WE ARE MESSENGERS ’ DARREN MULLIGAN
by Bruce Adolph
The Pop / Rock band We Are Messengers has amassed over 197 million on-demand streams and played to over 2 million people worldwide . Their new record Wholehearted releases mid-October and the new lead single “ Come What May ,” is burning up the radio . The band identifies with the hurting , the outsiders and the marginalized . But what also strikes us as quite unusual is the central figure in the band is a quiet young man from Ireland . Let ’ s meet Darren Mulligan .
[ WM ] You grew up in a very small village , about 30 people , in Ireland . How does that inform your life still today ?
[ Darren Mulligan ] I ' m very awkward in large crowded settings . So , I ' m a massive introvert . I love stillness and silence . I love countryside wilderness . I love getting away from everything . But I think it keeps me really grounded . Like I dress normal , I talk normal , I do things . I ' m not sitting around thinking , " Oh , I ' m Darren Mulligan the singer in a successful band ." I ' m just Darren
from Ireland and I ' m married to a good woman , and I ' ve got great kids .
[ WM ] Right on . So , growing up what were your musical influences ?
[ Darren ] Oh , all over the map . Funny , I just played a weird E7th chord out there in one of the songs , it was a Jimi chord , you know , from Purple Haze . So I grew up on Jimi Hendrix , grew up on the Stones , Zeppelin . Got into heavy metal , Metallica , Nirvana , grunge , scene , Hip hop … then I ' ve come back to love a lot of Pop and Folk stuff , and Country .
There ' s a guy called Foy Vance , an Irish guy . That ' s all I can listen to at the moment . It is the most stunning , simple , earthy music . So , I ' m just attracted to the storytellers ; people that tell stories .
[ WM ] And your father was an Elvis fan ?
[ Darren ] Big Elvis fan . I was too .
[ WM ] My wife ' s a big Elvis fan …
[ Darren ] Good . Elvis is amazing . Some people get embarrassed . I ' m like , “ Elvis set his own ”. You know ?
[ WM ] That ' s cool . Okay . So , when did you start playing out ? Before you were a Christian , right ?
[ Darren ] Oh yeah . Started playing ... believe it or not I played the drums in a wee cover band . We used to play in pubs back home in Ireland . Do covers of the Beatles and stuff like that . But guitar was my love , I loved guitar . So I played guitar in rock and roll bands and heavy metal bands . Really I ' d never sang until I came to faith in Jesus when I was 27 and they needed someone to play at this little youth mission . I said , “ Yes ”. So I didn ' t even know I had a voice . I ' m not saying it ' s the words greatest voice , but I know how to communicate emotion and stories .