Damien Leith
Damien Leith |
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Damien Leo Leith (born 18 January 1976, Dublin, Republic of Ireland) is an Irish Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest Australian Idol 2006.
He was born in Ireland and now lives in Australia with his Australian wife, Eileen Stapleton, and their two sons, Jarvis Dion (born 2005) and Jagger Ramone (born 30 May 2007).[1] Leith became an Australian citizen on 25 January 2007, taking the pledge from then Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, in a nationally televised broadcast on Network Ten.[2]
Early life
Leith was raised near Milltown, County Kildare. His father travelled as part of his work as an engineer, and their family lived in countries including Libya and Botswana.[3]
As a teenager he formed a family band, "Leaf", with his sister Áine and brothers Paul and Darren. Leaf recorded in New York and then again later under the new name "Releaf", which made an appearance in the Irish Top 100. After moving to Sydney, he played in a number of high profile venues, as front-man for a band known as Revelate. His first Australian performance was at The Basement in Sydney's Circular Quay.
Before auditioning for Australian Idol, Leith worked in Sydney as a chemist with Pharmalab utilising the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemistry he obtained from University College, Dublin and postgraduate experience within the Metallosupramolecular Research Group in the Chemistry Department of Trinity College, Dublin.
Australian Idol 2006
Only following determined coaxing by friends, Leith auditioned for the 4th series of Network Ten's Australian Idol along with some 25,000 other contestants. He was selected by the judges as one of the final 24 contestants, and was the first person voted into the competition's top 12 as the result of a nationwide viewer vote. He was praised by the show's judges for his falsetto technique, which he used regularly in performances. For the first time, Australian Idol 2006 permitted contestants to perform with instruments, and Leith accompanied himself on guitar for his renditions of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game", Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", Alex Lloyd's "Never Meant to Fail" and Ben Harper's "Waiting On an Angel", and on piano for his rendition of Split Enz's "Message to My Girl". Leith also played piano for the non-competition round "Up Close and Personal" night, when he performed his original song "Sky". [citation needed]
Despite adverse comments from judges Mark Holden and Kyle Sandilands in relation to Leith's appearance and a performance of Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" on the "Disco" theme night, which drew ridicule from Holden, the judges' assessments of Leith's performances were usually positive with Holden labelling him a 'darkhorse' early in the competition. His renditions of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game", Roy Orbison's "Crying", Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" each earned Leith a "Touchdown" from Mark Holden, Holden's ultimate accolade for an excellent performance. [citation needed]
Leith holds the record (with Australian Idol 2004 winner Casey Donovan) for being given the most amount of touchdowns, at four apiece. Sandilands also stated that the family of Roy Orbison had contacted the Australian Idol producers requesting a copy of Leith's performance of "Crying". Although he was one of the most popular interviewees on Idol's behind-the-scenes show Idol Backstage, he was not expected by betting agency Centrebet to win the competition with Dean Geyer punted as the favourite to win throughout. [citation needed]
Leith is one of only few contestants to never land in the Bottom 2 throughout their series, although he did land in the Bottom 3 once (the Top 5). On Sunday, 26 November 2006, during a live broadcast from the Sydney Opera House, Leith was announced the winner, over runner-up Jessica Mauboy. At age 30, at the time Leith became the second oldest winner of any Idol series in the World. Controversy among viewers was created as Leith was not officially an Australian citizen at the time of winning the Australian Idol. [citation needed]
Australian Idol performances
| Week | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | - | "The Blower's Daughter" | Damien Rice | Advanced |
| Theatre Week | First Solo | Advanced | ||
| Theatre Week | Group Performance | Advanced | ||
| Theatre Week | Second Solo | "Hallelujah" | Leonard Cohen | Advanced |
| Top 24 | none | "You Are So Beautiful" | Billy Preston | Advanced |
| Top 12 | Contestant's Choice | "With or Without You" | U2 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Rock | "Creep" | Radiohead | Safe |
