Walsh this space
His solace for that anxiety were the theatrical videos, dramatic performances, and the larger-than-life persona of the late American rock singer and actor Meat Loaf.
This sparked something in the silent boy, a flame that would lead him to communicating, to teaching himself piano, and ultimately earning himself a first class honours degree in music.
Though the journey was wrought with many anxieties, Kevin credits Meat Loaf’s 'never ever quit' attitude as inspiration for getting through these tough times.
The two would finally meet virtually at GalaxyCon 2020 where they struck up a rapport. Meat’s encouragement and friendship drove Kevin to overcome his anxieties as an artist imposed by autism and the Covid pandemic.
The result of this life-changing encouragement is Kevin’s upcoming solo debut single, a cover of Meat Loaf's ‘Not a Dry Eye in the House’, and a customer service role at Boots. Kevin’s mother Cathy said: “It’s like two births. You have the child that was and the young man that he is.”
Walsh teamed up with Canadian producer Taylor Harris on the track and immediately you can hear what Meat Loaf’s influence has meant to the young artist, the sense of drama and theatricality in the production, the sense of opera underneath the rock exterior.
Joey Clarkson, Luna Olivia Avery, and Marie Conniffe soar on a choral-backing vocal line that is equal parts John Williams, Jim Steinman, and Queen. Between Kevin’s classically trained, powerful tenor voice and Harris’ succinct attention to detail, they recreate the classic wall-of-sound that made the Meat Loaf original such an epic track while bringing it to a modern audience.
This influence extends further to the touching cinematic music video loosely inspired by hit US film ‘A Star Is Born’, written and produced by Walsh and filmed by deepRed Productions whose previous credits include Hozier and James Vincent McMorrow.
Bow Street Academy graduate Claudia de Luca plays Kevin’s erstwhile love, as an X-Factor inspired audition for stardom tragically tears the duo apart. The video also features Timmy Dowd (Disenchanted) and Leila Ecker (Influencer/Miss Universe Cork 2020). Kevin himself also displays the expressive acting chops which landed him supporting roles in musicals like ‘Into the Woods’, ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ and the TV series ‘The Young Offenders’. His career goal is to write a musical movie, and he sees this video as the pilot for that story.
Walsh emerged onto the music scene in 2022 with the Autism awareness-themed supergroup Embrace the World featuring the West End’s Caroline Kay and fellow neurodivergent nu-folk artist Emma Langford.
The group soared straight to #1 on iTunes, #19 on the Irish Homegrown Charts, appeared on 'The Six O’Clock Show', and headlined AsIAm’s Same Chance World Autism Conference 2022. Emboldened, he has now decided to strike out on his own as a solo artist.
Kevin looks forward to a number of performances this winter to be followed by his debut EP in 2024, a concept piece further exploring the story found in his latest music video.
More than anything, Kevin wishes to let the world know what Meat Loaf and his music has meant to him. ‘Not a Dry Eye In The House’ will be available on all major online music streaming platforms on 27 October.