By Liam Murphy

Allie Sherlock was just 9 years old when she first started playing music. 

The Cork native then took to the streets busking just two years after, aged 11.  

Since then, the singer songwriter, now aged 19, has gone on to gain an online following of almost 15 million, amassed over 1.5 billion views online, performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Late Late Toy Show, and at a concert for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, has completed a sold-out UK and Ireland headline tour, and is now working on releasing her own music and growing herself. 

Following a performance of her brand-new single ‘How Love Works’ on RTÉ’s Late Late Show on Friday, November 22, Sherlock spoke with The City about her career so far, and what’s next. 

“I started busking because I wanted to perform in front of people,” Sherlock said. “Also, just simply because I loved music.” 

“Busking on the street is very unpredictable,” she said. “You never know what can happen.” 

Allie says that although her performance on ABC’s The Ellen Show was six years ago, what followed afterwards was still her best day on Grafton Street. 

“When I came back from The Ellen Show, I got one of the biggest crowds I have ever gotten,” she said, speaking of the success the show gave her.  

“That whole day was crazy. The most amount of CD sales, most tips, most selfies. It was all so crazy.” 

It’s clear while speaking with Sherlock just how much she loves Grafton Street.  

After all, the Cork singer is touring, doing various TV and Radio appearances, topping the Spotify viral charts, but still continues to travel up from Cork to Dublin every weekend for busking.  

But why is that? 

“I love it,” she said. “I’ll stop when I can’t do it anymore or if I really don’t want to do it anymore.” 

“I don’t plan on doing it forever. If this whole music thing works out, I’ll be touring more, charting more, and eventually it will stop, but for now I’ll continue.” 

‘This whole music thing’, as Allie calls it, has recently taken off following the release of Sherlock’s debut original single ‘How Love Works’. 

The track, co-written by X Factor star Ella Henderson, released in October, has already gained almost 300,000 streams on Spotify, and is currently ranked number one on Spotify’s Viral 50 Irish charts, at time of writing.  

Allie says that after all this time of writing songs in her room, with friends, and during writing sessions, she felt that now was the best time to start releasing her own music.  

“Over the years I’ve been offered loads of label deals and record deals but never took them because I was always too young or it just wasn’t the right deal, but I’m now with a label and I’m thinking ‘I’m at a perfect age, this is a great deal, let’s do this’.” 

“I wasn’t sure what to expect but I’m really happy with how it [the release of ‘How Love Works’] has gone.” 

“I don’t let numbers get to me,” Allie said, of both streaming figures and her almost 15 million online followers. 

“I never think that ‘oh my god this is so scary’ or that I have all these eyes on me. I just think it’s all crazy how many people decided to follow me, or watch my videos, like over a billion on YouTube is just crazy to me.” 

“I’m just out here living my best life.” 

But what’s next for a 19-year-old who has seemingly already made it?  

“Next year will see more releasing and more touring,” Allie said, before hinting at a tour announcement for early next year, followed by an “I don’t know if I can say that.” 

“But what I can say is definitely a lot more music and more tour dates.” 

“It’s going to be an exciting year.”