Janksy

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter - Janksy is twenty-three-year-old Joseph McGuirk from Dublin. Blending genres from alternative rock to post-punk and hip-hop, Janksy has no pretenses. In a harmony of guitar riffs, addictive basslines and body-moving drum grooves lies a platter of lyrics, both cryptic and honest at once. From his music emerges an enigmatic silhouette of a Dubliner, finding comfort amidst the absurdity of modern life.

Since releasing his early singles on Soundcloud, to his first EP - 2019’s ‘A Song Series’, Janksy has been gaining steady ground on the Irish music scene. In early 2020 Janksy played to a packed upstairs crowd at the Whelans’ Ones to Watch, Hotpress naming him ‘another artist you don’t want to sleep on.’ After displaying his new material at a range of live shows post-lockdown, including a sold-out Sound House with Cruel Sister and Flyover, and a mighty reception at John Barker's Tilt showcase in the Button factory, Janksy is preparing for his second EP, to be released in summer 2022, with the release of the single "Fragile" on June 3rd. Fragile is a take on the sound of 60s soul, fused with a bold groove and the quirky production Janksy is known for. In Fragile, Janksy confronts notions of success from a place of seclusion and contemplation.

“Fragile came out of my sudden fascination with the sound of 60s soul. I began curating a playlist based on songs that fit what I would describe as a 'warm, cozy' timbre, and I would listen to it non-stop. At the time I felt quite isolated from modern music and Fragile is a contemplation on my love and desire to make music, and how it fits into the grander scheme of the industry.”

Studying at Dublin’s Sound Training College, Janksy has acquired a stellar palette for production and engineering. He hopes to display his evolution on his forthcoming project and emerge as one of the most compelling prospects in the scene today.

"There’s something endearingly simple about the whole operation. Janksy has no pretenses, despite the sudden surge in interest in him. He has moments of self-consciousness in our talk, but mostly gives off an air of quiet confidence in his music." Cian Montague, University Observer

"The young Dublin native is a genre fusing act who pulls influence from hip-hop to punk. Again, upstairs is completely full. The energy is intense, and people are paying attention to the young singer. His song 'LIMBO' has a definite groove. Janksy is another artist you don't want to sleep on." Tanis Smither, Hot Press Magazine