Ryan Mack, whose real name is Ryan McLoughlin, is an Irish singer-songwriter and pop artist known for his upbeat alternative-pop sound and highly personal songwriting. He was born on January 28, 1994, and grew up in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, where he comes from a musical family; his father played music as a hobby and wrote songs, which inspired Ryan to begin writing and playing music himself. He started playing music at around 12 years old and later studied Commercial Modern Music and songwriting at BIMM Dublin. Ryan first entered the spotlight as one of the six members of the Irish boy band HomeTown, formed by music manager Louis Walsh in 2014. The group scored two Irish No. 1 singles before disbanding in 2016, after which Ryan stepped away from the spotlight and even worked in a furniture shop before deciding to pursue music independently. He launched his solo career with in 2018, but his major breakthrough came during the COVID-19 pandemic when he began writing, recording and posting music online, eventually building a huge audience on TikTok and Spotify. Outside music, he has spoken about being passionate about running, exercise and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, where he has earned a blue belt. He is also known for maintaining his independence as an artist rather than being tied to a major record label. As of 2026, he has released his debut album, Better Late Than Never, continuing the independent career he deliberately rebuilt after his early experience with HomeTown.
Four: Sofa
“Sofa” is Ryan Mack’s debut solo single, officially released on August 17, 2018, through RJJ Records/RJ Music, following his departure from Irish boy band HomeTown and the beginning of his independent solo career. The 2-minute-52-second pop track introduces a playful, youthful story about two people sneaking around together, with the “sofa” representing the excuse the narrator gives for staying over while the relationship becomes increasingly intimate. The song was written by Ryan Mack (Ryan McLoughlin), Ryan O’Shaughnessy and Ryan McCloskey, and commercially, Sofa became a strong introduction to Mack’s solo career in Ireland, receiving national radio support and playlisting on RTÉ 2FM and other Irish stations, while its performance on RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars helped expose the song to an even wider audience. It has since garnered over 2.3M streams on Spotify and over 81K views on its official music video on YouTube. The track was subsequently included on his 2019 debut EP, Someone Else, making it the song that effectively opened the door to the solo career that would eventually produce his much bigger viral successes.
FYI
- Musically, Ryan describes his style as fresh alternative pop, drawing inspiration from artists including Jon Bellion, John Mayer and a broad mix of rock and pop influences.
Three: Forever and Ever and Always
“Forever and Ever and Always” was released on December 2, 2022, as a standalone single, and at just 2 minutes, 20 seconds, it is a compact but deeply romantic pop song built around the idea of finding the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Written and produced by Ryan Mack himself, the song has become one of Ryan’s biggest commercial successes, currently garnering over 108.7M streams on Spotify and over 7M views on YouTube, making it his second-most-streamed song overall. Beyond the streaming numbers, the song has developed a life of its own as a romantic and wedding/favourite-first-dance type of song, with Spotify playlists specifically placing it alongside established wedding and love songs — a reflection of how strongly its straightforward message of lifelong commitment has connected with listeners. Its appeal is really in that simplicity: rather than telling a complicated love story, Ryan captures the moment when someone realizes, “this is my person,” and turns that realization into a promise of lasting love.
Two: Irish Goodbye
“Irish Goodbye” is Ryan Mack’s latest single, released on May 29, 2026, and it also serves as the third track on his debut album, Better Late Than Never. The 2-minute-52-second high-energy pop song is a romantic take on the famous Irish expression “Irish goodbye” — leaving a social gathering without saying goodbye — but Ryan turns the idea into something much sweeter, describing that instant connection with someone you meet and deciding to quietly leave the crowd together. Commercially, it has garnered over 1.9M streams on Spotify and over 64K views on its official music video on YouTube. The track was written by Ryan McLoughlin (Ryan Mack), Jake Richardson and Robert Grace, with production handled by Ryan Mack, Jake Richardson and Robert Grace; the recording also features Finn Byrne on banjo and Ali Levack on whistle, giving the contemporary pop production subtle traditional Irish touches. Ryan said the song was inspired by the feeling of knowing someone is special from the moment you meet them, while also allowing him to nod to his Irish identity and the musical traditions of home. The song ultimately became part of Ryan’s debut-album era, making it a particularly important release because it represents him leaning more openly into his Irish roots while maintaining the accessible, romantic pop sound that has built his international audience.
Awards/Nominations
- When it comes to awards and nominations, Ryan Mack’s résumé is still relatively short, with no major competitive award wins or nominations publicly documented to date.
- However, his growing recognition has been significant: in 2023, he was selected for the prestigious RTÉ 2FM Rising list, highlighting him as one of Ireland’s emerging musical talents, while Hot Press also named him among its Hot for 2023 artists.
- He has additionally received major industry attention through features on Billboard and support from platforms including BBC Radio 1, Spotify and Apple Music — recognition that reflects his rapid rise even without a traditional awards haul.
Discography
- Better Late Than Never (2026)
One: Overwhelmed (Ryan Mack Remix)
Serving as Ryan Mack’s biggest release to date, ‘Overwhelmed (Ryan Mack Remix)’ was released on July 14, 2021, and became the song that truly transformed his career from promising Irish singer-songwriter to an internationally recognised independent artist. A reimagining of Royal & the Serpent’s ‘Overwhelmed,’ Ryan’s version gives the song a more acoustic, emotionally vulnerable feel while retaining the original’s theme of being mentally and emotionally consumed by everything happening around you. Interestingly, the song came during the period when Ryan was building his audience independently through TikTok, after the COVID-19 pandemic had pushed him to focus more seriously on songwriting and online music content. That strategy paid off massively. The track exploded across TikTok and Spotify, appearing on Spotify Viral Charts in more than a dozen countries, including Australia, Canada and the Philippines, and has garnered over 374M streams on Spotify, making it comfortably his biggest song by a huge margin. It has also generated more than 25M YouTube views, further cementing its global reach. More than five years after its release, ‘Overwhelmed’ remains Ryan Mack’s defining hit — the song that introduced his music to millions of listeners worldwide and established the independent artist he is today.
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