Artist Interview: Aaron J. Burke
Aaron J. Burke is an Irish singer-songwriter known for his emotionally charged songwriting, powerful acoustic performances, and a compelling journey through music. Hailing from Kildare, Aaron blends the rawness of lived experience with the heart of rock and the intimacy of the singer-songwriter genre. With tracks like “Run For Cover” and “My Therapy,” Aaron’s music stands as a testament to resilience, passion, and the transformative power of art. We sat down with Aaron to learn more about his musical path, inspirations, and what’s next.
Tori: Can you take us back to the moment you realized music was your path?
Aaron: I was about twelve years old and I saw the movie School of Rock and I was just blown away by the kids and their musical ability. It sort of lit the fire in my gut to sit down and learn guitar, which up to that point was gathering dust in the corner because I thought, in my childish mind, it was “tooo hard”!
Tori: How has growing up in Kildare shaped your sound and songwriting?
Aaron: Kildare has been an amazing place to grow up and feel the history of music in the county, especially for the singer-songwriter scene. There are countless musicians who are doing fantastic things and to be able to say I come from that area with all that talent at the doorstep is a wonderful feeling and makes me proud to be from Kildare.
Tori: What was the turning point that led you from rock music into the more acoustic singer-songwriter scene?
Aaron: It was sort of born out of necessity. Up to my early twenties, I had been predominantly an electric guitar player, writing rock songs and covering Metallica and Foo Fighters songs. But I started music college in 2013 and quite quickly I realised I was at a disadvantage. There were so many brilliant singer-songwriters in that course and I was just a rhythm guitarist. I realised I wanted more from myself than what I had to offer at that point, so taking inspiration from the scene I found myself in, I picked up the acoustic and started learning how to sing and write songs.
Tori: Your debut EP features critically acclaimed tracks like “Could It Be” and “Run For Cover.” What do those songs mean to you personally?
Aaron: Run For Cover is a very personal song. It was written through a massively chaotic time of my life—I was homeless and had also suffered a mental breakdown. During recovery, in the small amount of personal belongings I had was my guitar, which by some miracle I managed to hold on to. Run For Cover came to be. It was fast, loud and the lyrics were a huge catharsis for me—I was saying eff you to all that had led me to that point in time and it helped me make sense of a senseless time.
Tori: “My Therapy” feels like both a personal anthem and a tribute. What inspired its creation?
Aaron: The original music and lyrics of “My Therapy” were written in 2018. I was in music college for the second time. I would be in early morning to late afternoons, then I'd get out, go home—which usually took longer than an hour as the college was in Dublin and I was Kildare-based—so if there was an open mic on, I'd be home briefly, literally just “in the door but out again.” That process led me to want to write a song about the joys of playing live. Just to be able to go somewhere that hosted a free space to perform was like a pilgrimage.
Tori: You mentioned the rush of playing live shows during the early days. What does performing live mean to you today?
Aaron: I have sort of a love/hate relationship with performing. I spoke a little about my mental health earlier and I'm very transparent about it to people on social media. I have a lot of social and general anxiety—it impacts a lot of facets in my day-to-day life. When I was younger, I guess I “pushed” myself to perform through rather unhealthy means like “liquid courage.” Not to say I don't love playing music live—I do, very much—but I also have to be realistic and plan my appearances accordingly. If I'm having a bad mental health time, there's a risk I could have a panic attack. I won't push myself as that would result in a bad performance for both the audience and myself.
Tori: “My Therapy” is described as a love letter to bands like U2 and Foo Fighters. What influence have they had on your musical identity?
Aaron: A massive influence! I grew up in a very musical house—there were always records spinning. If it wasn't U2 blaring the house down, it was Foos in my teens on my Discman (really showing my age! Haha). I cannot deny those earliest formative years and the hold that style of music has.
Tori: When writing songs, do you tend to start with lyrics, melody, or emotion?
Aaron: Most of the time it starts with me just jamming on the acoustic. I'll put the capo on a random fret and just start messing around. I find a lot of joy in breaking chords down to their fundamental finger positions and strumming out random variations until I find something that piques the ears. Then it just snowballs from there. The lyrics and emotion are married together, but they sometimes come in the moment—and it’s not unusual for them to come later.
Tori: You’ve played countless open mic nights—do you have a favorite memory from those performances?
Aaron: There was one night I hadn't figured out the second-to-last song I wanted to play in the set. I was jittery before, going back and forth on which song I was going to choose—a typical heartbreak song or a more ambitious song inspired by a poem. So when I was on stage, I decided to put it to the audience for a vote. I asked them to make noise for either song they most wanted to hear. It felt incredible to have the audience engage with me like they did. The cheers and applause as they chose still makes me smile to this day. (They chose the song based on a poem!)
Tori: How do you balance the vulnerability of songwriting with the energy of performing?
Aaron: I constantly remind myself that, as vulnerable as I am on stage, the audience is made up of people like me—just as vulnerable, just as emotional—and if I can connect to that as a performer and be as authentically myself as I can be, that energy just blossoms.
Tori: Do you feel there’s a particular theme or message that runs through all your music?
Aaron: I write with a lot of varied emotions and a lot of the stuff I write is reactions to things that might be happening at the time. But a lot of it is inspired by the human condition: love, loss, change, perseverance. The most cohesive body of work that has an overall theme of hope was my debut EP Rise Not Fall. The general theme running throughout it was about rising above tragedy.
Tori: How do you know when a song is finished and ready for release?
Aaron: Some of my songs can sit for years and years before seeing a recording studio, but that's usually down to financial reasons—not that the song isn't “finished.” I feel the song is done when I've got it to a place where the lyrics, rhythm, and melody are all cohesive and I can play it from start to finish without screwing up—haha.
Tori: What does a typical writing session look like for you?
Aaron: I'll pick up the guitar, warm up both vocals and my wrist and fingers by doing some scales. I'll start jamming. If it happens naturally and something catches my attention musically, I pursue it. If not, I just put the guitar down. I don't push myself to write—I like to keep it chill.
Tori: What would you say to other musicians who are in the early stages of their careers, playing open mics and chasing gigs?
Aaron: Honestly, just be yourself and have fun with it. I know that's very cliché, but it's said so many times for a reason. If you're not having fun playing music then it won't be enjoyable for you. And play from your heart.
Tori: What’s next for you—can fans expect more releases or live performances soon?
Aaron: Well, I'm taking a little breather as I'm just off the back of promoting my latest release My Therapy, which came out in May. I'm eyeing an acoustic single to be released in the near future—to be determined. And I hope to get out and play a few open mics throughout the summer into fall!
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