Irish rap star Malaki thrilled as lyrics featured on exterior of trendy new Dublin hotel

Sunday World

22-07-2025

The Dubliner from Stillorgan says he's particularly honoured to have been chosen by the quirky citizenM hotel as the featured artist from a list that included Hozier and Dermot Kennedy
Irish rap star Malaki yesterday spoke of his thrill that a trendy new Dublin hotel has featured a bronze-cast lyric of one of his songs as an eye-catching attraction on the building's exterior.
The Dubliner from Stillorgan says he's particularly honoured to have been chosen by the quirky citizenM hotel, set opposite St Patrick's Cathedral in The Liberties, as the featured artist from a list that included Hozier and Dermot Kennedy.
'I'm still a struggling artist with a day job as a hospital porter, so they probably felt it would mean more to me than to artists who've had international success, which I'm very grateful for,' Malaki tells the Sunday World.
'I don't think it'll sink in until the official opening next week. For me and probably many other people, your city is who you are. And as a Dubliner it's very ingrained in who we are…proud to be here, but proud of the concrete and the grass on which we stand.
'I think as an artist to have something to remember you and your legacy is huge. We see it across the city with our Phil Lynotts and our James Joyces and Luke Kellys, and to me that just screams achievement - what they did for the art and not just for themselves.
'For me, in the beginning this journey was for Dublin, it was to spread a message to Dubliners because that's what Malaki means, it's messenger, and I just felt I did my job when I saw it.
The citizenM hotel in Dublin
'It felt like you did what you wanted to do you grieved in the city of Dublin, you wrote a song about your love of the city, and now it has come full circle, you've got what you wanted and you've come out the other end.'
Malaki's lyrics are from his song, Cuppa Tea. 'It's one that I've always loved playing live. The first time I played it everyone went crazy because it was upbeat, they could relate to it, it's fun, it has this great outro,' he says.
'So it seems it's always been meant to be that it's my most important song. And in this case it was chosen by the citizenM people, I didn't choose it.'
The citizenM hotel group has 36 hotels in 21 cities around the world and is the brainchild of Rattan Chadha, founder of global fashion brand, Mexx.
It's Dublin hotel is a Brutalist-style building design by legendary Irish architect Sam Stephenson, lovingly preserved and given a fresh new life by citizenM's creative team.
'They contacted me by direct message on Instagram three years ago,' Malaki reveals. 'And they said they chose Cuppa Tea because they wanted a representation of Dublin city. Even not coming from the city and not having any business here they felt that song was the best representation of it.
'And that was a massive compliment because that's exactly what I wrote the song about. It's about the love that's for Dublin, basically.
'I always wanted a billboard, but this is even better, this is forever.'
Malaki
Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 21st