Grennan comes from an Irish family. He attended St Thomas More Upper School in Bedford. At the age of 18, he was attacked on the street and was left with four metal plates and screws in his jaw that "still hurt when winter comes".[2][3] He trained to become a professional footballer, playing for Luton Town for a while, also trying for Northampton Town and Aston Villa; he was later released. Grennan is a supporter of Coventry City and Manchester United.[4] He also worked briefly at Costa Coffee. He told Music Week: "I was close to playing over in the States but something was telling me not to and obviously it was the music".[5][6]
Grennan's musical beginnings are obscure, but he says he was at a house party where he sang "Seaside" by the Kooks. He did not remember it, but his friends were impressed and pushed him into performing more.[3][6] He studied acting at St. Mary's University in Twickenham.[3] Aged 18, he started doing gigs around London with his acoustic guitar, mainly in small pub appearances for almost three years. After a performance at the Finsbury pub, a representative of Insanity Records heard him play and offered a contract.[6]
Grennan's debut EP, Something in the Water was produced by Charlie Hugall. He had his big break when he was featured on the Chase & Status 2016 single "All Goes Wrong" that was picked as "Hottest Record" on Annie Mac's Radio 1 show. Following this, he was invited for an appearance on the station's Live Lounge, and a follow-up appearance on BBC Two's television programme Later... with Jools Holland.[7] The song appeared on the UK singles chart, peaking at number 65.[8]
In February 2017, Grennan was shortlisted for the MTV Brand New Award, also performing at the MTV Showcase at London's Electric Ballroom.[9] The same year, he had a cameo appearance in Charli XCX's music video for her song "Boys", alongside many well-known artists and duetted with grime MC Bugzy Malone on "Memory Lane".[3] Grennan performed in Trafalgar Square during the F1 Live in London show in support of Formula One drivers. In March 2018, he embarked on a UK tour in support of his debut album Lighting Matches, later released in July 2018. His song "Found What I've Been Looking For" appeared on the FIFA 18 soundtrack and was also used by Sky Sports as the theme song for Super Sunday and RBI19 Baseball.[10]
2020–23: Commercial breakthrough, Evering Road and What Ifs & Maybes
Grennan performing in Sydney, Australia in May 2024.
In January 2020, Grennan released the first single "This is the Place" from his second album Evering Road. He followed this with two further singles "Oh Please" and "Amen" in the same year. His fourth single from the album, "Little Bit of Love", was released in January 2021. It earned Grennan his first top-ten single in the UK, with the song charting at number seven on the UK singles chart. The song has been awarded a Platinum certification by the BPI and has surpassed one million UK chart sales, also charting around Europe. Evering Road was later released in March 2021, topping the UK Albums Chart in its opening week and later gaining a Gold certification.[11] He subsequently achieved another top-ten hit with "Let's Go Home Together", a collaboration with Ella Henderson which was also certified Platinum in the UK.[1] This was followed with "By Your Side", a collaboration with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris which earned Grennan his third consecutive UK top-ten single and Platinum certification.[12] He was also featured as a presenter on Radio 1's Future Sounds show for four nights in August and September, becoming one of the five musicians to be featured for the month of August, alongside Olly Alexander, Arlo Parks, Yungblud and Charli XCX.
During an interview with CALM in 2021, Grennan revealed that at 18 years old, he was attacked by a group of strangers.[26] After the attack, he couldn't leave his house and the traumatic event caused him suicidal thoughts after he'd fallen into a "massive depression".[27][28] A year later, in April 2022, Grennan was beaten and robbed after a performance in Manhattan, NYC.[29] He suffered a ruptured ear and torn ear-drum and postponed an upcoming show in Washington, D.C.[30][31][32]
During an interview with Rolling Stone Australia in 2022, Grennan confirmed his engagement to Italian pilates instructor Danniella Carraturo.[33][34] They married in May 2024.[35][36][37] In 2025, the couple had a daughter.[38]
Advocacy
Grennan has used his platform to advocate for people's access to mental-health resources, against toxic masculinity, and in support of the LGBTQ+ community.[39][40][41][42][43]
In 2021, Grennan became an ambassador for the ‘Making Me’ charity in Bedford, which encourages young people, as well children, to stay ‘mentally fit’ through knowledge and resources.[44][45] In 2022, Grennan partnered up with the National Health Service of England on their mental-health campaign which empowers those struggling with mental-health issues to seek support.[46][47]
In May 2025, Grennan was among the musicians who signed an open letter pledging "solidarity with the trans, non-binary and intersex communities" and condemning the April 2025 Supreme Court ruling on the definition of woman in the Equality Act and subsequent EHRC guidance.[48][49][50]
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