Interview: Paddy Smith Releases New Album 'Could Have Found Grace'

Irish blues artist Paddy Smith has released his long awaited album 'Could Have Found Grace' and we've asked him all the important questions about the making of it. Be sure to listen to it below!

You’ve carried the blues through decades of change in Ireland—what keeps that fire

alive for you, even as trends come and go?

The blues isn’t a trend to me it’s a lifeline. I’ve carried it through the years because it’s honest, it’s raw, and it doesn’t care about fashion or charts. Ireland has changed, music scenes have come and gone, but the blues has always been my anchor. What keeps the fire burning is the truth in it the way a harmonica note can cut through all the noise and speak straight to the soul. As long as life keeps throwing joy and pain, there’ll always be blues to play. 

Could Have Found Grace was born in just three days with Danny Tobin—what was it

about that collaboration that made the songs flow so naturally?

This collaboration with Danny Tobin worked because it was built on trust and instinct. I came in with raw lyrics and a head full of emotion, and Danny knew how to shape that without ever taking the edge off. Over three long days we threw ideas around with no ego, no judgment  just music. It felt organic, urgent, and real, and that’s why the songs on ould have found Grace carry so much honesty. We weren’t trying to polish them, we were trying to capture them while they were still alive.

The record leans into stories of hardship and redemption—how much of that comes from

your own lived experience versus the tradition of blues storytelling?

The blues has always been about walking that line between personal truth and universal storytelling. A lot of what you hear on this record comes from my own scars and struggles  I’ve lived through hardship, mistakes, and finding my way back. But at the same time, the blues tradition has always been about taking those raw experiences and shaping them into stories that anyone can connect with. So it’s both: my life is in there, but I also carry the weight of the blues tradition, which lets me turn personal redemption into something that speaks wider than myself.

You’ve got some heavy hitters on this record, from The Waterboys to Van Morrison’s

band. How did having that kind of lineup shape the sound?

Having musicians who’ve played with the Waterboys and Van Morrison brought a depth and soul you can’t teach. They instinctively know how to serve the song, add texture, and give it emotional weight. Their presence turned the album from a set of songs into something fully alive and lived-in. 

From Let Those Blues In to The Devil’s Backyard and now this—what feels different

about where you’re at with Could Have Found Grace?

Let Those Blues In was my introduction, opening the door and laying down my foundations. The Devil’s Backyard was darker, a record born from struggle and confrontation with my past. Could Have Found Grace feels like stepping into the light after the storm. It’s raw and unpolished on purpose the honesty of the sessions mattered more than perfection. This one is about accepting something. It’s a record made in the moment, with the scars still fresh, and the gratitude of still being here stitched into every song.

Blues has always been about raw honesty. What do you hope listeners take away when

they sit with this album from start to finish?

What I hope people take away from this album is a sense of truth, my story, my struggles, and the moments of grace that shine through the darkness. It’s not polished it’s real life in song. If listeners feel less alone in their own battles, or if the music stirs something honest in them, then I’ve done what I set out to do.