A Chat with Pat Donnelly (24.04.25)
Irish pop-rock singer-songwriter Pat Donnelly is back with his new hard-hitting single ‘Walls’. Exploring the complexities of unrequited love and the frustrations of wanting someone who is out of reach, we speak to Donnelly about the song and much more in this interview.
OSR: ‘Walls’ began as a song called ‘Sidelines’ back in 2021. What made you want to revisit it after all that time?
Donnelly: I figured it was the right song to release to show the new direction I was taking with my music.
OSR: You mentioned the original version had fluctuating tempos. Can you walk us through what felt “off” about it and how you approached rewriting it?
Donnelly: To be honest, it sounded perfect to me, but I’ve learned the importance of objectivity, and the engineer always gives me feedback. When you write a song, you’re so invested in it that it is tough to see anything wrong with it or where improvements could be made. So it was 100% down to the engineer, but it ended up with me writing a much better song in the end.
OSR: How did the emotional message of ‘Walls’ evolve between the original version and the final one we hear now?
Donnelly: The original song much more mellow with lyrics around longing for love. The chorus now is much more intense both with the lyrics and the instruments.
OSR: That line – “It’s on your shoulders I want to cry” – is incredibly raw. Was there a real-life experience behind that lyric?
Donnelly: No real-life experience behind this lyric, I think, given that love/companionship is something we all desire, it allows me to write lyrics like this. I see it as wanting love both for the good times and the bad. In this case, having a partner to support you in tough times.
OSR: What role did your producer or engineer play in shaping the final sound of ‘Walls’?
Donnelly: For me, the biggest role he played was the high hats in the chorus that he chose. I was thinking initially that the chorus wasn’t “exploding” like a chorus should but the drums and cymbals he chose really makes it come alive.
OSR: You’ve always been known for your lyrical vulnerability. Is it ever difficult to share something so personal in a song?
Donnelly: Not anymore, really. I think at first, when I started releasing music, I was apprehensive about how it would be received. But now I don’t really focus on how personal the lyrics are, but more on how they sound and the flow.
OSR: How do you balance the pop-rock, pop-punk, and orchestral elements in this track without losing cohesion?
Donnelly: I spent a lot of late nights working on this to make sure the instruments all worked together. I had the hook written at first with the synths, and realised this had to keep going into the chorus and bridge.
OSR: Did working on ‘Walls’ teach you anything new about yourself as a songwriter or musician?
Donnelly: I think I’ve learned about instrumentation. The orchestral side of things brings the music to another level. From a songwriting point of view, I rewrote the song in the space of about 3 days and also the importance of getting an objective view. In this case, the objective view of someone else drove me to write a much better song.
OSR: What do you hope listeners feel when they hear this song for the first time?
Donnelly: With the hook that comes in pretty early into the song I hope it makes people wanna move and dance. I picture an entire group of people jumping to this song and singing the hook.
OSR: Now that ‘Walls’ is out, what direction do you see your music heading in next? Are there more songs in this new style on the way?
Donnelly: Oh yes. The synth/violin sound is the new way I’ll be going with my music. I hope to have another single out soon again this year with a similar sound.
Many thanks to Pat Donnelly for speaking with us. Find out more about Pat Donnelly on his Instagram and Spotify.