| Top 10 | Number Ones | "If Tomorrow Never Comes" | Garth Brooks | Safe |
| Top 9 | The Year They Were Born | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Elton John | Safe |
| Top 8 | Disco | "Celebration" | Kool & the Gang | Safe |
| Top 7 | Acoustic | "Wicked Game" | Chris Isaak Touchdown | Safe |
| SPECIAL | Up Close & Personal | "Sky" | own composition | Safe |
| Top 6 | Rock Swings | "High and Dry" | Radiohead | Safe |
| Top 5 | ARIA Hall of Fame | "Message to My Girl" | Split Enz | Bottom 3 |
| Top 4 | Viewer's Choice | "Crying" "Hallelujah" Touchdown |
Roy Orbison Leonard Cohen Touchdown |
Safe |
| Top 3 | Judges' Choice Contestant's Choice |
"Nessun dorma" "Unchained Melody" Touchdown |
Giacomo Puccini Todd Duncan |
Safe |
| Top 2 | Contestant's Choice Contestant's Choice Winner's Single |
"Never Meant to Fail" "Waiting on an Angel" "Night of My Life" |
Alex Lloyd Ben Harper - |
Winner |
Post-Idol career
2006: The Winner's Journey
Leith signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and his debut single, "Night of My Life", was released as a paid digital download from Bigpond Music soon after the conclusion of the grand finale, with an official CD release on 28 November, which included an original composition written and produced by Leith titled "Come to Me".
The single was certified "Gold" (35,000 copies sold) within 72 hours of its release.[4] On 3 December 2006, the single debuted at #1 and continued to stay in that position for 4 weeks, having Platinum accreditation (70,000 copies shipped) awarded in the first week of release. It was the fastest-selling debut single released during 2006, and also the most added song to radio.[5] The video of "Night of My Life" debuted on national television on Saturday 9 December 2006. Set in the urban streets of Chippendale, New South Wales, the video was produced by Cutting Edge Productions.
Although with an official release date of 9 December, on 6 December 2006, Leith's CD/DVD pack entitled The Winner's Journey with all his Idol performances and two original tracks began appearing in non-ARIA accredited stores. The release debuted at #3 with Platinum accreditation (70,000 copies shipped) on the ARIA Album Charts released on Sunday, 10 December 2006, and rose to #1 on the following week, with 89,000 units sold and certified platinum four times (280,000 copies shipped). It sold a 2006 record of 101,206 units in the pre-Christmas week and continued to stay in the same position of #1 for the next four weeks.
In late December 2006, Leith signed with Sony BMG Ireland and, on 18 January 2007, "Night of My Life" entered the Top 10 singles chart in Ireland.[6] The next week it rose up two spots to the position of #8. Leith performed in a nationally televised concert, Australia Day Live, on the eve of Australia Day in 2007, in the nation's capital, Canberra. He performed two songs, Peter Allen's "Tenterfield Saddler" with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and "Night of My Life".
In late February 2007, Leith embarked on a two week, 14 show tour of major Australian East Coast cities. Labelled The Winner's Journey Tour, the concerts featured many of the songs performed by Leith during Australian Idol, as well as showcasing new original songs destined for his forthcoming studio album, including the folk/acoustic piece "Song for Jarvis", dedicated to his son, and "Beautiful", a band piece written by Leith during his trip to Ireland after winning Australian Idol.
On 22 February 2007, Leith was presented with two ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards for his first single "Night of My Life" and first album The Winner's Journey. These awards are presented to Australian artists whose singles and albums reach no. 1 on the ARIA national single and album charts over the thirteen months from December 2005 to December 2006.
In March 2007, Leith again performed "Night of My Life" and was nominated for "Spankin' New Artist" and "Best Male Artist" awards at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2007.
On 9 July 2007, Leith was nominated for a 2007 Helpmann Award in the category of Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert (other nominees are David Campbell, Kylie Minogue and Olivia Newton-John). The annual Helpmann Awards recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia's vibrant live performance sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, opera, classical music, dance and physical theatre. The Helpmann Awards, named in honour of Sir Robert Helpmann and to commemorate his memory and achievements, are similar to the Tony Awards on Broadway and the Olivier Awards in London. In early November 2007, Leith performed "22 Steps" on the TV soap opera "Neighbours".
