Limerick singer discusses coping with grief through songwriting

ROBERT Dawson’s late foster mom once told him that he would perform in Croke Park one day. After losing her, the Limerick singer wrote the song Again in her memory.

In October, he got to perform in the venue and at the same time, honour the woman who introduced him to music.

“My foster mum passed away when I was 10 years old. When I was growing up, she was the person who got me into music. She started me on my musical journey at five. She had always said that someday I would play in Croke Park, or sing an original song there. So when I got the chance to perform in that venue, I wanted to honour her,” says Robert.

“I sang my original song which I wrote about her and about losing her, so it was a very full circle moment for me.”

In the car, they used to listen to the likes of Adele, Abba and Tina Turner.

“One day we were in the car and I just started singing along to Rolling in the Deep by Adele. And my foster mum stopped the car and took a video of me and sent it around to a few people. I had no idea what was going on. I ended up then in a stage school in Limerick called Spotlight, so I suppose my beginnings were really like stage school, theatre kids,” he recalls.

The Castleconnell singer-songwriter was at Croke Park to talk about his experience with homelessness, as part of an event organised by Focus Ireland, the national organisation that aims to advance the rights of homeless persons and works to prevent, alleviate and eliminate homelessness.

Speaking of the event, he explained: “I spoke about my own homeless journey. One of the main reasons I was there was to highlight that people who are homeless aren't just a number. If I got lost in the system, or if anybody got lost in the system, you could lose someone who wants to be a singer, someone who's a good musician, or someone who wants to be a doctor. It was to put a more human side. Being homeless was just a little part of my story, I still have a lot more to go.”

Robert says he experienced what the organisation calls ‘hidden homelessness’.

“I spent a couple of weeks couch-surfing, staying at people's houses and things. I got very lucky in the fact that I wasn't on the streets, but I still experienced this. Then I linked in with an organisation called Novas, then with Focus Ireland and got housed by them,” he says.

The 22-year-old recently released Gone, a song through which he hopes to comfort those who too lost someone.

“Someone in my family lost someone very close to them, so it's like an open letter to them, just kind of saying I know how you're feeling, and it's alright to feel that way.”

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To deal with his own grief, Robert started to write songs.

“It’s very normal, it’s alright to feel that way. A lot of the time, people will feel guilty for even going out and having fun. I suppose the lesson I would say is that you can take time and be sad, you know, but don't let your life stop,” he says.

Once he sits down to play piano or guitar, he lets “everything out”.

“It's like a coping mechanism, you know? I write about absolutely everything that happens in my life and then pick the best songs and release them. I'd never write about something that will say I haven't felt or experienced myself.”

After the release of his debut album, Glory, Robert is now working on another album, which he aims to release early 2024.

“The album is about mental health, I’m very strong in my point of advocating for better mental health services in this country.”

In his next offering, he will tackle topics such as depression, anxiety - hoping to give insight into the mind of someone who suffers with their mental health.

“I think it makes it more real, I suppose, because not everyone will suffer that badly with mental health. Obviously, there's still a massive stigma in this country about us, so I feel like releasing this album and giving a real insight into it might help. It's worth it,” he notes.

Growing up, a lot of his role models would have been “strong” men. One thing was certain, he didn’t want people to think he was weak.

“A lot of male role models I would have had wouldn't have talked about their feelings or anything. There's definitely a massive stigma around men sharing their mental health. I found that growing up, it wasn't really like I didn't have anyone to talk to about it. And if I did, people would have listened, but it was more so about not wanting people to think that I was weak because I suffered with my mental health,” Robert says.

A feeling he believes is shared by all men. “They think that if they share what's going on in their brain, people are gonna talk about them and say they're weak.”

As he continues his music journey, Robert can count on his biggest fan for positive feedback.

“My biggest fan is probably my grandmother. A lot of songs that I write, I would send them to her to get her opinion. She's always supported my music since I was very, very young. She never had a bad thing to say about one of my songs,” he says.

You can now listen to Robert Dawson’s new song, Gone, on all platforms.