The artist who makes the stars cry

Dermont Kennedy

Dermot Kennedy is my favorite artist, and I’ve spent a long time trying to figure out why. I think it’s the language. He writes like he learned English from heartbreak, every word placed like it cost him something. Most artists gesture at emotion. Dermot builds it, syllable by syllable, until you’re sitting inside a feeling you didn’t know had a name. He makes the inarticulate legible. That’s a rare and almost unfair gift. The stars don’t cry at the melody. They cry because he finally said the thing the rest of us couldn’t.

To get the ball moving downhil, here are my top five favorite Dermont songs (RANKED):

5.) Happiness (Weight of the Woods)

4.) Lucky (I’ve told the trees everything)

3.) The Only Time I Prayed (Weight of the Woods)

2.) After Rain (Self Titled)

1.) An Evening I Will Not Forget (Without Fear)