Bressie is helping talented teenagers find their voice

There’s a lot of sides to Bressie. He’s a musician, athlete and someone not afraid to speak out about his own mental health issues. He tells Arlene Harris about his latest project, working with disadvantaged kids in Limerick

He is known for his good looks, charm, relationship with the stunning Roz Purcell, as well as his sporting and musical prowess but The Voice coach, Bressie (Niall Breslin) has never made any secret of the fact that he had a turbulent time during his teenage years.

Having suffered from mental health issues, the Dublin-born musician believes that teenagers are the most unheard sector of our society and his latest project, ‘Bressie’s Teenage Kicks’, shows him trying to help teenagers in Limerick find their way in life.

The three-part documentary follows Bressie as he holds auditions for a new band. But he believes the programme is less about music and more about the issues which face Irish teenagers today.

“Irish society is very disconnected from teenagers and for the most part they are unbelievably misunderstood,” he says. “I have always been interested in trying to close the gap felt by teens and Teenage Kicks was a good vehicle in which to do this.

“But while it is essentially about us putting together a band, the musical element is only a small part of the project. I saw this more as a way of highlighting what teenagers go through.”

Because he had overcome many hurdles during his youth, the 34-year-old says he was able to empathise with the Limerick youngsters and forge a trusting relationship with them.

“My teenage years were very difficult and I make no secret of the fact that I suffered from mental health issues and self-harmed,” he says. “But despite this I was still achieving well and I think this fact was very beneficial when I was talking to the guys in the band. They could see that I had gone through a tough time but I didn’t let it stop me from trying to achieve something in my life.

“This was encouraging for them and also helped me to win their trust. They knew that I had been open with them so felt relaxed about telling me their own issues — they weren’t telling me all their problems, but if they had something going on, they didn’t feel shy about letting me know and this was great because it helped us to work through things.”

Having always had an affinity with Limerick, Bressie was able to connect with the novice singers in a way which had little to do with their musical talent and when making his final selection was conscious of choosing people who would benefit the most from the experience.

“Through rugby and music, I have always had a great relationship with Limerick and believe the negative press they seem to get is unfair and undeserved,” he says. “So when the idea for the show came about, I wanted to go to Limerick because I believe that someone needed to give those kids a voice.

“My aim wasn’t to find the best singer in Ireland but to find people who were really hungry for the opportunity and who would actually get something beneficial from the whole experience.

“Although I went in with an open mind, my initial thoughts were that we would set up a rock band but I had to go with what was in front of me and what seemed to be the voice of the city. This meant I ended up with something which was completely out of my comfort zone — so in the end, both myself and the band learned something new.”

Through experience, the presenter was aware that sometimes the gloss of a TV show wears off as soon as the camera stops rolling and the participants are left to get on with their lives. But he was determined this wouldn’t happen and made a point of ensuring the band members were left with a record label (Renegade Records). PA system, microphones and a mixing desk.

#teenagekicks starts Tuesday 2 Dec at 10pm on @RTE2 @nbrez @BAItweets pic.twitter.com/mt8h6ewqrL

— Urban Dreamers (@RTEteenagekicks) November 30, 2014

“A lot of TV shows are about jeopardy but I said I wouldn’t be a part of Teenage Kicks unless it was positive,” he says.

“I wanted to give these kids a chance to make a go of things once we had all packed up and gone home. It would have been awful to leave them with nothing once we had finished filming. So we organised a rehearsal studio and record label and X Music donated a PA system to them. And while I am not a manager, I told them I would come and help them in the studio once they had generated some funds to get something off the ground — so if they have the interest and drive to bring themselves on from the show, I am more than happy to support them in whatever way I can.

“I really enjoyed the project and hope the guys got a lot out of it too — of course we had our moments and I lost the head a few times but that’s normal. There is an incredible moment in the third episode which I can’t say too much about but one of the guys had to make a tough decision and the results are emotional — I think that scene and the show overall will help a lot of people realise they can do something positive with their lives.”

Bressie’s Teenage Kicks starts tonight on RTÉ Two at 10pm.