Jack Gaudet on new single: ‘I hope it can help just one person’

A new single released by up-and-coming Mullingar musician Jack Gaudet aims to help people with mental health difficulties by showing them a “different outlook on life”.

Named ‘Keep Moving Forward,’ the feel-good track was recorded at Rainwater Studios in Kilbeggan and is available to stream on Spotify and YouTube.

It adds to a collection of 13 songs recorded so far by the 19-year-old, who is already well established in the local music scene through organising open mic nights at Colombia Bar and hosting Glúin Nua gigs in Clarke’s Bar to promote new talent.

For Jack, his interest in music began as a way to pass time during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I was 16 when it started and it was pretty much out of boredom, there was nothing else for me to do,” he says.

“One day I just got a notion, I think it was in June 2022, and I decided to go busking for the first time at the Market Square.

“There wouldn’t have been many people doing it at the time and I was terrified, but after playing the first few songs, I began to ease into it.

“The first song I played was Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, I remember, and I did other ones too that day, like Zombie by the Cranberries – a lot of people would still recognise me now from the busking.”

While some of his musical influences include Kings of Leon and David Gray, he didn’t have to look far from home for inspiration.

“My uncle is Noel O’Farrell, who’s gigging around the place the whole time, and my mother organises a couple of choirs in town,” he says.

“Paulie Martin, another local musician, has also been a great help to me – he got me my first gig and we’ve been organising an open mic night together in Colombia for the last nine months.

“It’s on every Thursday night and it’s a massive success; we get loads of people in every week and it’s all about bringing live music back to Mullingar since lockdown and everything.”

Jack, a past pupil of Coláiste Mhuire, recalls his first live gig as a moment that cemented his love for live music. “It was in October 2022 and Paulie got me the gig, I opened for him and Bobby and the Blunts in the Stables,” he says.

“It was an amazing experience and a couple of months later, on Stephen’s Day, I opened for The Blizzards in the arts centre to top it off. Bressie was great, he told me that it was great to see up-and-coming young musicians from Mullingar. It really is a special town, there is so much talent here.”

In January 2023, Jack first put pen to paper as a way of dealing with inner struggles. “I make no secret of it; because of lockdown and everything I was really struggling with mental health,” he says.

“Writing music was an outlet for me and my feelings at the time so I was just writing for myself entirely, it was coming from a genuine place.”

He’s now coming from a more positive frame of mind with his new single ‘Keep Moving Forward,’ and hopes people can learn something from it.

“It’s for whenever you’re feeling bad, if there’s something you’re down about, that it’s important to know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” says Jack.

“You have to keep moving forward and if just one person heard it and it affected them, gave them a different outlook on life, that would be amazing.”

The teenager also plans to host further gigs aimed at nurturing local talent. “There are so many up-and-coming musicians in Mullingar that they just need that first shot, they just need that first time to do a gig and do it properly,” he said.

“Our past events have been a huge success and I’d like to have something more in the next few months now.

“My experience has been that musicians really support each other and look out for each other. We just have a love for music in Mullingar and I want to see music thrive in this town.”

Jack says to stay tuned for more gig announcements this July and August.