Allie Sherlock: Busking her way to stardom

DW (English)

She started out as a busker in Dublin. Today, she has fans the world over: it's a dream come true for Allie Sherlock of Ireland. Her powerful voice thrills listeners by the millions.

Transcript

00:00 ♪ I cried in high when I was king ♪

00:03 ♪ I played it hard and fast 'cause I had everything ♪

00:07 ♪ I walked away, you want me dead ♪

00:11 - This voice has helped Ally Sherlock

00:13 go from being a young street musician to a viral sensation.

00:17 She sings cover songs of popular hits

00:19 on Dublin's Grafton Street, a main shopping district,

00:22 and a haven for buskers.

00:24 (audience applauding)

00:25 - Busking on the street is like very unpredictable.

00:28 You never know what can happen.

00:30 It can be, it's a good and a bad place to be sometimes,

00:33 but mostly good.

00:35 You can have people from all over the world.

00:39 You can get so many opportunities.

00:40 You don't know who's passing down Grafton Street.

00:42 ♪ Took a supermarket flight ♪

00:44 - Ally comes here nearly every weekend to perform.

00:47 She started busking when she was just 11.

00:50 ♪ A cup of tea from the cup ♪

00:53 (gentle music)

00:54 ♪ I dropped a photo out ♪

00:56 - This video with her rendition

00:58 of Ed Sheeran's "Supermarket Flowers"

01:00 changed her life forever.

01:02 (gentle music)

01:04 ♪ Took a getaway supercar ♪

01:06 ♪ And some animals ♪

01:08 - That song is very special to me

01:09 because it was the first song that went viral.

01:12 It started off my career, got me on the Ellen Show.

01:15 It really just started off everything for me.

01:19 ♪ Billie Jean is not my lover ♪

01:22 - Now at 18, she has over five million subscribers

01:25 on YouTube with her most popular video

01:27 garnering over 58 million views.

01:30 ♪ Billie Jean is not my son ♪

01:31 (gentle music)

01:34 - Her musical talents have taken her to Paris

01:39 where she was a supporting act

01:41 for the pop band One Republic in 2020.

01:44 And to Manchester for the Queen's Jubilee celebrations

01:47 in 2022.

01:48 (audience applauding)

01:50 And most recently to this summer's Forest Fest in Ireland.

01:53 (upbeat music)

01:56 But one of her most memorable moments

02:01 was when she appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show

02:03 in California.

02:05 - Please welcome 12 year old Ally Sherlock.

02:08 - Looking at it now and thinking about it,

02:10 I was like, it was a huge deal.

02:11 And I was so nervous and watching the video back,

02:14 I'm like, I can see how nervous I was.

02:16 ♪ And I must have always known ♪

02:20 ♪ That this would be ♪

02:22 But as what age as I was 12,

02:25 I'm proud of myself that I got out there

02:27 in front of those people, in front of those big cameras

02:29 and in front of Ellen herself.

02:32 'Cause I loved her show, but it was amazing.

02:35 - At home in Cork, Ireland is where it all began.

02:38 Ally started playing music at the age of nine,

02:40 the same year her mother suddenly died.

02:43 She turned to writing music as a way of coping.

02:46 - Her death impacted my songwriting.

02:51 Like I was writing a lot of songs about it

02:54 and I think it helped me escape from everything about it.

02:59 And I'm not good about talking about my feelings.

03:04 So I always kind of, in every situation,

03:06 I write a song and I always feel better.

03:08 - Mark Sherlock, Ally's father, is also her manager.

03:14 While many record companies have approached her for deals,

03:17 she hasn't signed with any yet.

03:18 (indistinct chatter)

03:22 - It's to protect her.

03:24 You hear so many negative stories about artists out there

03:29 and their mental health,

03:31 their health has deteriorated so much

03:34 from working in the industry.

03:36 And look, she's just 18 now

03:38 and my main thing is to protect her right now.

03:41 - Instead, she produces and sells her albums on her own.

03:47 She has a studio at home where she records her songs.

03:50 (soft music)

03:52 ♪ You said heaven is a place on earth ♪

04:02 ♪ Oh, if you feel no hurt ♪

04:06 ♪ I don't feel the same ♪

04:07 ♪ Yeah, I'm hurting every day ♪

04:10 ♪ Take me back to Central Bay ♪

04:13 - Well, that song you just heard there,

04:14 that is one of my own ones.

04:16 But I have four albums

04:18 and half of one of those albums is original, so it's mixed.

04:22 - Ally uses Grafton Street to test new material.

04:27 This is where her heart really lies.

04:29 ♪ I'm the queen of catching feelings ♪

04:33 ♪ I let it burn, let it slip through my fingers ♪

04:38 - This is my first trip to Dublin

04:40 and I wanted to see if I could catch her

04:41 and I got lucky and I did.

04:43 She's very famous, you know,

04:45 have a look at YouTube, so that's why I know

04:47 and keep following her everywhere.

04:49 - Yeah, we love her, she's great.

04:51 Yeah!

04:52 - Ally has competition on Grafton Street,

04:55 which has a long tradition

04:57 of hosting street musicians every weekend.

04:59 How long can her fans expect to see her playing there?

05:07 - I'll keep playing on these streets until I can

05:11 and until as long as they'll have me.

05:14 ♪ You got to see the first ♪

05:16 - Ally Sherlock, a talented and rising star

05:19 making her mark from the humble streets of Dublin.

05:22 ♪ When God took me back ♪

05:24 ♪ He said, "Alleluia, you're home" ♪

05:29 (audience applauding)

05:32 - Thank you very much.

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