Before opening for major touring acts, Aaron Rowe spent years singing in the pubs of Dublin. It was in these venues, where he had to hold people’s attention amid the conversation, that he learned how to carry a song. His slightly husky voice, guitar playing and family stories now shape a body of work at the crossroads of folk, pop and soul. With Exodus, his debut EP released in 2025, the south Dublin musician is beginning to bring his own stories to audiences far beyond the city where he grew up.
Aaron Rowe is an Irish singer and guitarist from Monkstown Farm, in the Dún Laoghaire area of south Dublin. This place and the people he has known there hold an important place in his songs. His lyrics explore family ties, departures and the emotions that can sometimes be difficult to express directly.
His Sony Music biography describes a teenager encouraged by his choir teachers, yet hesitant to show his passion in front of his friends. He also practised boxing and kickboxing, and at one point considered becoming an electrician. Music gradually took up more space as he found the confidence to sing in front of others.
His influences include Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and James Brown, as well as British bands such as Oasis and The Stone Roses. This blend informs his approach: vocal expression matters as much as melody, while the arrangements need to allow the story through.
His sound sits somewhere between folk-pop, soul and Irish song. To discover it, though, it is best to start by listening to the way his voice clings to the words: the texture, the breaths and the growing intensity are all part of the story he tells.
Aaron Rowe honed his craft for years on Dublin’s pub circuit. He performed covers there, sometimes over particularly long days. It was as much a job as an education: holding a room requires stamina and the ability to read an audience’s reactions.
In interviews, he has also spoken of the limits of that period. Constantly playing other people’s songs can leave little room to develop your own. Moving towards a personal repertoire was therefore a genuine career step, beyond simply playing larger venues.
The pubs also helped expand his network. The Grand Ole Opry’s artist profile looks back at his performances at The Dame Tavern and Cassidy’s, as well as his meeting with Lewis Capaldi. Capaldi’s support subsequently helped him reach a wider audience.
Rowe opened for Capaldi in 2025 and appeared at concerts on Ed Sheeran’s Australian tour in 2026. These opportunities build on his long experience of performing live. Above all, they allow his songs to reach listeners who do not yet know him.
Released in 2025, Hey Ma was his debut single. Addressed to his mother, the song deals with missing home while he is working in England. This intimate relationship also reveals his attachment to a neighbourhood and the difficulty of moving away from those who supported him at the beginning.
It is a particularly telling introduction to his world: the track begins with a specific situation to express a widely shared feeling. Leaving does not erase one’s ties; sometimes, it makes them more present than ever.
Talking With You draws on his relationship with his uncle Mick. In it, the singer captures the emotional weight of very simple moments: being together, discussing the news or watching the races. Distance gives these habits a new value.
This attention to everyday gestures runs through his early songs. It is not only about telling stories of major events: a familiar conversation, or its absence, can be enough to carry a song.
Released on 12 September 2025 via Columbia Records, Exodus brings together five tracks: Hey Ma, Talking With You, Lose Lose, Drawing The Line and The Lane. It is an EP, a shorter format than an album.
In an interview with Music Week, Rowe linked the title to his move to England and to a nod to Bob Marley’s album of the same name. The project forms a first cohesive collection centred on movement, ties and the life we carry with us.
The Lane explores his relationship with family legacy. It began with conversations about his father and grandfather, and the places where they lived. The track also touches on the difficulty some men of those generations had in expressing affection.
For a first listen, hearing all five tracks in order is a good way to move beyond the single alone. The brevity of the format makes it accessible while revealing several nuances in his songwriting.
In 2026, his catalogue grew with Please Don’t Hate Me, John’s Song, Hollywood Sign and Forever Now. These releases extend his recorded beginnings and offer new reference points for following his evolution.
At the time of writing this profile, his official catalogue presents Exodus as his debut EP, alongside singles. These releases should therefore be distinguished from a debut studio album, rather than treating a stage still in progress as an already established discography.
In an interview with NOTION, Rowe explained that John’s Song was inspired by a member of his family who died during the Battle of the Somme. Letters that were found informed the work, revealing family lives caught up in the tensions of the time.
The track also features instruments associated with Irish music, including the banjo, tin whistle and fiddle. This meeting of personal memory and historical narrative offers another perspective on his songwriting.
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hey Ma | Single, included on Exodus. |
| 2025 | Talking With You | Single, included on Exodus. |
| 2025 | Lose Lose | Single, included on Exodus. |
| 2025 | Exodus | Debut EP, five tracks. |
| 2026 | Please Don’t Hate Me | Single. |
| 2026 | John’s Song | Single. |
| 2026 | Hollywood Sign | Single. |
| 2026 | Forever Now | Single. |
His journey offers an insight into the role pubs can play in the development of Irish musicians. During a stay in Dublin, attending an acoustic evening offers a sense of this close relationship between singer and audience. This does not, however, mean that Aaron Rowe still performs regularly at the venues where he started out.
For concert dates, visit Aaron Rowe’s official website and the venues listed there.
