Songs to sing and stories to tell

ONLY two months down and 2018 is already shaping up to be a busy year for Damien Leith.

The singer/songwriter is not only embarking on a solo tour and working on a new album, he has also developed an app, which was released on March 2.

An Evening with Damien Leith will take in several cities in Australia, including Toowoomba.

“I really love Toowoomba,” Leith said. “I played there last year and it had been a few years in between shows and it was great.

“It’s a great town, great music scene, so I’m excited to return again this year.”

The show will be a little different after Leith decided to strip back the tour to make it more intimate for his guests.

“Last year I played the Roy Orbison show and it was with my full band and in the middle of the show I did a solo and a lot of people said it was a highlight for them, so that inspired me to do a solo run this year,” he said.

“It will be me, a guitar and a piano and features songs over the last 12 years since Australian Idol.

“It will be all songs people know me for and some new stuff as well. This kind of intimate venue allows me to do that.”

It has been almost 12 years since Leith first appeared on our televisions and won our hearts.

“I went on Idol and had no idea what to expect. It was incredible and it opened so many doors for me,” he gushed.

“It allowed me to be a full-time musician for 12 years, which is really incredible.”

While many people will remember his epic “touchdowns” on the show and multiple songs and albums that followed, Leith said his first love was actually writing.

“While I love being on stage, there is nothing like it, my first love was writing and it got me into singing and plays and musicals step by step,” he said.

“These days I am really torn, I am a bit older and the writing is creeping in again.”

Another new role for Leith is acting in film The Target by director Giovanna Mercuri, which examines the effect bullying has on individuals, families and communities.

“I was approached by the director last year after she had seen I had done a bit of acting,” Leith explained.

“It has a very strong message about

bullying in so many lives. I act as a bully so that was something different and it was great to step out of my comfort zone.

“Most people (actors) had gotten involved because of what has been happening – the message is so strong.

“I personally have experience, I was bullied and I have never forgotten it. So getting this message out is really important, especially that bullying can happen in so many ways that we might not even realise it.”

Leith also wouldn’t rule out the possibility of performing in a musical in the future. “I never rule out anything,” he said.

“A lot of things have popped up over the last 12 years for me, so we will see.”

One of those side projects is the Damien Leith Storytime app, which features bedtime stories for children.

“Basically my inspiration was from the last eight to nine years where I made up stories for my kids every night,” he said.

“I started recording while telling them so that they could replay them when I was on the road – off doing shows. I discovered I had like 100 stories and decided to re-record some of the best and add sound effects and, lo and behold, we had an app.”

A collection of the stories will be released on CD after Leith was flooded by interest.

“It will be a busy year, for sure, mostly about the app but I also have a new album coming out later in the year,” he said.

“I also have been doing a lot of writing and have written a longer, full-length novel that wouldn’t fit on the app.”

Don’t miss your chance to catch this amazing talent.

Leith’s last shows sold out so make sure you buy your tickets now for this up-close-and-personal show.