Thank God Louis Walsh turned me down!

[olddantucker]

News
Thank God Louis Walsh turned me down!
By PAUL MARTIN Ireland's No1 showbiz writer
426 words
21 December 2006
Mirror
18
English
(c) 2006 Mirror Group Ltd

OZ IDOL STAR TO ROCK IRELAND

AUSTRALIAN Idol winner Damien Leith has told how he begged Louis Walsh for a record deal - but was turned down.

The Irishman admitted his family rock band weren't up to scratch and Louis was more interested in signing pop acts.

Now the two will meet on the Late Late Show tomorrow where Damien, 29, will perform his debut single Night Of My Life which he hopes will be a hit in Ireland.

Damien is back home to spend Christmas with his family in Kildare after becoming an overnight sensation in Australia by winning the country's top TV talent show.

He told the Irish Daily Mirror: "When I was still living in Ireland I had a family group called Leaf.

"To be fair to Louis he took loads of phone calls from me and listened to my demo CD. He gave me great advice but it never led to a record deal.

"I don't think we were good enough.

I would have done anything for him to sign me up but, looking back, everything happens for a reason."

Damien also admitted he was so homesick when he moved to Australia three years ago he could have blown his chances of stardom.

He said: "It was tough at the start and I kept pining after my life back home.

"I suppose I could have just given up and decided to pack it all in and come back.

"Thank God I didn't because I would never have succeeded.

"I wouldn't have gone on to X Factor or anything like that because I would be too worried about being humiliated by the judges. That would have terrified me.

"Once I got my head together over in Australia I just threw myself into their way of life and started to enjoy myself.

"Thankfully I stuck it through the difficult times and now I'm an Australian Idol winner."

Not content with conquering Oz, Damien now wants to have an Irish No1.

He added: "It would be a dream to get a hit in my home country.

"To see all the hard work lead to something like that would be the icing on the cake. Ever since I was a kid I dreamed of being in the Irish charts.

"I'm happy in Australia with my wife Eileen and son Jarvis but it would be amazing to work nearer to home."

[e-mail]

[irishangel]

Was just about to upload this article but looks like you beat me to it ;D Suppose i could always post it again anyway complete with pics

[12ktina]

Quick sliver of fear down my spine - Don't work too close to home Damien, we need you here in Australia!!!!

[Womby]

12ktina said:

Quick sliver of fear down my spine - Don't work too close to home Damien, we need you here in Australia!!!!

Yeah I thought the same thing

[gluttonmutton]

You can't blame him. Home will always be his mother country, which is something a lot of overseas-born Australians relate to. It doesn't mean he doesn't love Australia or that his commitment to this country isn't sincere, it's just natural that he'll always have a strong sentimental attachment to Ireland.

Plus, who wouldn't want to have an international career? Once you've hit it big in Australia, the next logical thing is to try to crack the UK or US markets. John Farnham, huge star though he is in Australia, never broke through in the UK or US. They don't know him over there. My dream for Damien is that he goes on to conquer the world with his music. ;D

[dededom]

Well, if like me you were wondering *who the hell is Louis Walsh?* here is your answer

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Walsh

[shimmery]

Thanks for that fabulous scan Michelle! Great to see some big coverage for Damien in the Irish papers, it must be a real thrill for him and I bet everyone in Ireland is very proud !!

[Megan]

gluttonmutton said:

You can't blame him. Home will always be his mother country, which is something a lot of overseas-born Australians relate to. It doesn't mean he doesn't love Australia or that his commitment to this country isn't sincere, it's just natural that he'll always have a strong sentimental attachment to Ireland.

Plus, who wouldn't want to have an international career? Once you've hit it big in Australia, the next logical thing is to try to crack the UK or US markets. John Farnham, huge star though he is in Australia, never broke through in the UK or US. They don't know him over there. My dream for Damien is that he goes on to conquer the world with his music. ;D

Very good points! ;D On top of that, most big name acts have houses in more than one country. One example that comes to mind is Shania Twain. She was born, raised, and became a big name in Canada and the US but now lives between Switzerland and the US. I can see Damien spending the summers in Ireland and the winters in Australia to be honest. *Ducks from flying bottles*

Fabulous review! And thanks for the scans, Michelle.

[thebraff (Braffy)]

Very nice photos in the article. Thankyou Michelle for posting them. Thank you olddandtucker for originally posting up the news section of the article.
Michelle, have you been able to secure the night off yet??
I have just found out that my niece is having Christmas in Ireland (she has been working in England), so I have sent her an email to watch the show if she has the chance.

[murfinator]

Louis Walsh is the guy who managed Boyzone isnt he?

[Megan]

murfinator said:

Louis Walsh is the guy who managed Boyzone isnt he?

Yep, that was him. He manages Westlife and Ronan Keating as well, last time I checked.

[murfinator]

Cool, I only know that cause I read Ronan's autobiography lol

[sunshine]

I guess a lot of record executives will now be regretting they shut the door on Damien previously - their loss is Sony BMG's gain.
And, I hope he never leaves Australia: I respect the fact that he's proud of his home country and wants to be a success there, but we love him in the land of OZ and we don't want to lose him.
Is it selfish of me to say this?

[gluttonmutton]

sunshine said:

I guess a lot of record executives will now be regretting they shut the door on Damien previously - their loss is Sony BMG's gain.
And, I hope he never leaves Australia: I respect the fact that he's proud of his home country and wants to be a success there, but we love him in the land of OZ and we don't want to lose him.
Is it selfish of me to say this?

No, it's not selfish of you to say that, you want Damien close - I understand.

However, there's nothing wrong with ambition. Think of the most famous singers in the world - they are successful beyond their home bases, they sell out would tours. Damien is good enough to be a global star. He should be allowed to set his sights high, beyond Australia's small market.

Once established in Australia, I really hope Damien goes for it overseas. It was Damien's spirit of adventure (and his love for his wife) that brought him to Australia in the first place, and his determination to make a success of himself that got him through the homesickness. I have no doubt that that same spirit of adventure and determination will lead him to set his career sights beyond Australia, and I for one will be cheering.

[hyperrune]

dededom said:

Well, if like me you were wondering *who the hell is Louis Walsh?* here is your answer

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Walsh

From the article:
"He has also worked of various talent shows on RTE in Ireland, the latest being 'You're A Star'."

'You're A Star'. Sound familiar? ;D
Who's calling the shots now?