A WEST Belfast schoolboy has launched his first set of rap tracks – which have gone viral.
 
Odhrán McGivern, a 16-year-old student from St Mary’s CBGS, has launched his first four solo tracks on the music streaming app Soundcloud. The young music producer released his debut track in December under the alias ‘Shimmer’. The track known as ‘Replay’ has reached over 6,000 listens, with his most recent songs ‘Indecisive’ and ‘Neverland’ reaching almost 20,000 combined.
 
Odhrán took inspiration from worldwide R & B music stars such as Australian star The Kid Laroi and is hoping these singles are the beginning of his music career.
 
The teenager from Twinbrook spoke to the Andersonstown News about how he got his start in the industry.
 
“I found my start with Hotbox entertainment. They had an open day a few years back after they got a renovation and as soon as I stepped my foot inside the studio I fell in love with the place and knew I wanted to record music here – even just to try it out.
 
“I was asked to rap for one of the producers and he told me that I was brilliant and clearly had a talent. This was probably the moment which made me want to pursue music."
 
The young rap star believes his families' musical exploits are part of the inspiration for his own production.
 
“My uncle was someone I spent lots of time with and he could play bass guitar and he was actually in a band himself, so music of all genres, was always in our family circle and something that has forever been part of my life growing up.
 
“It is not just rap, but all kinds of music I can play, just like the ukulele is an instrument I loved playing and it’s something I’ve always messed around with and built on my skills to hopefully turn it into a financial career.”
 
Odhrán spoke about how his music shouldn’t be labelled as just rap, but rather an alternative hip-hop and a mix of genres.
 
“I make music about the situation in the North, I think this place is very different. My tracks talk about wider issues such as drug problems, family issues, mental health, you know real-life issues that we all have to deal with coming from this part of the world.”
 
He continued: “I want to help people cope with their emotions and situations with my music, I have had experiences in life just like everyone. That is part of growing up here and if you listen to the words you can find comfort in the stories they tell."
 
He added: “My music is not just about addressing problems, but it’s about how you learn to deal with them."

Odhrán is hopeful that these tracks are only the beginning and his future in the music business is a bright one.
 
Odhrán’s newest release can be found on the music streaming app SoundCloud here.