2007-2008: Where We Land
Leith's second single "22 Steps" was released to Australian radio on 22 June 2007 and then was in stores on 21 July[7], which debut and peaked at #11 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The studio album Where We Land followed and was released on 18 August 2007. It debuted at number one on 27 August in the ARIA Albums Chart. This is his second number one album within seven months. Damien is also the first Australian Idol winner to score two consecutive #1 albums.[8] Leith had an appearance on Rove on 26 August 2007[9] and he performed live during the semi-finals of Australian Idol 2007 on 30 August.[10] The second single from the album is "All I Want Is You"[11], which he performed on 8 October verdict show on Australian Idol 2007.
Leith embarked on a national Where We Land tour around Australia, performing his own material from the album, which began in November.[12] The original schedule of the tour only included venues located along the east coast, but it was announced on 28 September that the tour will be extended to include Adelaide and Perth.[11]
During February 2007, Leith signed a book deal with Australian publishers, Harper Collins. His first novel, written three years before entering Australian Idol, has been described by Leith as a psychological thriller set in Nepal. The novel, One More Time, was released on 1 October 2007.[10]
In October 2007, Leith was nominated for 3 Australian ARIA Music Awards including; "Best Breakthrough Single" and "Highest Selling Single" for Night of My Life, which he was unsuccessful in. He was also nominated for "Highest Selling Album" for The Winner's Journey, which he won.
In February 2008, Damien started to host Network Ten's heart-warming television series "Saving Kids". A show filmed at Sydney Children's Hospital which allows viewers to see medical miracles unfolding in the stories of children being treated for serious illnesses and horrific injuries. His song "Not Just For The Weekend" off his debut studio album serves as the theme song and was released as a promotional single to promote the show.[13]
2008: Catch the Wind
On 26 April 2008, less than a year after the release of his first studio album, Where We Land, Leith released his second album, Catch the Wind: Songs of a Generation. The album contained his own interpretations of classic folk songs and he performed several of the album's tracks during two small gigs at the Vanguard in Newtown, New South Wales on 14 March and 15.
The album debut in the ARIA Album Charts at #3 on 4 May and rose to its peak at #2 the next week held off the top spot by André Rieu and Mirusia's Waltzing Matilda. It was certified Gold in its 3rd week. Leith performed a series of live shows across Australia for his 'Catch The Wind' tour which began in May and is to finish late July. The tour was up-close and personal set in small venues with only 2 other band members.[14]
2009: Remember June
Leith's third studio album, Remember June, was released in Australia on 9 October. It debuted at #25 and spent two weeks in the ARIA combined sales Top 50 Albums Chart, and 3 weeks in the ARIA Top 20 Australian Albums Chart.[15][16][17] The first single from the album, entitled "To Get To You" went to radio on 14 September, and was released 25 September. The second single "Forgive Forget" was released in April 2010. It reached No. 65 on the ARIA Singles Chart, No. 1 on the ARIA Physical Singles Chart,[18] and No. 13 on the Australian Artist Single Chart.[19] He has also released his second novel which has a father and son relationship plot, and was released by HarperCollins. The book is also called Remember June. His first novel, "One More Time" was published in 2007.[20]
2011: Fourth Studio Album
According to an interview in Australian magazine New Idea, Damien is currently recording his next studio album in the US. It is due for release in March 2011
Discography
| Damien Leith discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 2 |
| Live albums | 1 |
| Singles | 4 |
| Video albums | 1 |
| Music videos | 4 |
| B-sides | 3 |
The following is a complete discography of every album and single released by Australian acoustic/pop music artist Damien Leith.
