Kennedy grew up in the small town of Rathcoole, a suburb of Dublin, about 15 km from the city center. He learned to play guitar at the age of 10, but didn’t start taking music seriously until he was 17. His parents supported him in his desire to start a musical career and drove him to gigs in Dublin and the surrounding area. For a few semesters he studied classical music. After starting with singer-songwriter music with acoustic guitar, his later releases are also influenced by the hip-hop scene. Thus, he uses guitar and piano patterns with trap and electronic arrangements. The lyrics are reminiscent of poets like Black Ice or rappers like Jay-Z and J. Cole. Dermot Kennedy’s voice has been compared to that of other singer-songwriters like Rag ‘n’ Bone Man and Welshly Arms, but it is softer and more emotional.