Dungannon musician celebrates engagement with romantic new single

DUNGANNON singer, Joe Girvin, is set to release his new single ‘My Queen’ this month, which will be the first taste of his new six-track EP, which is set to come out early next year.

The song, which he penned five years ago, serves as a ‘full circle’ moment for the talented Tyrone man, who recently celebrated his engagement, having found the same kind of love that the song celebrates.

“It’s about that dream love story that we all aim to find,” explained Joe, who is now based in Dubai. “I was still living at home when I wrote it, and it might sound a little cheesy, but I had an image in my head of walking around the streets of Belfast on a night out, holding hands and kissing the woman who I describe in the song as my Queen.”

Joe describes the track as an ‘upbeat, poppy love song’.

“The song has a nice, catchy hook and is very upbeat,” he explained. “I’ve played it live a number of times over the years, both at home in Tyrone and in Dubai, and it has always got people up dancing and singing along to the hook.”

Joe cites some of his biggest musical influences as Ed Sheeran, Passenger, Foy Vance, and Mumford and Sons.

“In the last five or six years, I have also been listening to a lot of Pinegrove.”

Speaking of how his current journey in Dubai began, Joe says he simply ‘took a chance’ after receiving a phone call offering him the opportunity.

“I went out to Dubai for four weeks to play with a two-piece band I had at the time,” he said. “I’m very glad I took the chance, as the craic was fantastic, and the people were great.

“I ended up staying for nearly four months, and returning a further two times to play in the same venue.

“There’s always something happening in Dubai seven nights a week, so I returned in January 2023 and established myself as a freelance artist from there,” he added.

Joe said that upon first returning home from Dubai, it was most definitely a ‘culture shock’.

“Nothing really changes at home at all, but in Dubai things are changing all the time,” he said. “I love getting home and playing locally in all the bars I played in for many years before leaving.

“It’s comforting knowing I’ll come back to play at home.”

The musician also has a wealth of previous original material under his belt.

“Early on, I released an EP called ‘Isn’t It Simple?’,” he explained. “It features one of the first songs I wrote called ‘Call Me If You Need To’.

“The songs on that EP were written at a sad time in my life, and focussed on the subject of being young and not being happy with yourself and relationships.

“One of my other most recent single was called ‘Walkin’ Over’.

“It was released two years ago, and was recorded with all of my closest musical friends.

“It’s an upbeat style song about not being walked over any more.”

Having been playing guitar and singing since the age of 13, over the last decade Joe has established himself as one of the hardest working musicians, both at home and abroad.

Speaking of what inspired him to embark on his musical journey he said, “It was my mum who originally asked me if I would learn guitar.

“Her partner at the time had passed away quite suddenly.

“He played guitar and she missed hearing it around the house.

“I was very fond of him, so that’s what inspired me to start learning.”

Joe also recalls how some of his earliest memories relating to music involved dancing around the kitchen at his mother’s house.

“The music would be cranked up full,” he recalls. “I also remember regularly sitting with my dad on a Saturday night watching music videos.”

With a promising future on the horizon for the Tyrone musician, make sure and follow Joe on his musical journey via Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and TikTok by searching ‘Joe Girvin’.

His new single, ‘My Queen’, will be released on Friday, October 25, and will available on all major streaming platforms. You can pre-save the song on your platform of choice from October 18.