Track of the Day | Conor Marcus | Hold Me Close Again

You may already be familiar with the name Conor Marcus. You've probably watched him on TV, storming to the semi-final of The Voice Kids, where he was mentored by McFly frontman Danny Jones. Or perhaps you've already caught him live, playing an intimate acoustic show with Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody. It's a remarkable CV, made even more impressive when you learn Conor Marcus is just 14 years old. 

For Conor, life post The Voice could so easily belong to the showbiz cycle of major labels, over-produced cracks at the pop charts and social media overload, as is the case with so many who have followed this path. Instead the County Down teenager returned to the streets, busking across Belfast and Dublin, following the dedicated path of his hero Ed Sheeran. He remains indebted to the art of songwriting, crafting tunes in his bedroom while winning a place on the Oh Yeah Centre's 'Scratch My Progress' development program, one of the youngest songwriters ever to do so.

The reward for Conor's DIY, principled approached? 'Hold Me Close Again', a brooding, acoustic bop a-la-Sheeran and JC Stewart. The teenager's ear for a melody and pitch-perfect vocals leave his career path wide open, and proof that daytime radio hits don't need 6 writers, 15 producers and an LA studio to blossom on the airwaves.

It remains incredibly early days for the songwriter, who will inevitably improve as he begins to experience more of life. We've seen before with bands like Dublin's The Strypes, how early hype can suffocate young musicians, but Conor Marcus occupies a different space. He's in it for the long hawl, for the right reasons and has the personality to back it up.

If 'Hold Me Close Again' is the starting point, then Conor Marcus should prepare himself for a very exciting new chapter ahead.

Taylor Johnson