Dunleavy was born in Dublin and grew up on Sheriff Street in a working-class neighborhood. She lived in the Phil Shanahan Flats, a public housing complex which was demolished in the late 1990s. Dunleavy characterized the community as "like one big family", with close ties between neighbors.[2]
As a child, she enjoyed singing but felt she had no outlet. “I used to try and sing over stuff I had taped on my radio. No one around me was into art, it wasn’t a normal thing in my family or around my road.” She trained in dance until suffering a debilitating leg injury.[3]
Career
In 2015, she was featured on the single "Jasmine" by electronic producer Murlo, published by Mixpak Records.[4] That year she also performed a set at Boiler Room Dublin.[5]
In 2017, she appeared as a guest vocalist on two songs on the album Ojalá by Lost Horizons, a project by former Cocteau Twins member Simon Raymonde.[6]
In 2018, she released a poem "I Was Never Young But I’m Not Yet Old" and accompanying video about her life in Dublin.[3]
In 2019, she released the grime single "Better 4 U" and an accompanying music video.[3]
In 2022, she appeared in the documentary North Circular, which examines the history of music in Dublin and its connections to socioeconomic changes.[7]
In 2024[8] and 2025,[9] Dunleavy supported Kneecap for shows in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Political views
Dunleavy is a critic of classism in Ireland. She remembers family members using fake addresses on job applications since many employers refused to hire people from Sheriff Street. As a child, her dance teacher told her to "speak nice" and hide her working-class accent.[2] She has criticized gentrification and its effects on Dublin.[3]
In May 2025, she and more than 40 other British and Irish music acts signed a letter opposing the UK government's counterterrorism investigation into the Irish rap group Kneecap and expressing solidarity with Palestinians amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.[10]
Discography
Extended Plays
Up De Flats (2020)
Recognition
In 2020, her single "Up De Flats" was shortlisted for the Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year.[11]
In 2021, Dunleavy was a recipient of the Decade of Centenaries Markievicz Award, a €25,000 government grant for artists.[1]
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