Liam McCay was driving down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles with a friend from Ireland when it hit him just how much his life had changed.
“We could see the Hollywood sign, and we were like, ‘this is mental’,” the 20-year-old from County Donegal told BBC News NI.
Just two years ago, McCay was working part-time at a restaurant in his hometown of Buncrana, creating music in his spare time. Now, his songs, released under a variety of aliases, have amassed millions of monthly listeners on streaming platforms.
His musical journey began in his childhood bedroom, where he started making songs under the name Moon Water while still a teenager.
“My plan was I would just keep the one name and then I got kind of bored and started making this other wee thing,” he said.
“And I was like, God, this doesn’t really fit the sort of the vibe of the other one. So I says, I’ll not put it under that, I’ll do it under a new name.”
That creative process continued, and today he has 14 aliases under which he releases music.
He is perhaps best known as Sign Crushes Motorist, making slowcore tracks — a subgenre of indie rock known for its slow tempos, minimal arrangements, and melancholic atmosphere.
Sign Crushes Motorist currently has around 2.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, while another project, Take Care, has about 2.4 million.
He acknowledged that many of his projects may sound similar to those unfamiliar with the style but added that he explores different genres.
“To me, they’re all kind of different, they all have their own different vibes and stuff,” he said.
“But I have everything. I love making different types of music, I have acoustic stuff, the slowcore stuff – I rap the odd time. It’s nice to make whatever.”
McCay began releasing music in 2021, at 16, but largely kept it secret, choosing to put songs online rather than share them with people in his personal life. He spent time on forums and servers for new musicians, sharing his work and seeking feedback.
“I was doing the most nerdy stuff to try and get it out there. Just hoping someone would hear it,” he said.
“It was a bit embarrassing because it wasn’t cool music, and I was also like whingeing about this girl or whatever. So, I wasn’t really wanting to show people.”
Gradually, listeners discovered his music. By 2023, several of his tracks had gained traction, with one peaking at number three on Billboard’s now-defunct TikTok Top 50 chart, which ranked the platform’s most popular songs.
‘This is good craic’
Despite his growing success, McCay was happy to keep music as a hobby, even as income began to flow.
“I didn’t go mental or anything and buy like a sports car,” he said.
“I was making a decent amount of money. I could have lived off of it, but I said no it’ll sort of lose the magic. It’ll just be a nice hobby to do in the evenings.”
After finishing his school exams, he went to university in Belfast to study computer science. While he enjoyed the experience and was performing well academically, he realised music brought him more joy.
Following trips to the US to collaborate with other artists, he decided to pursue music full-time.
“So after that, I was like, ‘this is good craic’ I really want to do this as much as I can,” he said.
McCay dropped out after his first year and relocated to Los Angeles, where he has been performing live. He recently released an album under the name Dead Calm.
“That’s kind of acoustic, that’ll be the one I’ll be doing all the gigs for. Because it’s just like the most kind of upbeat. That’s a lot of fun to do,” he said.
He expressed a desire to explore “everything,” including acting or filmmaking, but for now, music remains his focus. Despite offers from labels, he prefers to remain independent.
Other aliases include Miserable Teens Club, scm48, and Carson Clay. Industry insiders have advised him to consolidate his work under a single name to increase popularity, but he remains committed to multiple projects.
“I’ll never put them all under one, but I’ll definitely slow down in making new ones,” he said.
For fans, tracking down all his music can be part of the fun.
“It’s not like I hide them but it sometimes takes people a while to find them,” he said.
“The idea of having to go and search them out, it definitely adds a wee something.”