Damien Leith

by Jason Ankeny
Damien Leith was one of the myriad young singers launched to success via the international television phenomenon Pop Idol. Born January 18, 1976, in County Kildare, Ireland, Leith spent his childhood in locales as far-flung as Libya and Botswana thanks to his father's work as an engineer. As a teen he and his siblings formed the band Leaf, later recording in New York City under the name Releaf. After marrying an Australian native, Leith relocated down under and fronted the band Revelate, which enjoyed a fervent fan following on the Sydney nightclub circuit. Leith was working as a chemist when friends convinced him to audition for the fourth season of Network Ten's amateur showcase Australian Idol in 2006. Selected as one of 24 finalists from a pool of over 25,000 contestants, he won praise from the series judges for his distinctive falsetto, also accompanying himself on guitar for renditions of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Considered a dark-horse candidate by fans and handicappers, Leith ultimately triumphed against rival Jessica Mauboy in the November 26, 2006, final. At 30, he was the second-oldest competitor to claim victory on any of the global Idol franchises, trumped only by 31-year-old French champion Steeve Estatof. Upon signing to Sony BMG, Leith issued his debut single, "Night of My Life," two days after the Australian Idol finale. The record debuted at number one and remained atop the Aussie charts for four weeks, setting the stage for the LP The Winner's Journey, which spent a month at number one as well.
生于1976年的1月18日，来自爱尔兰的都柏林)是一位爱尔兰裔的澳洲歌手兼词作者。他是06年澳洲“网络十大人气音乐偶像”的冠军获得者。 Where We Land 是他的第一张录音室专辑。由Sony唱片公司于07年的8月18日在澳洲发行。Leith花了7个月的时间制作这张专辑，其中选用的都是用原声乐器伴奏的歌曲。他亲自或与他人合作制作了12首歌中的9首，其余的几首都是由制作人Alex Lloyd与音乐导演Paul Gray (Wa Wa Nee)负责制作。 　　这张专辑中所有的歌曲的灵感均来源于Leith的朋友与家庭生活，其中还包括两首招牌歌曲，翻唱自Fleetwood Mac 专辑“Rumours”中的 “Songbird”与爱尔兰的民歌“Danny Boy”(题外话：据说只要是爱尔兰歌手都唱过这首脍炙人口的作品，有一张专辑就是这首歌的不同翻唱版本的合集，不妨一试) Where We Land 获得了评论界的多数评价，在澳洲地区首发后不久就获得了澳洲唱片协会白金专辑的评定。在这张专辑发行不久后的11月 Leith 将进行宣传巡演