Ireland's singer-songwriter sensation hails TikTok for his breakthrough
TikTok sensation Robert Grace has teamed up with Three Ireland as their first brand ambassador for City Stages 2025 - and wants to give emerging talent the chance to perform at this year's Electric Picnic.
Songwriter and singer Grace (32) shot to fame himself after posting his songs Fake Fine and The Hurt You Gave Me on TikTok.
'If it wasn't for TikTok I really don't think I'd be where I am today,' Robert tells Magazine+. 'I got in on TikTok early and before a lot of people realised it was going to be the way forward. It has been a huge platform for me.
'Some people didn't get on board so soon. You have to follow the way the industry goes, you have to be able to adapt and you have to be watching out… that's just the way it is.
'Before TikTok no one was listening to my music, I didn't have a way of getting it out there and TikTok really gave me that. Today, most of the new songs you hear on the radio come from TikTok and 90 per cent of all the new artists have been discovered on TikTok.
'That's why Three Ireland's City Stages are going through this route to find new talent and give them the chance to perform at the Electric Picnic.
'I got to play Electric Picnic the year before last and it was one of the best experiences and probably one of the best gigs I've ever done. It was amazing. If I could play at it every year I would.
Robert Grace Three Ireland City Stages 2025 Eddie copy May 18
'That's why I feel it's so special for artists at this stage of their career and who would never have a chance of playing at Electric Picnic to have that opportunity.
'It could be career changing and life changing for these artists. First of all, you never know who could be watching, who could be there, and as well as that it's great for your CV.
'I definitely think whoever gets to go it will really give them that drive to continue and to really give it everything because they'll experience what it feels like to be at this level.'
Robert, who's from Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny, wrote his first smash hit Fake Fine — a song dealing with mental health issues — at the start of the first Covid lockdown in March 2020 and in the months that followed it made a connection with thousands of fans through TikTok.
Grace then seized the opportunity to build a successful career in music.
'If you really want to be an artist, or in the music industry, I feel like you just have to give it absolutely everything, regardless of whether it's working at the start or not.
'My brother did music as well for a long time and he was one of my inspirations. I used to see him perform and I used to say, 'I want to do that.' But he was also a super talented electrician and I remember there was this competition in Ireland for Ireland's best electrician years ago. He got to the final of it, but he didn't do it because he had a gig on.
'Now he has his own business in Australia and is doing really, really well. But I always felt like the reason I pushed for music to work for me is that I am literally useless at everything else. I have absolutely nothing to fall back on, it's music or nothing. I was like, if I don't make this work I don't have anything. So I really dedicated my whole life to it. Music is my whole life. It's not only my work, it's also my hobby.'
Robert has been open about his mental health struggles in the past and has used his songwriting to voice it through songs such as Fake Fine.
'I'm doing well these days,' he says. 'You are never cured, but I have gotten a lot better at dealing with stuff. I could go a couple of months being great and then have a week or two where it's a bit rocky, but I know how to deal with it.
'When it first started happening to me I didn't know how to handle it and now I have come to the realisation that there's no shame in it or anything like that, it's just a part of who I am.
'I have no problem talking about it and I think that always helps as well.
'It helps other people when they see that they are not alone. That's what I like to get across in my music, to let people know that you are not alone because for me that's how I felt for a while as nobody really talks about it. But I feel a lot better now.'
Robert's career is flying high with successful live performances and other projects. 'I have been releasing a lot of stuff recently with one of my good friends Ryan Mack,' he points out. 'The plan is to release a song every month for this whole year.
'I'm also doing a lot of songwriting for other artists. There's a TV show being made in Thailand and at the moment I'm after getting three or four songs for the series because they want original songs for nearly every episode. I have my foot in a load of doors.'
To be in with a chance of performing at Electric Picnic, post a TikTok video showcasing your talent — it can be an original song or cover, solo or band. Use #ThreeCityStages2025 to make sure your entry gets spotted. Tag @ThreeIreland and hit follow to stay updated.
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