Gemma Dunleavy

Gemma Dunleavy is an Irish singer-songwriter. She is best known for her song "Up De Flats", which was an underground hit in Ireland.

As a child, she enjoyed singing but felt she had no outlet. “I used to try and sing over stuff I had taped on my radio. No one around me was into art, it wasn’t a normal thing in my family or around my road.” She trained in dance until suffering a debilitating leg injury.

Career

In 2015, she was featured on the single "Jasmine" by electronic producer Murlo, published by Mixpak Records. That year she also performed a set at Boiler Room Dublin.

In 2017, she appeared as a guest vocalist on two songs on the album Ojalá by Lost Horizons, a project by former Cocteau Twins member Simon Raymonde.

In 2018, she released a poem "I Was Never Young But I’m Not Yet Old" and accompanying video about her life in Dublin.

In 2024 and 2025, Dunleavy supported Kneecap for shows in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Political views Dunleavy is a critic of classism in Ireland. She remembers family members using fake addresses on job applications since many employers refused to hire people from Sheriff Street. As a child, her dance teacher told her to "speak nice" and hide her working-class accent.

Discography Extended Plays Up De Flats (2020)

Recognition In 2020, her single "Up De Flats" was shortlisted for the Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year.

In 2021, Dunleavy was a recipient of the Decade of Centenaries Markievicz Award, a €25,000 government grant for artists.