Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh | |
|---|---|
 Walsh in 2009 | |
| Born | Michael Louis Vincent Walsh 5 August 1952 |
| Occupation(s) | Entertainment manager Television personality |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Television | Popstars (2001) You're a Star (2002–08) The X Factor (2004–present) Britain's Got Talent (2010, 2011) |
Louis Walsh (born Michael Louis Vincent Walsh;[1] 5 August 1952)[2] is an Irish entertainment manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.[3]
Originally from Kiltimagh, County Mayo, Walsh moved to Dublin to get a start in the music industry.[4] He managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone and Westlife, three of Ireland's most successful pop artists of recent decades. In later life, Walsh began an alternative career as a TV talent pundit, on programmes such as You're a Star, The X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent, amongst others.
Johnny Logan
Walsh got his start in talent an agreement with Johnny Logan, whom Walsh met on a bus[4] when he was 20, and, despite legal difficulties with Logan's previous management,[4] Walsh was convinced that Logan could be a big star if he just got the right breaks.[5] Walsh persuaded Logan to enter the 1979 and 1980 National Song Contests. Logan won 1980 heats with a Shay Healy number called "What's Another Year", representing Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest that year in the Netherlands, which he won.
Band manager
In the 1990s, Walsh decided to create an Irish version of Take That, which the papers picked up on when Walsh advertised the open auditions. The band created was Boyzone, whom Walsh managed to international success achieving 16 top three singles, six of which were number ones, as well as four number one albums, selling over 20 million copies worldwide. When Ronan Keating announced he wanted to take a break from Boyzone, Walsh continued to manage his career. Keating achieved a number one hit with "Life is a Rollercoaster" in 2000 while his album sold 4.4 million copies. Keating and Walsh later agreed to part company as Keating's solo career reached an all time high. Walsh then went back to the boy band formula to create Westlife, which Keating co-managed with Walsh for the first couple of Westlife's number one singles and albums.
Despite the bitter feud mentioned previously,[clarification needed] Walsh had a public reconciliation with Boyzone, including Ronan Keating, on the ITV2 programme Ghosthunting with Louis Walsh and Boyzone in which they explored a network of subterranean streets beneath Edinburgh. On 10 October 2009, Gately died in his sleep at the age of 33. Walsh commented: "I'm in complete shock. I was only with him on Monday at an awards ceremony. We don't know much about what's happened yet. I only heard after The X Factor and we will rally around each other this week. He was a great man."[6]
Television career
Walsh's first television work was in 2001, in the Irish version of Popstars. The following year Walsh appeared as a judge on the UK ITV show Popstars: The Rivals with Pete Waterman and Geri Halliwell. Walsh went head-to-head with Waterman on the show with his girlband Girls Aloud battling it out with Waterman's boy band One True Voice. Girls Aloud lost to One True Voice, but their debut single "Sound of the Underground" reached number one in the UK. Walsh managed the band to achieve a million singles sales while their debut album went platinum.
Walsh also frequently appears on various talent shows on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the most recent being You're a Star. He covered for Simon Cowell as a judge on Britain's Got Talent during series four's Birmingham auditions on 3 and 4 February 2010 due to Cowell being ill. He again filled in for David Hasselhoff at the London auditions in the following series when Hasselhoff was unavailable due to appearing in pantomime.
In January 2012, Walsh appeared on the ITV documentary series The Talent Show Story where he was interviewed about being a judge on The X Factor and Popstars The Rivals. Fellow Popstars judge Pete Waterman also appeared on the programme as well as past and present X Factor judges, including Dannii Minogue, Simon Cowell, Kelly Rowland and Gary Barlow. In Spring 2012, Walsh appeared in the ITV panel show Mad Mad World.
The X Factor
Walsh appeared from 2004 as a judge, along with Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne on ITV talent show,[7] The X Factor. In 2004, Walsh found chart success with G4, who went on to have a chart topping album and completed two tours of the UK. In 2005 Walsh managed the winner Shayne Ward, whose debut single "That's My Goal" spent four weeks at UK number one.
In November 2005, Walsh quit the show mid-series out of protest regarding his treatment on the show; the most explicit example being Osbourne's drenching him with drinking water during a live recording.[8] Walsh returned on the Saturday evening's live show, stating that he could not abandon his remaining competitor and eventual winner, Shayne Ward. Ward went on to win the competition with over 10 million votes in the final. Walsh then went on to win The X Factor: Battle of the Stars with actress Lucy Benjamin.
