Cian Ducrot's rise to fame got a big jolt on Wednesday, April 19 when the Irish singer-songwriter surprised TODAY host Hoda Kotb with a performance of his song "I'll Be Waiting."

“I came all the way from Ireland,” Ducrot told Kotb in the TODAY plaza in NYC, “but I actually brought something special for you, if you don’t mind."

Cork native Ducrot, 25, then whips out a guitar and starts strumming his song “I’ll Be Waiting.”

Kotb looks a little taken aback, but the surprise got even more special when NYC's Modern Music Collective joined in.

“Oh my god, What just happened?" an equally emotional and surprised Kotb said.

“This is not your average TODAY SHow fan here," co-host Carson Daly explained.

“This is one of our aspiring great new voices coming out, this is Cian Ducrot.

“Cian is from Ireland and just opened up for Ed Sheeran last month, Jonas Brothers.

“It is all happening in popular music right at this moment for Cian.”

Daly tells Ducrot: “It’s great to have you here.”

Ducrot explains what the reaction has been like to his pop-up flash performances: "It's been pretty good. Usually, at the start, people are confused .. and then the choir joins in and they're like, 'Oh it's the real deal.'"

Watch Cian Ducrot on the TODAY show here:

We just had an extra heartwarming moment on the Plaza this morning! @Cian_ducrot stopped by to give @hodakotb, @SheinelleJones, @craigmelvin, @savannahguthrie, and @alroker a surprise! 🥺 pic.twitter.com/IKMRWf98un

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 19, 2023

Who is Cian Ducrot?

Ducrot, 25, is a singer-songwriter from Co Cork in Ireland. Growing up, he was surrounded by music and excelled himself, learning piano, classical guitar, saxophone, percussion, drums, violin, and the flute. He studied at London’s Royal Academy of Music from the age of nine but soon felt split between his classical training and his desire to make pop music. 

Ducrot continued his studies while writing songs and posting on social media (today he boasts more than 6 million followers across TikTok and Instagram), but his mind was made up to pursue pop following a successful songwriting camp in Los Angeles.

Far from an overnight success, Ducrot often borrowed money, busked, surfed sofas, and took on random jobs to fund writing trips to London and LA. 

Ducrot’s first breakthrough on TikTok led to his debut EP "Make Believe" and he grew in stature with every release, especially when "I’ll Be Waiting" and "All For You" completed his journey from pub gigs in Cork to the upper reaches of the charts. 

Ahead of the release of his debut album “Victory” on July 21, Ducrot is in North America this month for a sold-out headline tour before heading to Australia for two sold-out shows in May. He’ll be touring again in Ireland in July and August.

Listen to Cian Ducrot on Spotify here: