Tony Cowell
Danny O’Donoghue is the heart-throb frontman with Irish rock band The Script, a band that has sold over 12 million albums. A former judge on TheVoiceUK, Danny, 39, opens up about his 12 months from hell
– in which he’s lost his beloved mum and seen his relationship with Brazilian model girlfriend Anne de Paula end. Yet, the music goes on – and, with a new album just out, he talks about how it helps him stay focused, even through the toughest of times...
Sunsets and Full Moons, your new album, is all about hope, isn’t it?
Yes, and like most Irish people I try to keep a positive outlook on life, rather than fall foul of the dark stuff that challenges us. I come from a place where I had nothing, but I was always hoping for more – so I think I’ve tried to take that ideology into this new album. The Script have always been a melancholic band, but we like to touch on subjects and feelings that affect everyone at some point in their lives.
It’s been a terribly difficult year for you personally, though, hasn’t it?
It has, yes. I lost my mum, Ailish, on 8 February and we buried her on Valentine’s Day – which was strange, because my dad died on Valentine’s Day exactly 10 years ago. To lose a parent is a very emotional and rattling time for anyone, but I think the best songs comes from those dark times. It’s like walking back into a burnedout house to see what’s left. Sometimes, good things emerge from living through emotionally turbulent times.
Was this, for those reasons, a difficult album to make?
Absolutely. At the end of last year, I had a break-up with my girlfriend which I was trying to get over and then my mum passed away, so it was a weird, difficult time. I sometimes wondered how far I could go with these new songs. Was I being too private? But the most important lesson I learned from it all is just
how very precious life is.
Does music help keep you going?
Definitely. People think, oh, he was a judge on The Voice UK – but before all that I was a songwriter. In the early days, me and my Script bandmate, Mark Sheehan, left Ireland to go to Los Angeles. We ended up writing songs for people like Britney (Spears) and Boyz II Men. Writing songs is my heartbeat. It keeps me alive. I’m 40 next year and I’m still just working out what’s important in my life - I don’t know where I would be today without music.
After your mum died you went to South Africa...
Yes. I went there on my own. I’m not sure why, except that I love wildlife. It was humbling. I can remember sitting there, three metres from a lion. And one night I watched this stunning sunset – and I looked behind me and saw a huge full moon on the horizon (endings and beginnings). It brought back mum’s passing and it felt surreal but Africa was the inspiration I needed to start writing again.
Your late dad, Shay, was a musician, wasn’t he?
He was. Dad was well-known
‘When I was 16 years old, I discovered meditation, which really helped me – I still do it today’
in Ireland. He played piano for stars like Tom Jones and Roy Orbison. He even worked with Louis Walsh, back in the early days! I grew up as the youngest of six children. My three sisters shared one bedroom and me and my brothers shared the other. It was chaotic at times but there was always music in our house, so I have very fond memories of my childhood. My mum never wanted me to leave Ireland – but in the end, she was always there for me.
You have opened up recently about martial arts helping you cope with anxiety and depression – are you in a much better place today?
I am in a better place, yes. But late last year, while I was going through my break-up, I knew I had to find an outlet for my pent-up aggression and anxiety, so I started doing
Muay Thai. There were times when I felt like I wanted to smash things – as things do get on top of me – and I needed that release, otherwise I feel anxious. I had to keep myself fit and focused, as I knew we had an album to finish. When I was 16 years old, I discovered meditation, which really helped me. It was powerful, and I still do it today.
You embark on a huge arena tour next February. Is being on stage your comfort zone?
For sure. I think The Script have a special fan base and there is something unique and humbling to walk out on to a stage and feel this surge of love from an audience.