Legendary singer-songwriter Dean Friedman is back in Edinburgh with his show Songs for Grown-Ups this summer. We met up on Zoom to find out more about his involvement with the Fringe, his songwriting, and why creativity should still feel like play!
“Every song a classic! Hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the finest songwriters of his generation, Friedman has achieved legendary, pop-icon status for chart-topping hits: Ariel, Lucky Stars, Lydia, Woman of Mine, Rocking Chair, McDonald’s Girl and more. Catch this legendary singer/songwriter for an unforgettable evening of funny, poignant, heartfelt stories and songs. Two nights only!”
Where: The Nave at Edinburgh New Town Church
When: 15-16 Aug 2026
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/dean-friedman-songs-for-grownups
You’re heading back to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer with Songs for Grown-Ups. What’s the show about?
It’s built around the material from my album Songs for Grown-Ups, which was my first major release after a very long gap. I’d spent years doing all sorts of creative projects – designing video games, building musical instruments for museums, writing constantly – but not putting albums out in the traditional way.
The songs on that record are very much about real life, real people and the strange business of becoming an adult while still carrying the same curiosities and anxieties you had when you were younger. In Edinburgh, the show becomes part concert, part storytelling session. I talk about where the songs came from and the experiences behind them.
You’ve performed at Edinburgh for more than two decades. What keeps drawing you back?
The atmosphere. Edinburgh during Fringe season feels unlike anywhere else in the world. You’ve got this beautiful medieval city with a castle looming over everything, and then suddenly it’s filled with tens of thousands of artists, comedians, musicians and theatre-makers all trying things out in public.
What I love most is the ethos of experimentation. People are encouraged to take creative risks, try new material and fail gloriously if necessary. That energy is infectious. By about day three, I usually panic because there are too many shows to see, but that’s part of the fun.
Have particular Fringe performers influenced you?
Absolutely. The first time I went, I saw people like Boothby Graffoe, Brendan Burns and Janey Godley doing comedy that felt sharp, personal and fearless. It reminded me that humour could be emotionally honest as well as funny.
That experience directly influenced my own writing. I’d always included a few comic songs in my sets, but after Edinburgh I went home and wrote a whole batch of them, which eventually became the album Squirrels in the Attic.
One of your best-known songs, “McDonald’s Girl”, was famously banned by the BBC. What actually happened?
At the time, the BBC had very strict rules about mentioning commercial brand names in songs. They decided that hearing “McDonald’s Girl” on the radio might send listeners rushing off for hamburgers, which I thought was a bit optimistic!
The song was officially banned, and the fallout contributed to my record label dropping me. It was frustrating, but it also pushed me into a very unconventional creative period where I explored all sorts of other projects.
You often talk about creativity as play. Do you still see yourself as a child at heart?
Completely. Once I get past the anxiety of the blank page and the endless “preparing to work” rituals, creating feels like playing with ideas. Whether it’s words, melodies, synthesizer sounds or game design, the best moments happen when you stop trying to look clever and start experimenting.
That doesn’t mean it’s always easy or fun. There’s plenty of frustration involved. But the mysterious part of creativity – the bit you can’t quite explain – usually arrives through improvisation and playfulness.
Technology has transformed music-making during your career. Has it changed the way you work?
Yes and no. I still see technology as another instrument, another toy. A synthesizer or software plugin is just another colour on the palette.
I actually wrote some of the first consumer books about synthesizers back in the day, and I remember people predicting they would destroy music. Some jobs changed, certainly, but the technology also opened doors for artists who could suddenly produce records from their bedrooms.
I think AI is creating a similar moment now. There will be disruption, and some of it will be ugly, but there will also be new opportunities for people who previously lacked access to certain tools.
Your live shows include a lot of storytelling between songs. Why is that important to you?
Because songs don’t exist in a vacuum. Many of mine come directly from things that happened to my family, friends or me, and sometimes a little context helps people connect more deeply with them.
I’ve always been amused by the idea that songwriters must remain cryptic at all costs. Bob Dylan is a good example of someone who likes to stay mysterious. If a story helps the audience understand the emotional landscape of a song, why hide it?
You’ve also got a pair of beers named after your songs now. How did that happen?
Very accidentally! I played a concert at a brewery run by the Powder Monkey Brewing Company, and the owner suggested creating signature beers inspired by my songs. I told him I wasn’t much of a beer drinker, but he was undeterred.
So now there are two beers: Lucky Stars and Summer Days. By all accounts, they’re excellent, though I’m relying on other people’s taste buds for verification!
Tell us about SongFest in Rugby. [28-30 Aug].
SongFest started eight years ago because I wanted an excuse to gather some of my favourite UK singer-songwriters in one place. We rented a hotel in the Midlands, put on a weekend of performances, and it turned into an annual festival.
The focus is simple: celebrate great songs and the people who write them. It’s small, intimate and indoors – so no muddy fields or emergency ponchos. Over the years, we’ve had artists like Chris Difford, Graham Gouldman and Tom Robinson involved, and this year, Kiki Dee is headlining.
Do you think singer-songwriting is in a healthy place right now?
Artistically, yes. More people than ever have access to the tools for writing and recording music. The troubling part is compensation. Streaming platforms pay artists fractions of fractions of pennies, which is absurd given the money involved.
The industry has always had gatekeepers – labels, publishers, managers, venues – but now we’ve added tech giants to the mix. Artists have more access than they used to, but making a sustainable living is still incredibly hard.
You tour the UK a lot, sometimes more than the US. Why?
Oddly enough, I’ve always had a stronger profile in the UK and Ireland. I had more chart success here, and touring is simply more practical. In Britain, I can drive between gigs with my gear and merch in the car. In the US, the distances are enormous, and flying becomes unavoidable very quickly.
So I spend a lot of time over here, which is hardly a hardship. British audiences have been wonderfully loyal to me over the years.