ITV announced in March 2007 that Walsh would not return as a judge on The X Factor, but would remain behind the scenes managing some acts from the show.[9] According to UK tabloid newspaper The Sun, the decision to be replaced with two other judges came as a shock to him. He was replaced on the panel by American choreographer Brian Friedman. Osbourne, Cowell, Friedman and new judge Dannii Minogue appeared at the London auditions; however, after the first few days, Cowell decided to re-hire Walsh to the panel. On 22 June 2007, Walsh confirmed he would be returning as a judge on the fourth series of The X Factor. Friedman was reinstated as the show's Creative Director. Walsh mentored the Over 25s category in series four.
Simon Cowell reportedly told Walsh off for his comments about the Spice Girls. Walsh had said that the girl group were "past their sell-by date" and lacking in talent, but Cowell already had plans to book the girls on the show.[10]
In 2008, Walsh returned for the fifth series along with Cowell, Minogue and Cheryl Cole, who was hired after Osbourne quit the previous June. In this series, Walsh mentored the groups, choosing JLS, Girlband and Bad Lashes to represent him in the live shows. Bad Lashes and Girlband were the first two acts to be eliminated over the first two weeks, but JLS finished as runners-up.
Walsh returned to the sixth series show in 2009, again mentoring the groups for the fourth time in six years. Walsh took Kandy Rain, Miss Frank and John & Edward to the live shows. Kandy Rain were eliminated in the first live results show, from which Walsh was absent due to the sudden death of Boyzone member Stephen Gately. Walsh was absent again on the Saturday and Sunday of the second week of live shows due to Gately's funeral on 17 October. In week three, Miss Frank were eliminated from the competition, while John & Edward were eliminated in week seven, though went on to have successful careers in the industry.
In 2010, Walsh mentored the Over 28s category on the seventh series of The X Factor. His last surviving act, Mary Byrne, was eliminated in the semi-final on 5 December 2010.[11]
Walsh returned to the show in 2011 for series eight. He joined new panelists Kelly Rowland, Gary Barlow and Tulisa Contostavlos, who replaced former judges Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, all of whom left the show after series seven. This meant that, following Cowell's departure, Walsh became the only original judge left on the programme. During the Bootcamp stages it was announced that he would mentor the Over 25s category for the rest of the competition. His most successful act of the competition was Kitty Brucknell who made it to week six of the live shows before she was eliminated. Walsh chose Brucknell, Sami Brookes, Johnny Robinson and Jonjo Kerr to go through to the live shows.
During the live shows, in an interview with former judge Dannii Minogue, Walsh stated that he "didn't know" whether he would return as a judge in 2012.
List of groups and performers managed by Walsh
Walsh manages and has managed many singers and groups, including:
- Westlife – 1998–2012
- Boyzone – 1993–1998
- Ronan Keating – 2000–2004
- Shayne Ward – 2005–2009
- Jedward – 2009–present[12]
- Wonderland – 2010–2011
- Bellefire – 2000–2004
- Six – 2001–2002
- Girls Aloud – 2002–2003
- G4 – 2004–2007
- Samantha Mumba – 2000–2002
- Eton Road – 2006–2008
- JLS – 2008–present
- The Carter Twins
- Kerri Ann
- Rob Carney - 2006-present
Louis Walsh vs. Rupert Murdoch
Walsh has sought access to documents which allegedly show Rupert Murdoch's The Sun tabloid paid €700 to a man who made, in a high profile case, what turned out to be a false sexual assault accusation against Walsh. The senior counsel for Walsh told the High Court on 14 May 2012: "The Sun directed the operation to take out Louis Walsh as a public person."[13]
References
- ^ Biography – Louis Walsh on Bio. Thebiographychannel.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-10-03.
- ^ Louis Walsh is Mayo Person of the Year. Mayonews.ie (2009-01-27). Retrieved on 2011-10-03.
- ^ Louis Walsh Biography, Picture Gallery & Video. heatworld.com (1952-08-05). Retrieved on 2011-10-03.
- ^ a b c Adams, Tim (30 November 2002). "The cynical Svengali". London: The Observer. Retrieved 6/4/2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Louis Walsh biography" (html). The Biography Channel. Retrieved 6/4/2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/544219/Boyzone-star-Stephen-Gately-dies.html [dead link] (subscription required)
- ^ "Furious Walsh walks out on X Factor". Daily Mail. London. 23 November 2005.
- ^ X Factor Hurls Water on Louis Walsh » Propeller. Tv.netscape.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-03.
- ^ "Walsh to step down from X Factor". BBC News. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ Simon scolds Louis
- ^ "It's a rap: Cher Lloyd makes X Factor finals by the skin of her teeth". 5 December 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- ^ Louis "Walsh signs X Factor duo John and Edward". BBC News.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Healy, Tim (14 May 2012). "X-Factor judge Louis Walsh wants access to Sun documents on false assault accusation". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
External links
- Louis Walsh at itv.com/xfactor
