Today we’d like to introduce you to Declan Houlihan.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Declan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I got interested in doing music in middle school, where I was introduced to jazz. I pursued that pretty deeply throughout high school, around the same time I started messing around with Logic on my dad’s old computer. As time went on, I started to take it more seriously, especially when I found people like my friend Dov who were like-minded and already taking it seriously. I even started singing, which I never thought in a million years I’d do. I still work on that old computer but it’s in my room now. From the beginning until now it’s changed from a hobby into everything.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest obstacle for me is to get my abilities to match my ideas and taste. It took a long time to get even a little traction and I’m still nowhere close to where I want to be, and that both discourages me and inspires me to work harder. I also need to get more comfortable with my voice, which is just a matter of time and practice.
Declan – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m a music artist: singer, songwriter and producer. I make my own music under my name and I make beats for my friends. I also play keys and vibraphone. For me music is what I use to navigate life; we all have our struggles and mental battles, as well as a lot of beautiful experiences and moments. I take whatever I might be feeling on a certain day or in a certain moment and make a song out of it. Even if it’s trash and never gets heard by anyone else, it’s how I digest those experiences and am able to get moving to the next thing. To be honest I’m not sure what sets me apart yet, I’m just trying to make stuff that I think is cool and means something to me and hopefully other people can find something they like about it too.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My personal success would be putting out a body of music that I love, that’s timeless, and also creates a deep emotional connection to others like my favorite albums have done for me. And never doing something that isn’t me. That’s number one. But I’m not going to act like I don’t want to be rich and famous and all that. The reason I say that is because while I do want it and recognize it as a form of success externally, I already know that it wouldn’t fill me internally, which is why that first definition of success will always be number one. If I can check off the first, the second will be a product of that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Declan_
- Email: dhoulihan02@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Adali Schell
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