Somebody’s Child, the love project for Dublin singer Cian Godfrey is one that took off out of the blue. After releasing a handful of singles in 2018, the 2020 EP ‘20-Something’ quickly promised a new Irish talent to get excited about. His vocals immediately stood out, a gravelly voice that bared a resemblance to an indie James Arthur or Lewis Capaldi. Fast forward to 2025, and Godfrey is set to release his second album, ‘When Youth Fades Away’ – another milestone in his short-lived career so far. But when Godfrey was aged five, playing the piano in his family apartment in Paris, it would have been hard for him to imagine the journey he would eventually begin after moving to Dublin.
Growing up, it took a while for Godfrey to find the style of music he would eventually discover himself through. He became classically trained in piano, and grew up listening to Lyric FM with his mum in the car – Ireland’s classical music radio station – a stark difference to the noise he creates now. Never growing overly attached to that sound, it instead acted as a springboard to find his own personal taste: “When I found popular music, it was kind of a rejection of what I had heard before. I think it acted as one side of the coin for me to discover my actual taste, and what I wanted to do,” he said.
After finding himself at Dublin’s BIMM, Godfrey realised what he could do with more than just notes on a piece of sheet music. With Somebody’s Child, he began to tell his own story, and with three singles released from his new album so far, the story is continuing to unfold. ‘Irish Goodbye’ (a phrase for leaving a party without saying anything), features Cian having a conversation with his past self, balancing a self-critical and reassuring tone, highlighting “the things I wish had been said to me at certain points in my life.”
“I think it says enough without saying too much at the same time. I realised though when writing it, that by telling someone all of this, you’re inevitably changing their future. So I had to hold some stuff back.”
When artists now venture into the beginning of creating an album, the process becomes much more than simply writing music, though. For Godfrey, all aspects of storytelling can come together to create a more impactful project. This includes the album and single artwork, which features detached, black and white images of the Irish landscape and architecture. “For artists, you can concentrate so much on the music, but I’m such a visual thinker to the point where if I can’t see that visual aid it’s hard for me to see the complete artistic merit in what someone is trying to do,” he said.
“The idea for it was to put photography at the forefront with these still, plain images, that could help highlight a sort of feeling or imagery alongside the music, and in doing so help the value of the message within that. We wanted to highlight the mundanity of everyday life that passes by. When you’re in this period of youth, you fail to notice where you are. Images can help give more reasoning and acknowledgement to that time of your life.”
The hope is that the entire project, when held together, will deliver something that will resonate with his younger fans as it delves into themes of growing up: “As I’ve got older, I’ve realised that I used to be somebody who loved being the younger one in the crowd; I preferred being surrounded by other people who could make you feel, almost like you had a point of difference.
“The album is a coming of age kind of story, but not the one you see in the indie movies as someone is turning 18. It’s more so about being past that point in your life, which you’ve never seen beyond, and you’re left really unsure of what comes next when there’s no set path.”
Coming of age is something Godfrey has always struggled with, and the patience needed to find yourself in life isn’t something usually given in the fast-paced world of the music industry. Despite releasing his debut album as recently as 2023, the singer feels as though the time since then and now has crawled rather than sprinted.
“It feels like ages since we recorded the first album. When you aren’t releasing something or touring, it can feel like you’re out of sight and out of mind in the music industry. It became quite hard to get gigs, as well. You look at some bands as well, who are releasing an album a year, and I don’t have a clue how they’re going about doing that. I guess it’s all perspective though. In the moment, everything can feel fast, but it certainly can feel like you have to always be at a sprint in order to keep up with everything.”
The Irish are known for their storytellers, and as already established, Godfrey is no different. Taking his debut album to his homecoming show at Dublin’s iconic Olympia Theatre was a career highlight, and the dream for him is to bring his band to the 3Arena, the city’s biggest stage. If the future of Somebody’s Child’s music is up to scratch with the quality released so far, he may get there sooner than he thinks.
Somebody’s Child will release their second album, ‘When Youth Fades Away’ on March 28th.
Words by Niall McGreevy