Albums
| Year | Statistics | Chart positions[21][22] | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | IRE | |||
| 2006 | The Winner's Journey
|
1 | — | 4x Platinum (ARIA)[23] |
| 2007 | Where We Land
|
1 | 43 | Platinum (ARIA)[24] |
| 2008 | Catch the Wind: Songs of a Generation
|
2 | — | Gold (ARIA)[25] |
| 2009 | Remember June
|
25 | — | |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions[26] | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | IRE | ||||
| 2006 | "Night of My Life" | 1 | 8 | Platinum (ARIA) | The Winner's Journey |
| 2007 | "22 Steps" | 11 | — | Where We Land | |
| "All I Want Is You"[A] | — | — | |||
| 2008 | "Not Just for the Weekend"[A] | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "To Get To You" | — | — | Remember June | |
| 2010 | "Forgive Forget" | 65 | — | Remember June | |
- Notes
- A ^Promotional single in Australia only
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award-giving Body | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Australian Recording Industry Association | ARIA No. 1 Chart Award - Album (Where We Land) | Won |
| 2008 | Australian Recording Industry Association | ARIA No. 1 Chart Award - Album (The Winner's Journey) | Won |
| 2007 | ARIA Award | Highest Selling Single (Night Of My Life) | Nominated |
| 2007 | ARIA Award | Highest Selling Album (The Winner's Journey) | Won |
| 2007 | ARIA Award | Breakthrough Artist Single (Night Of My Life) | Nominated |
| 2007 | Australian Recording Industry Association | ARIA No. 1 Chart Award - Single (Night Of My Life) | Won |
| 2007 | Australian Recording Industry Association | ARIA No. 1 Chart Award - Album (The Winner's Journey) | Won |
| 2007 | MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2007 | Spankin' New Artist | Nominated |
| 2007 | MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2007 | Best Male Artist | Nominated |
| 2007 | Helpmann Awards 2007 | Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert | Nominated |
| 2007 | Helpmann Awards 2007 | The Harbour Agency, Best Australian Contemporary Concert | Nominated |
References
- ^ McCabe, Kathy (18 December 2006). "Oz Idol Damien Leith's baby joy". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2006.
- ^ Irish Leith enjoying life as Aussie Idol (AAP 2006). Retrieved 28 November 2006
- ^ "Damien Leith Biography". Retrieved 27 November 2006.
- ^ "'Night Of My Life' Goes Gold!". Retrieved 29 November 2006.
- ^ "Damien Leith - Latest News". Retrieved 5 December 2006.
- ^ "Ireland-Top Singles Chart". Retrieved 22 January 2006.
- ^ "Tune In This Friday For The Radio Debut Of Damien's New Single '22 Steps'". Retrieved 19 June 2007.
- ^ "Idol's Damien Leith debuts at No.1". AAP. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
- ^ "Damien Leith on Rove". Archived from the original on 26 August 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
- ^ a b "The Journey Continues". Retrieved 26 August 2007. Cite error: The named reference "The Journey Continues" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Damien To Include Perth + Adelaide In His Tour!. Sony BMG. Retrieved on 28 September 2007.
- ^ "Damien Leith packs his bags!". Retrieved 10 August 2007.
- ^ "Cheaper thrills". The Age. Melbourne. 17 January 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2008.
- ^ "Catch The Wind Tour". Retrieved 10 June 2008.
- ^ Australian-Charts Damien Leith Remember June Retrieved 15 November 2009
- ^ ariacharts.com.au ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart Retrieved 17 November 2009
- ^ aria.com.au ARIA Top 20 Australian Singles & Albums Charts Retrieved 17 November 2009
- ^ [1] Retrieved 11 April 2010
- ^ ARIA Charts ARIA Top 20 Australian Singles Retrieved 18 April 2010
- ^ "Folk idol". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
- ^ "Damien Leith - chart peaks". Australian-charts. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
- ^ "Damien Leith - Chart Positions; Where We Land". Retrieved 27 August 2007.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2006 Albums". ARIA. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
- ^ "Top 50 Albums Chart - Australian Record Industry Association". Retrieved 9 September 2007.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2008 Albums". ARIA. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
- ^ "Damien Leith - Music Charts". acharts.us. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
External links
- Use dmy dates from December 2010
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Alumni of Trinity College, Dublin
- ARIA Award winners
- Australian Idol participants
- Australian male singers
- Australian novelists
- Australian television presenters
- Idol series winners
- Irish chemists
- Irish emigrants to Australia
- Irish male singers
- Irish television presenters
- People from County Kildare
- Sony BMG artists
- Naturalised citizens of Australia