Marking the end of a remarkable era, 2010 took off at formidable speed with a quick flight to New York, as guest singer at a Liam Neeson fundraiser for The Lyric Theatre, Belfast, where he joined Meryl Streep to sing ‘Raglan Road’. On his return, with hardly time for a breath, came the news he’d received the prestigious Meteor Ireland Lifetime Achievement Music Award for his outstanding contribution to the Irish music industry. A day or so later, he was off again for his latest national tour of Australia and within a week or so, back in the UK for Glastonbury, along with performances at both Dublin Concert Hall and Belfast Waterfront Hall.  By mid-year, his latest album, ‘The Very Best of Brian Kennedy’, a representation of his journey so far, was released, and instantly became Radio 2’s  ‘Album of the Week’.
2011 has continued in the same vein with a stream of major events to start off a new decade: The Belfast National Songwriters Festival, the London Feis, and a trip to Denver, USA, as guest singer at the Annual Green Tie Ball.  The list goes on throughout the year with personal appearances as special guest at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, for the ‘Celebration of Fiachra Trench’, guest on Katherine Lynch’s ‘Wagon’s Den’, and an up-coming Irish tour with his Swing Christmas Show at the Ulster Hall with the Ulster Orchestra selling out months in advance.
Brian is first and foremost a live performer.  His own words, “Music is my lifeblood,” are reflected in his relentless schedule, from his first gig in the ‘90s, to present time.  His constant touring from Ireland and UK to Australia and the USA, including the major global festivals, has paid off, resulting in a thriving international fanbase.

It hasn’t been an easy ride.  His journey began in Belfast in the late ‘60s, where he spent his childhood learning to survive the challenges of ‘the troubles’.  By the age of eighteen, he was ready to discover what the rest of the world was about, and prepared to take on the tough London music scene. His exceptional vocal talent was his main asset but other talents emerged quickly and by 1990 he’d released his first self-penned album, ‘The Great War of Words’, containing the hit signature track ‘Captured’.

Now recognised as a creditable singer-songwriter, he was chosen as featured lead singer on legendary Van Morrison’s ‘Blues & Soul Revue’. During that six-year tour, he shared the global stage with Van and other all-time greats: Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, amongst many. He also accompanied Van on five of his major albums.

Brian is well practised in making personal appearances – and receiving awards. There have been plenty along the way.  2000 found him in New York, as lead singer in a specially commissioned version of Riverdance on Broadway, for which Bill Whelan wrote new songs especially for Brian. End of 2005 he was singing at George Best’s funeral at Stormont, Belfast, and a few months later he was in Athens, representing Ireland at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest.
Throughout the continuous touring, Brian managed to maintain a stream of a dozen or so mostly self-penned, chart-making albums. ‘A Better Man’ (1996) and ‘Now That I Know What I Want’ (1999), both went platinum at No.1. and earned him the awards of Irish Best Male Artist and Irish Best Male Album.  His single, ‘You Raise Me Up’, from the 2005 ‘Tribute’ album to George Best  entered the charts (at No.4) immediately, as did the highly acclaimed  ‘Homebird’ (2006) and cover album ‘Interpretations’ (2008).

A born communicator, it ’s natural that Brian’s talents have carried him into other aspects of Arts & Entertainment. His abilities as a Radio/TV presenter are proven, exemplified in the successful TV two-part series ‘Brian Kennedy On Song’(2003), covering traditional Irish songs, in which he was both presenter and performer.  At the same time, he’s managed to weave into a staggering workload, several short stories, and two best selling novels: ‘The Arrival of Fergal Flynn’ (2004), and ‘Roman Song’ (2005). Both books entered the Best Seller list and resulted in the award of an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters, from Ulster University for his contribution to the Arts.