Danny O'Donoghue

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Danny O'Donoghue
O'Donoghue performing with The Script
O'Donoghue performing with The Script
Background information
Born
Daniel John Mark Luke O'Donoghue

(1980-10-03) 3 October 1980 (age 45)[1]
Dublin, Ireland
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • panelist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • guitar
Years active1998–present
LabelsSony Music Entertainment

Daniel John Mark Luke O'Donoghue (born 3 October 1980)[2] is an Irish singer-songwriter and frontman of the Irish rock band The Script. He also appeared as a coach on the first two series of the television singing talent show The Voice UK. He was earlier a member of the Irish boy band Mytown.

Early life

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Danny O'Donoghue was born in Dublin, Ireland, to Shay O'Donoghue, a member of the band The Dreams, and Ailish O'Donoghue. He is the youngest of six children and was raised in Ballinteer, Dublin.[1] As a child, he was initially against the idea of being a musician; however, he ended up dropping out of school to pursue a musical career.[3]

Early career

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O'Donoghue was a member of a late 1990s band Mytown with friend (and future band member of the Script) Mark Sheehan, after being signed to Universal Records in 1999. After its moderate success, O'Donoghue moved to Los Angeles with Sheehan to write songs and produce for artists such as Britney Spears, Boyz II Men and TLC.[4]

After one year of writing, O'Donoghue and Sheehan moved back to Dublin and, recruiting drummer Glen Power, started working on their own material. They formed the band the Script in 2001.[5]

The Script

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The band released their eponymous debut album on 8 August 2008. O'Donoghue co-wrote all the songs on the album. The album was a commercial success, especially in their home country, peaking at number one on the Irish Album Chart.[6] The band has since released six more albums: Science and Faith in September 2010, #3 in September 2012, No Sound Without Silence in September 2014, Freedom Child in September 2017, and Sunsets & Full Moons in November 2019.[7] The Script have toured since early March 2013 for their #3 tour in the UK.[citation needed]

The Voice UK

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In 2012 O'Donoghue made his first appearance in The Voice UK alongside Jessie J, will.i.am and Tom Jones as a coach. The decision was supported by bandmates Glen Power and Mark Sheehan, who said: "Danny did The Voice to put a face to The Script. We know about producing, song writing and performing – we’ve been doing it since we were 14 or 15. Danny on a show about singing was good for us. People saw how passionate he is about music, how much it means to him and it made our band better known."[8]

The appointment of O'Donoghue as coach initially drew criticism, with Twitter users branding him "Danny I Dunno Who" and comedian James Corden joking about it at the 2012 BRIT Awards. O'Donoghue responded saying "James who? Whatever. It’s up to other people to make up their own minds. I know I'm on this show for what I've done in my career. I’ve spent 15 years in the music industry, it's all I know."[9] In the first series, he coached Bo Bruce, who was the show's runner-up. He appeared as a judge for The Voice again in 2013.[10] In the second series, Andrea Begley from his team won.

O'Donoghue co-wrote the track "Alive" for Bo Bruce's album Before I Sleep. On 16 July 2013, O'Donoghue left the show to concentrate on The Script.[11]

Personal life

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O'Donoghue's father, Shay, died of stomach aneurysm on 14 February 2008, at the age of 63. The rose tattoo on O'Donoghue's left arm[12] and the song "If You Could See Me Now" from their album #3 are dedicated to the memory of his father.[citation needed] His mother Ailish, died 8 February 2019.[13][14] In June 2024, O'Donoghue revealed he attends Catholic Mass daily and gave up on alcohol, smoking and caffeine.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Danny O'Donoghue". Glamour Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  2. ^ "Andi O' Donoghue on Twitter". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  3. ^ Day, Elizabeth (27 May 2012). "Danny O'Donoghue: 'I idolised Dad. I'd bring home my songs to him like paychecks'". The Observer. London. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  4. ^ Day, Elizabeth (27 May 2012). "Danny O'Donoghue: 'I idolised Dad. I'd bring home my songs to him like paychecks'". The Observer. London. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Oh Danny boy! Script revel in chart success". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
  6. ^ "Chart History". Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  7. ^ "The Script".
  8. ^ "The Script - Biography". Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  9. ^ Hooton, Christopher. "The Voice's Danny O'Donoghue hits back at 'Danny I Dunno Who' jokes". Metro. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  10. ^ Bray, Elisa (5 October 2012). "The Script find a voice". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  11. ^ Sperling, Daniel (16 July 2013). "Danny O'Donoghue leaves 'The Voice' UK". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  12. ^ Day, Elizabeth (27 May 2012). "Danny O'Donoghue: 'I idolised Dad. I'd bring home my songs to him like paychecks'". The Observer. London. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  13. ^ Pattison, Brynmor (14 February 2019). "Tributes paid as The Script frontman Danny O'Donoghue's mum Ailish dies suddenly". MSN. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  14. ^ "The death has occurred of Ailish O'DONOGHUE (née McLoughlin)". RIP.ie. RIP.ie. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Danny O'Donoghue 'goes to mass every day' since Mark's death". 30 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
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