Nathan Carter has firmly established himself as Irish country music's biggest stars.
Despite his fame here, the 31-year-old was actually born in Liverpool.
However his mum and dad Noreen and Ian are from Newry in County Down so Ireland was always part of his life as he travelled to visit grandparents.
And ultimately Ireland was where he made his name, becoming a mainstream star following his cover of the American country song Wagon Wheel.
However it has not all been plain sailing for Nathan, as he told the Irish Sunday Mirror last week that he had a “nightmare” year as pandemic restrictions left him battling the booze and depression.
Here is everything you need to know about the country music legend:
Family life
As a child, Carter learned to play the accordion and regularly competed in Fleadh Ceoil’s in Ireland. By the age of 12, he won All Ireland medals for singing and the accordion. Solo performances soon followed in both Liverpool and Ireland before he bit the bullet and relocated for good.
He told the Belfast Telegraph: “I moved to Ireland when I was 18 and it changed everything. I ended up staying here and that's how I got into my career and set up the band.
“I moved to Donegal on my own for a few gigs and just ended up staying. My parents were pretty shocked and worried at the start because I was so young and on my own, but when things started going well, they were very proud and happy."
Carter is the eldest of three children. His younger brother Jake is also a singer. He first came to public attention after an appearance on the Late Late Show, performing his first single Trouble which reached number one on the Irish Country Music iTunes chart.
Jake well and truly stepped out of Nathan's shadow when he won series two of Dancing With The Stars. He was partnered with Dubliner Karen Byrne and the passion on the dancefloor spread into real life and the pair have been together ever since.
The couple spent the first lockdowns of the pandemic in Fermanagh, living with Jake's brother.
Nathan said: “We don’t get to see each other that often so it has been really great to spend some time together. We are exercising at much as possible.
“There are no houses near me so it is just us and the sheep. We are very fortunate to be able to get outside into the fresh air, there are a lot of people stuck in flats and apartments.
“Jake lives in an apartment in Dublin so he is delighted to be here and at least he can go for a walk, run or cycle without bumping into crowds of people.”
They also have a sister Kiara, who is the middle child, but she has no interest in following them into music.
Covid party scandal
Nathan was in the headlines for the wrong reasons last year as he was forced to apologise after police attended a party at his home being held in breach of Covid-19 rules.
Officers said at least 50 people were present when they arrived at the singer’s home in Lisbellaw, Co Fermanagh.
Gatherings inside and outside domestic dwellings were still subject to tight limits under Northern Ireland’s Covid-19 regulations at the time.
Police issued a £1,000 fine to the organiser of the event and 14 fines of £200 to attendees. A Covid-19 prohibition notice was also issued.
The event was staged to mark Carter’s 31st birthday.
In a statement of apology, the singer said he "realises how irresponsible these actions were and I fully apologise".
Stunning home
The country music superstar currently lives in a mansion in Co Fermanagh.
The centrepiece of the house is a chandelier which hangs in the hallway, which is complemented by a grand piano.
The home opens up with a huge white door that leads into the reception area which Nathan has regularly shared on his social media.
And the property is finished with an arch window and panes at either side of the door.
While his big back garden is complete with a vast lawn and views of the stunning Northern Irish landscape.
'Nightmare' year
On Sunday Nathan bravely opened up about his “nightmare” year admitting pandemic restrictions left him battling the booze and depression.
The singer is urging men to open up about their mental health struggles after he hit rock bottom when his gigs were axed due to Covid-19.
He told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “Music was my therapy and it was taken away from me.
“I was listening to Bressie’s podcast and heard the likes of Imelda May coming on chatting about speaking to a therapist.
“For me there has always been a bit of a stigma about it. Listening in, it gave me the boost to go and talk.”
The Wagon Wheel singer said meeting with his therapist was cathartic and he joked that she barely got a word in.
He said: “I had a good few sessions with her, she hardly said anything over the session but I never shut up.
“I find especially in men they don’t want to open up on mental health struggles.
“I found I wasn’t fixed after one therapy session so I’d say to anyone going give it time.
“At the end of the day, if you’re feeling down you need to talk to people and don’t keep it in.
“The old way was to brush all our problems under the carpet.”
Many musicians fell foul to overdrinking and smoking during the pandemic and Nathan admits he sought solace in the bottle.
He said: “Loads of my musician friends ended up drinking and smoking too much, they’re not used to having nothing to do.
“I was drinking more than I ever did, I was drinking Friday, Saturday and Sunday and feeling like s**t then for days afterwards.
“I’m not a wine drinker, so it wasn’t like I was drinking a bottle of wine every night, but it took its toll.
“I’d nothing to get up for, no gigs, no interviews so it’s like ‘let’s get smashed’.
“Music is a healer so if you can do it, you need to be allowed to do the thing that makes you feel good. I’m sure if you told people who listen to music regularly that they can’t listen to any music for six months it would impact their mental health.”
Opening up on his “nightmare” year, he added: “We’ve had to manage disappointment constantly.
“I was concerned about the lads who work for me, musicians, sound guys, the lads who drive the trucks.
“It had a knock-on effect on so many industries involved. I totally understood the Government was doing it for the right reasons.”
