Johnny (8) latest star from 'Music Town'

An eight-year-old from Mullingar is emerging as the latest star from ‘Music Town’ and videos of his singing skills have garnered millions of views on social media.

Johnny Joyce has been singing for less than a year but already has the confidence and presence that a performer twice his age could only dream of.

While becoming a sensation on TikTok and Facebook, his success is not limited to the online world, as he recently won a gold medal in the Westmeath Fleadh U12s English singing competition.

He’s also been keeping busy busking in town and has performed at several gigs; his dream is to sing a song with the Wolfe Tones at the Lakeland Sessions concert in Mullingar in August.

Johnny said it all started for him at a school play last November. “They asked me to sing ‘In Dublin’s Fair City’ at school for a Christmas play,” he said.

“Then I was asked by a friend of my dad that if I learned a song for him and sang it by the end of the week, he’d give me €50.

“It was ‘The Way I Am’ by the Tumbling Paddies, and I learned it with two days to go.”

The eight-year-old’s capacity for music is impressive, and he has learned 23 full songs since December. “I just listen to them, and I remember them,” Johnny said.

His father, Christy, said they began sharing his singing skills online around the end of last year. “He has 4,000 followers on TikTok; a video of him singing ‘Grace’ has 353,000 views and another of him singing ‘The Way I Am’ has 212,000 views,” he said.

“On Facebook, he has 12,000 followers and one of his videos there has 341,000 views and another has 205,000.

“Johnny gets recognised now when we’re down at the shops and in different places – he’s a right little celebrity.”

Christy said music doesn’t run in the family. “I’m very proud of him, especially seeing as nobody else sings and he’s doing it on his own,” he said.

“We have him down doing singing lessons in the arts centre with Geraldine O’Brien; he loves it there and is getting on very well.”

Johnny’s music career has also recently been aided by a generous donation from Rochforts Superstore in Mullingar.

“They sponsored him with a brilliant new sound system and a new mic,” said Christy.

“It’s some of the best equipment out there and it was very good of Tomás [Nally] to do that for him.

“Johnny has been out busking in town with it since, getting the experience in; he was a bag of nerves at first, but he’s really getting into it now.”

Johnny also said he loves the new speaker: “My old one was making a funny noise, but you can hear the singing really well now.”

Christy said it’s his son’s dream to share a stage with the Wolfe Tones, who are playing in Blackhall on August 4.

“He just wants to do one song and that’s all,” he said.

“He could always say then, in 20 years’ time or whenever, that he played with the Wolfe Tones – they’re retiring this year so it’s the last chance.

“The organisers are not sure if they can make it happen and will only know two weeks out from the concert – which is close, we’re only five weeks away now.”

Follow @johnny.joyce.music on TikTok to hear his skills for yourself.