Orla Gartland Tickets

Orla Gartland is an Irish singer-songwriter who has amassed a global following, thanks in part to her 2019 single ‘Why Am I Like This?’ which gained widespread recognition after being featured on Netflix’s LGBTQ+ series Heartstopper.

Born in Dublin, Orla Gartland grew up playing traditional Irish music on the fiddle, before learning to play the guitar aged twelve. Citing Joni Mitchell and Regina Spektor as key influences on her own brand of folk-pop, Orla began posting videos to YouTube and busking on the streets of Dublin, playing various covers as well as some of her own early material.

In 2015, Orla moved to London and released her debut EP, Lonely People. A flurry of singles followed, including her breakout hit ‘Why Am I Like This’, which featured on the popular Netflix series Heartstopper, and catapulted Orla Gartland’s music in front of an adoring Gen Z audience. While offering light relief in the form of catchy, hook-driven refrains, ‘Why Am I Like This’ tackles themes of social anxiety, self-doubt and overthinking tendencies. As Orla’s most-listened-to effort to date, and the titular track of her follow-up EP, the song earnt more than 70 million streams on Spotify, as well as a No.4 spot in the Billboard Top TV Songs chart.

Orla Gartland’s debut album, Woman on the Internet, arrived in 2021, and was well received by critics who praised Gartland's knack for turning anxiety into anthems. The Guardian enthused, “the emotional wrangle is skilfully handled, knife-sharp, funny lyrics carving out beautifully structured songs – co-produced by Gartland – with never a note wasted, dancing nimbly across styles.” Taken from the album, track ‘You’re Not Special, Babe’ is a prime example; perfectly paced, the track builds beautifully to a crescendo of Gartland’s powerful vocals. The album reached No.3 on the Irish album chart, No.1 on the UK Indie Chart and No.10 on the UK album chart.

A keen collaborator, producer and general champion of women in music, Orla has enjoyed working with fellow musicians, from Cavetown and beabadoobee on ‘Fall In Love With A Girl’, to Declan McKenna on ‘Late To The Party’ – both becoming some of Orla’s most played songs. Elsewhere, Gartland joined forces with Dodie, Greta Isaac and Martin Luke Brown to create indie-pop supergroup Fizz. Together, the group released their debut album, The Secret Life, in 2023 via Decca Records, before ultimately disbanding a year later in order to concentrate once again on their solo projects.

In 2024, Orla released her sophomore album, Everybody Needs a Hero. A 12-track effort, the album continues to explore the messiness of adulthood through confessional-style lyrics, whilst deftly weaving angsty guitar-driven rock with tender acoustic moments. Featuring tracks such as ‘Little Chaos’, ‘Late To The Party’ and ‘Backseat Driver’, the album reflects Gartland’s evolution as a masterful musician and storyteller, balancing emotional depth with dynamic instrumentation that’s sure to lend itself to some dynamic performances at Orla’s upcoming tour.