Singer-songwriter Nathan Carter says his hectic lifestyle and the "buzz of gigging" were taken away overnight due to the pandemic.
He says it has now been around 15 months since he has performed in front of a crowd of people.
After over a year of tough restrictions, work is underway to prepare for a return to live events over the coming months.
A roadmap for easing restrictions around entertainment is expected to be revealed later this week, with planning also underway for trial live events.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Nathan Carter said it has now been a long time since he has been able to perform in front of a crowd.
“I was fortunate enough to do a gig on St Patrick’s Day… when I say a gig it was myself and the band socially distanced, playing to about four cameras. It was my first ever live-streamed show.
“An actual gig with people in front of me enjoying live music? Probably around 15 months ago now.
“The scary thing is it’s kind of become the norm. But for the first 12 months it was pretty weird - to go from a hectic lifestyle of gigging and the buzz of gigging… the crowd and the atmosphere… to literally having it taken away from you overnight."
'We were all in the sinking ship'
Nathan said the "saving grace" was that all musicians were in the "sinking ship" together, so he was able to talk to others about what was happening.
Nonetheless, he said there was a challenging few months when the pandemic started.
He said: “I did a good few interviews during the pandemic where I talked about not wanting to get out of the bed in the morning, because there was nothing to get up for.
"I was probably in a bit of a state of depression for a while because of not doing what I loved doing… I really didn’t play any music for around four or five months at one stage.
“But I started exercising and tried to get outdoors and do a bit more songwriting, which helped. But as someone who was always so upbeat and never really would have got down or negative about things… I definitely did [feel that way].”
For Nathan, music is a form of therapy - and stopping it so suddenly is "not good for you".
He stressed it's not just musicians impacted by the shutdown of live events, but also promoters, managers, technicians, engineers, theatre crews and more.
Despite the challenges of the last year, Nathan says the future is now looking brighter.
He said: “Thankfully, the office phone has started ringing again. People are planning festivals… we have a tour of England and Scotland coming up in September and October. Thankfully, the vaccines… the majority of people are taking them up.
“Music is kind of a drug, and it’s therapy for a lot of people. The quicker we can do that, the quicker people will become happier again. I can’t wait to hear some live music.”
A new two-week campaign on Newstalk - The Show Must Go On - will celebrate everything great about the Irish entertainment industry as the reopening process begins.
