From Open Mic Nights to Adele’s Stage: Moncrieff’s Incredible Rise
So, have you heard the story about Moncrieff? If you haven’t, you’re in for a ride. He’s this incredibly talented singer from Waterford — real name Chris Breheny — who’s gone from playing tiny open mic gigs in East London to backing Adele on stage and even catching the attention of none other than Elton John.
Now, what makes his story even more remarkable is how it all started. Chris dropped out of college at just 19 to chase music full-time. And it wasn’t easy — not even close. He moved to London, where he admits he wasn’t very good at first. But he needed the pressure, the anonymity of a big city, to push him forward. He said it himself — back home in Ireland, he probably wouldn’t have gotten as far, simply because it was too comfortable.
The journey’s been deeply personal for him too. Chris lost his brother and sister to Cystic Fibrosis while he was still a teenager. That kind of heartbreak, he says, changed everything about him — and became the emotional bedrock of his music. He started writing and performing seriously not long after those tragedies, and music became a way to process grief that felt too big to talk about. In a lot of ways, music saved him.
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There’s this amazing story from when he first moved to London — he went to an open mic night, sang a song dedicated to his siblings, and was approached afterward by a stranger who really connected with him. The kicker? The man’s name was William Scott Moncrieff. That moment felt like a sign — and Chris took that name and ran with it.
Fast forward a bit, and things started to really move. In 2017, Elton John played one of Moncrieff’s songs — Symptoms — on his Beats 1 show. Can you imagine getting that email? He didn’t believe it at first. But it gave him a boost he needed. Around the same time, a friend from the London music scene messaged him — while he was on a ferry, no less — and asked if he was free to do backing vocals for Adele. Just like that. It was one of those “pinch me” moments.
Now, Moncrieff’s coming full circle, headlining at the Breakwater Festival in Wexford. He calls it a homecoming of sorts — a massive show with friends and familiar faces in the crowd. For him, this is the biggest performance of his life, and you can feel how much it means. He’s all in, promising to make it a night to remember.
And you know what? After a journey like his, he deserves every second of it.
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