Louis: I want Johnny Logan to write song for Eurovision
her, Terminal 3, in 1984.
‘I would love if Johnny Logan would write a song for us, that would be great,’ says Louis.
‘He knows the formula and what works – there’s nobody out there better than him who knows how to win. If he doesn’t, I will get one from England from a great songwriter. I’m confident about that.
‘RTÉ needs us to qualify this year because they have sent the wrong people in the past.
‘You have to send a great song and a great singer. Every other country in Europe sends their best singer and their best artist and takes it seriously.
‘There’s a global audience now and you can’t get away with sending a half-arsed entry.
‘It’s not rocket science — if you get a song with a great hook, it can work. Jedward were eighth and if they can do it, then anyone can.’
Walsh returned to X Factor this year but the experience, contrasted with the loss of so many great musicians, has left him in reflective mood.
‘I think we are witnessing the end of the superstar, I really do. You can name them on one hand – the Eltons and the Paul McCartneys.
‘There is nobody new coming up that I think will be around in 20 years. Nobody wants to pay their dues any more.
‘Everyone wants to make it the easy way now by going on The X Factor or The Voice but they don’t realise that there is no easy way to become great.
‘I know I am contradicting myself a bit because I am part of the machine, creating monsters and making people famous.
‘But the problem is when they leave the show they believe the hype and they are surrounded by “yes” people, who gravitate towards them and then end up ruining them.
‘The X Factor gives you a shot but it is up to you to work hard and try to make the best out of that shot.
‘Unfortunately, they often get caught up in fame and don’t want to work hard and pay their dues.’
Louis knows all about the fame game. As he rezclines in his chair, a couple at a nearby table start whispering and giggle together, having spotted him.
Along with Dermot O’Leary, he has been given a three-series deal with ITV and will reprise his position on the panel for another two years.
But he says that for the first time in 12 years the show has been more of a labour of love than a daily grind.
‘I had the best year ever, to be honest,’ he laughs. ‘I had the best fun ever and I got paid well for it.
‘I actually loved going into work every day because I was just having fun with the people I worked with. It wasn’t always like that in the past.
‘I went into work and would sit there and listen to all the stories from Nicole, Simon and Sharon.
‘It was brilliant and different, by far and away the best series ever on the show.
‘If I’m honest, I didn’t expect to get a three-year deal. It’s fantastic because I never got a contract before like this. I just hope that the others come back because it won’t be the same without them.
‘We were not in competition, we just had fun – sometimes too much fun. We don’t have a script despite what you might read and we just say what we feel.’
He was happy to see Matt Terry win the competition, beating his own act, the eccentric rapper Honey G.
While Louis’s return was a major talking point, it was the emergence of Honey G that dominated the headlines. Dubbed a joke act and a novelty publicity junkie, the rapper divides the general public.
But Louis insists that when the cameras were off, Honey G was actually rather sweet.
‘I got to know her and she was really nice, she was just having the time of her life. She believed that she was amazing and because of that I was happy.
‘It wouldn’t happen on any other show. That’s the thing about The X Factor, it can make people like Honey G famous, even if it won’t last.
‘She has the tour and she has a single and she will always look back on this as the best time of her life.’
With 2017 fast approaching, the music mogul says he is happy just to be working. Retirement is not a word he has in his lexicon and having spent almost three months in a hotel in London, he is settling back into life in Dublin.
‘My only goal in life is to be happy, I want to have fun – that’s all I ever wanted,’ he insists. ‘I didn’t get into the game for money. I just can’t believe I’m still getting away with it. It’s fantastic.
‘I know I’m lucky – there are times I can’t believe my luck. People who are starting off don’t have that same appreciation. I see so many people that think they’re famous. Yes, they are in this fame game but they have no talent.
‘You see it a lot in Dublin, they’re trying to be famous on Facebook and Twitter and Snapchat, but what do they do? What is their talent?
‘Everyone who is anybody is online and they keep coming up and pushing phones in my face and looking for pictures.
‘There are so many wannabes in Dublin that it’s frightening. I don’t want to go out any more because I don’t want to meet them. They have all developed this silly American accent and are talking bulls**t. I have to blame the Kardashians.
‘I live in Ireland, it’s home for me and I wouldn’t change that because I think you have to look at the world today and what’s happening in France, Germany and America.
‘I have a place in Miami and I don’t know if I want to keep it now with Trump. The world is so crazy and Ireland is just a great place to call home. It can only get better if we get rid of a few of those celebrity-hungry people.’
‘He knows the formula and what works best’ ‘My only goal in life is to be happy – I want to have fun’