Two years on from the singer’s Idol audition, his winner’s journey is far from over.
Some would call it luck of the Irish. Others would say it’s in the stars. Either way, Damien Leith is doing something right. Two years on from his first Australian Idol audition, the 32-year-old has defied expectations and become not only a successful recording artist but a published novelist and “one-take wonder” TV host.
It’s hard to imagine the Irish-born singer has all the while been juggling an even bigger role at home with wife Eileen Stapleton and sons Jarvis, 2, and Jagger, 11 months. Family time is becoming even more precious to Damien as he prepares to tour with his new album of ’60s and ’70s tunes, Catch The Wind: Songs Of A Generation. In the lead-up to the tour, Damien invited Woman’s Day into his new home in Sydney’s leafy eastern suburbs to catch up with him and his family.
Being a former Idol, can you have a private life when you go out?
Damien Sometimes if you are tired or I’ve been away for a while it’s easier to stay home, because it is complicated to go out and just have a conversation.
Eileen It’s sometimes when you’ve had a really hard day and people want to take photos it can be hard. I remember when we were moving to this house, we were all helping carry things and the removalists wanted photos then and there. And Damien was covered in sweat, filthy… [Laughs.]
Damien And last year I went to the dentist and got a filling. I’m not good with that stuff, so I came out pale-faced from shock with a swollen lip and everything, and someone took a photo of me. But that’s pretty rare, thankfully. The fans are really great to us.
What’s been the song fans request most?
Damien Crying and Hallelujah. And Nessun Dorma, which I don’t really do, because it doesn’t work well unless you have the big orchestra behind you. I was at the coffee shop down the road and I was about to sit down and the manager came out and asked me to sing for her. She was very serious! [Laughs.]
Do you have any other secret talents that you’d consider using to add another bow to your career?
Damien I love acting. I studied it for years. I like playing the quirky characters, not the serious or romantic lead. I’d be the Jim Carrey character without the comedy, or in John Cusack sort of roles.
Would you write a film?
Damien No, I’m still writing my next book.
Tell us about that.
Damien It’s about a father and son relationship, and it’s set during the troubles in Ireland. That’s the main pressure this year, making sure I make that deadline. Having a book out almost means more to me than writing a song, because it’s easy to make a demo, but to have your words printed and bound … as a young boy in Ireland I could never have imagined that.
Idol is going overseas to audition this year. Do you think Ireland has more talent to give it?
Damien Absolutely! We’ve got loads of Aussie friends there who would jump at it.
Will you miss Mark Holden from Idol?
Damien He said some horrible things to me, but there’s something I liked about him.
Are there plans to go back to Ireland with this album?
Damien There’s potential there, because the acts are both British and American. To do Ireland, we’d love to, but you’d have to have a big patch of time, do loads of gigs there and give it a proper go. That’s where we went wrong with Where We Land. We released it there when we couldn’t do anything with it. It was a bit of a shame, but it did alright. We’re hardly getting around to Australia as it is, so I’m happy here, there’s no plans to go overseas for now.
Pictures: Andrew Jacob. Hair and Make-up: Deanne Dority.
For more of this interview, see this week’s Woman’s Day (on sale May 5).
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