Jimmy O’Brien will be accompanied by the High Hopes Choir which features singers from Cork, Dublin and Waterford affected by homelessness.
The 26-year-old is a dedicated member of the choir which began when conductor David Brophy set out to change the lives of people affected by homelessness back in 2014. His efforts were the subject of a three-part RTÉ documentary titled High Hopes.
![Rapper Jimmy B (Jimmy O'Brien) who will rap with the High Hopes Choir at Electric Picnic Picture: Eddie O'Hare]()
Rapper Jimmy B (Jimmy O’Brien) who will rap with the High Hopes Choir at Electric Picnic
Picture: Eddie O’Hare
Jimmy, who now resides in a Focus Ireland apartment, said he is glad to finally have a reason to make his friends and family proud ahead of the event on September 2.
“I left home when I was 18 years old and got involved with the wrong crowd. Now that I’m a man I understand the gravity of the things I did in the past. If I had kept going the way I was I would never have been part of something this special.”
“I’ve done a lot of bad things in my youth but I’m not asking for forgiveness. If people don’t want to forgive me I’ll understand. All I want is for people to be there when I perform on stage so they can see the real me. If my friends and family are able to make it I don’t want them to sit at the back. I want them to be in the front row when I perform.”
The performer said the experience often feels like a dream.
“I constantly have to ask people to reaffirm that this is not a dream. I keep waiting for that moment I wake up.” He hopes that his newfound experience will lead to an album.
“I’ve been underground the last while working on my beats. My goal is to have my own album produced by next year. Who knows what doors will open over the next few years. Life is going to be a roller coaster but I’m strapped in and ready for take off.”
The rapper is looking forward to sharing the stage with fellow performers from the High Hopes Choir.
“It will be great to be reunited with my second family on stage. The whole thing is just so hard to believe. Only a few years ago I can remember looking up at Eminem on stage at his concert and thinking this is what I want for myself. Now I’m going to be performing in front of thousands of people.” Jimmy revealed the joy of experiencing light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’ve been through tough times and have lost a lot of people,” he said. “All my life I’ve been walking through a dark tunnel but it’s only now that the light at the end is beginning to shine through.
