Declan McKenna Biography

Declan McKenna is a British singer-songwriter, musician and the winner of the 2015 Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition.

Early Life

Declan Benedict McKenna was born in Hertfordshire, the United Kingdom on 24 December 1998. Declan did not finish high school as he decided to begin a music career.

Career Beginnings

In 2015, he entered and won the Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition, plus a £5000 prize. As a result, he became one of the most sought after artists and major labels were lining up to sign him. Declan eventually accepted a Columbia Records contract deal. He released the controversial song Brazil, which tackled FIFA’s corruption scandal at the time. The song garnered attention and the EA videogame FIFA 2017 featured his track Isombard on their football video. The next months were spent performing at numerous festivals and live shows.

Success

Later that year Paracetamol was released, a song that discussed the issue of transgender acceptance. By this time, Declan’s song Brazil was gaining popularity in the US, entering Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart at number 32. In 2016, McKenna embarked on another period of festivals followed by his US debut in Florida. At the same time, he was working on his debut album What Do You Think About the Car? which is set for release on the 21st of 2017. The following year, Declan was announced to be performing at a variety of renowned festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Glastonbury.

Photo credit: DIYMag