Gareth: "The lyrics are coming from a place of experience; I can't wait for people to know these songs."

How to describe Gareth Hamilton? Well, the first word that comes to mind is productive.

Just six months after the Northern Irish county musician went viral on streaming apps, he has already left for Nashville, Tennessee, to work on a collection of original tracks; released his first self-penned single; and has quickly begun immersing himself in the world of songwriting.

It's a series of events that first kicked off when he posted a Noah Kahan cover on social media.

"I've been posting videos of myself online for a few years now, but it has only really started to blow up since January," he says. "I remember I posted a video on my Instagram TikTok of Noah Kahan's 'Stick Season'. I thought nothing of it!"

This is the impression that Gareth presents right off the bat: that he's still in shock over his rapid rise to fame.

"I didn't even release the full cover," he resumes. "It was only a 40-second clip, but it got 25 million views over all streaming apps."

It was only a short while before fans demanded the full version from Gareth, to which he obliged.

"The song received 10 million streams over streaming platforms after its release," he tells me. "It's been more than crazy. Ever since, there have been more videos that keep blowing up."

So how does this immersion into the world of internet fame make the country musical feel? Well, pretty good considering his only negative so far is that "he's always busy now."

"Don't get me wrong, it's still early," he reflects. "It's only been five or six months, but I feel confident in the rise of popularity, especially with the originals. The covers are great, but when I bring out my music, that means the most to me."

Gareth is clearly part of country music's ongoing popularity boom, which is particuarly notable among younger music fans.

"I think there was a thought process that country music was 'old people music' amongst younger generations, especially 5 or 10 years ago," he recalls. "But I've always loved country music, ever since I was a kid, when I used to listen to it with my grandparents. My friends used to rip the piss out of me for liking it!"

In fact, people's negative attitudes towards the genre very nearly influenced the musician in the content he'd post on social media

"When I started posting covers online, it was more 2000s acoustic," he says, "because I wasn't sure if people would actually like country covers or how they would be received.

"About two years ago, I took the plunge and began posting country covers anyway," he continues. "It was around then that that kind of music got really big at home. And I mean really big! So I'm glad that I ended up posting them. It all started from there".

It was a risk that paid off. But then again, Gareth has been stepping outside of his comfort zone since childhood.

"I've been singing since I was maybe seven or eight," he remarks. "Back in primary school, we used to have a talent competition, and I ended up entering it. I never knew I could sing until then, and neither did Mum or Dad. It sort of came out of nowhere."

Speaking of his parents, Gareth tells me that they've been essential in helping him navigate his career, especially now that everything is "kicking off" – recalling how they never pushed him to get a 'real job'.

It's a form of support that the singer is grateful for, particularly now that he's gearing up for his debut headline tour, which will see the singer-songwriter play sold-out shows in London, Belfast, Dublin and Glasgow.

It seems to be a year of firsts for Gareth, and he's diving in headfirst – taking no prisoners, while also maintaining a perfectly humble demeanour. It's an aspect of his personality that shines through in his writing.

"I've only started writing songs since March," he reveals. "My first original, 'What You Don't Know', was released this month. Each song has a different message behind it, and I think they're going to be very personal but also relatable to people. They tell mainly personal stories, and some of them are quite emotional. They discuss mental health. The lyrics are coming from a place of past experience. I can't wait for people to know these songs.

"I'm not an emotional guy – not a crier or anything – but some of these songs I'm writing are very emotional, like one I'm working on about my grandad who passed away when I was only five or six."

Fans may have to hold on another while for an EP, but rest assured that Gareth is working hard in sweltering Nashville...

Until then, you can stream his debut single 'What You Don't Know' below: