Shay O'Dowd carries Glasgow's hopes as he gears up for Christmas show and collaboration with The 1975's Jamie Squire
Breakthrough Artist at the Scottish Music Awards sets up the biggest gig of his career at St Luke's, while linking with Jamie Squire and growing management behind Glasgow acts
Shay O'Dowd, a 22-year-old Glasgow singer, is set to play the biggest gig of his career just before Christmas, headlining at St Luke's in Glasgow's east end. The rising artist won Breakthrough Artist at the Scottish Music Awards in November, an honor that has previously been awarded to Lewis Capaldi, Joesef and Paolo Nutini. O'Dowd has also begun working with Jamie Squire, the touring keyboardist and guitarist with The 1975, and is represented by APB PR with management that also guides Glasgow acts like Joesef. After selling out his debut at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut before releasing any music, he now prepares for a larger venue appearance while promoting two EPs released over the past year, Growing Pains and Say It Now.
Born in Glasgow, O'Dowd grew up with football dreams rather than a music career. He recalls that as a child he disliked piano lessons and did not respond to rote learning, but started writing his own material in high school after being inspired by a live show from Picture This. He attended a Glasgow music college while continuing to write and gig locally, and the ballad Since We Divided became a turning point, a track he credits with convincing himself he could write songs that mattered to others. “I am a storyteller,” he has said, and the song represented the moment he believed he could pursue music professionally.
Like many rising artists, he relied on family support during his early steps. His parents helped with practical tasks, such as filming a music video, and he found encouragement from their reactions to his work. The momentum continued as he drew attention from managers and labels and began working with Jamie Squire on songs that he hopes to release next year. Squire, a regular touring member of The 1975 and the Strictly Come Dancing house band, helped push O'Dowd beyond his comfort zone and into collaborations that broaden his range as a songwriter.
The two EPs, Growing Pains and Say It Now, have given his storytelling an emotional core built around piano and acoustic guitar. He has described the role of the songwriter as charged with conveying real feeling while weaving it into relatable narratives. The singer and songwriter has said that his own experiences inform many tracks, but he also writes about friends and people around him, including long-distance relationships that affect those close to him.
The collaboration with Squire has been especially instructive. O'Dowd notes that the 1975 musician is among his favorite artists and that working with him helped him recognize a routine of stepping outside a comfort zone. “The 1975 are one of my favourite bands, and I have learned so much from it,” he said. “You never notice you are in a comfort zone until someone says, you should try this, and then you step past that.” The experiences from collaboration and touring have broadened his sound toward a more expansive, emotionally resonant style while staying true to his roots in piano-driven storytelling.
O'Dowd continues to balance education and ambition. He studied at a Glasgow music college while continuing to write and perform, and his parents remain a steady presence, supporting him through every milestone. The growing buzz around him has attracted attention from multiple sides of the industry, including a management team that also represents Joesef. He sees himself as a storyteller who writes from personal experience while also drawing on the world around him, acknowledging that not every song will be an autobiography but that every track reflects some truth.
As he heads toward what many are calling a breakout year for Glasgow-based acts, O'Dowd intends to keep writing with the same emotional honesty that defined his early tracks. He expects more music releases next year and continues to perform and refine his stagecraft in advance of larger venues and festivals. His path mirrors a broader wave of Glasgow artists carving space for themselves in a competitive scene, with strong storytelling at the core of their work.