it kind of frustrated me to see that some people just consider Irish a Leaving Cert subject, and once the Leaving Cert’s done, it’s a language they don’t need anymore. That kind of frustrated me, and I was trying to see, ‘How could we make Irish cool, in a way?’ And I think that’s what TG4 are doing so well. They’re giving Irish more exposure by doing stuff, such as having movies in Irish and getting artists to make songs in Irish, and I think by bringing the Irish language to the forefront in these kinds of mediums and, you know, through artist expression and stuff like that, I think we can really bring back the Irish language and have it as something more than just a subject you study for the Leaving Cert and leave it at that. I think Irish is much cooler than that, it’s much better than that. It’s a language, not just a subject you do a test for.”

He continues, “I think giving people exposure to it in ways that are challenging, in ways that you’re just exposed to it and it’s not really forcing it upon you, it’s more just letting it come to you. And I noticed how people are receptive, when I put the ‘An Spailpín Fánach’ song on TikTok, because at the start of the song you have, ‘Cuid A. Léigh anois go cúramach…’ and I read the comments, and I’d say about twenty percent of them were saying, ‘The trauma from the start of the song is crazy,’ because they just think…when they hear that, it’s exam mode, or when they hear the Irish language, it’s almost like instant pressure kind of thing, and I don’t want it to be like that. So, when the rest of the song comes in and they’re like, ‘Oh! OK!’ and it’s a vibey kind of thing than you thought, it’s not just a thing where you’re trying to learn it. I think a load of Leaving Cert students really opened up to it, because, for me as well, the way I felt, I think it was the first time that I found Irish fun, in a sense.”

While Fay’d’s music can fluctuate between English and Irish lyrics, for him, being Irish is a signature part of his music. “I think I want to always – wherever I go with this music – I want to show where the roots are from,” he says. “Show that I’m from Ireland, and I want to put Ireland on the map, because I don’t think Ireland gets enough recognition; like, there’s so much talent in Ireland. So, everywhere I go – I don’t care how big I am – I’m going to mention some part of being Irish in my music, whether it’s the language I rap in or something to do with Ireland that you wouldn’t really find anywhere else in the world. Yeah, I think most of my songs going forward, I just want to say I’m Irish, and just because I appear…my complexion doesn’t appear Irish, in a sense, you know, I still am Irish, and I can still show that I am, through my music.”

With the popularity of other hip-hop acts, like Kneecap, Hazey Haze and Oisín Mac incorporating the Irish language into their songs, Fay’d makes it clear that he doesn’t believe that it’s some flash-in-the-pan trend. “I believe it’s not something that’s just, ‘Ah, this is fun, but, yeah, let’s leave it aside now’; I think it’s something that’s going to keep going for a long time,” he says.

While Fay’d has thoughts about dropping an EP or album at some point in the future, for now, his focus is his upcoming single, “Waves in Éire.” “So, I do rap in Irish in that one a bit,” he says. “And, yeah, I think this one will do well with the plans I have for it…In the single, I talk about how the Irish scene is heavily underrated, and how a storm is brewing for the Irish industry, and if you’re not ready, you’re going to get hit very hard by the storm! It’s not just me; so many Irish artists, they’re bubbling and they’re ready to explode onto the UK scene, the American scene. And I use a bit of Irish in it, and it’s really bouncy kind of vibe, where it’s like céilí music, and I mix that with drill. So, it’s kind of a fusion, so I can’t wait for everyone to hear that one.”

You can follow Fay’d on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. For a more in-depth conversation with Fay’d, in which we go into greater detail about what was discussed in this article, as well as further discussions on Gaelic drill, how he chooses when to fluctuate between Irish and English in his lyrics, his thoughts for an album or EP, his singles up until now, and more, tune into today’s episode of POSTBURNOUT.COM Interviews…, premiering at 17:00 (IST) on YouTube and available elsewhere afterward.

Aaron Kavanagh

Aaron Kavanagh is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Post-Burnout. His writing can also be found in the Irish Daily Star, Buzz.ie, Totally Dublin, The GOO, Headstuff, New Noise Magazine, XS Noize, DSCVRD and more.