Sponsored by
Band writing The Script for a bright future
Two years ago no-one had heard of Danny O'Donaghue, but now he's the toast of the music industry. Andy Welch talks to The Script's frontman about how he wrote his own success story.
He may only be 25, but Danny O'Donaghue, lead singer of hotly tipped trio The Script, has packed a lot in.
A couple of years ago, Danny and his friend Mark Sheehan were happy working with other groups in an American recording studio – learning from the likes of Rodney Jerkins, who has worked with Mary J Blige and Brandy and Teddy Riley, who was not only a member of influential soul band Blackstreet, but also produced Michael Jackson's Dangerous and Invincible albums.
While living in Virginia Beach, Danny and Mark also became friends with local heroes and R&B overlords Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, aka The Neptunes, or N*E*R*D.
"That time was amazing," he says. "I believe you have to take whatever opportunity you're given and me and Mark got the chance to go to America, so we did.
"I remember this one time, we were in a hotel and Pharrell was talking to Mark. Later on, it turned out he'd given Mark a tape of beats he'd made up that he wanted us to write over. It was just amazing to be around people like that.
"We got to hook up with them again recently. We hung out after a show and exchanged numbers. I think it was a milestone for The Script, hanging out with N*E*R*D!"
After returning to Ireland, the pair, with a clutch of songs to their name, recruited drummer Glen Power and The Script was born.
Putting their studio expertise to good use, the trio began recording demos and pretty soon they had a major label record deal to add to their list of achievements.
Fast forward a few months, and the band now have a string of successful support slots under their belt, and a debut single, We Cry, that reached number 15 in the chart and was on almost constant rotation on Radio 1.
"All that's happening is so weird," says Danny. "You never think things like that, having a successful song, are going to happen to you, but look! It's nuts. It's kind of gone past surprise or anything like that now.
"Now we're actually thinking 'How far can this go?' From our small little studio in Dublin, where we hung out, made tea and wrote songs, we're now going on our own tour, playing up down the country and performing at most of the major festivals in Britain, Ireland and Europe.
"Every time I see a poster for The Script somewhere, I think 'There must be another band called The Script, they've got a massive poster up there,' then I realise it's us and start laughing."
During our conversation Danny is sitting in an airport lounge in Milan, waiting to fly back to London after a short promo tour of Italy.
"We Cry got a great reaction all over Europe on the radio, so we've been going to the places that played it to say thank you, and performing acoustic sets for them.
"When I get back to London, I've got my first two days off in a long, long time," he explains. "I'm going to sit on my couch in my boxer shorts watching football. Pretty much what I do on any day off I get!"
Days off may become even more scarce when the band release their debut album on Monday.
Specialising in R&B-tinged pop, the band make the sort of music radio was invented for – immediate, accessible and universal in its themes of life and love.
Take current single The Man Who Can't Be Moved.
"It's about this bloke," Danny says. "He's split up with his girlfriend, and he's heartbroken, but he makes a decision not to ring her, or email her or anything. He goes back to the corner where they met and sits and waits there, with a sleeping bag and picture of her.
"He hopes that enough people will ask him what he's doing, and that a crowd will gather around him, or that the police come or something," he says.
"This guy just wants everyone to realise he's not a beggar, he's just sitting there. He also hopes he gets on the news and his ex will see him.
"We had Forrest Gump in mind when we were writing the song, you know when he just keeps on running across America? Forrest Gump has a very simplistic, beautiful image of what love is, and the song's a lot like that."
The rest of the album is a mixed bag, with a range of tempos, styles and arrangements on offer. But there is one thing that ties all the songs together.
"We're Irish so I think we're good storytellers," Danny says, laughing.
"We're part of the iPod generation, where no-one's only into one type of music.
"We spent a lot of time in the studio making the album and we've a lot of different influences on there; Glen comes from a funk background, I'm more R&B and soul, and Mark is more into hip hop."
The Script have played a number of outdoor gatherings this year, including Glastonbury, with even more to come.
But of all the festivals, Danny is most looking forward to performing at Marlay Park just outside Dublin on August 19.
"We're supporting Lenny Kravitz and Alanis Morissette," he says proudly.
"I had my first kiss on that park, it's where I used to go drinking with the lads when I was younger, and it's where I learned to ride a bike. I can't wait."
The Script play Carling Academy, Sheffield, August 11.
The Script Factfile
The band's music has been described as U2 versus Timbaland and Van Morrison remixed by Teddy Riley.
Danny knew he wanted to be a singer the first time he heard Stevie Wonder on the radio. "I didn't know people could sing like that," he says.
Their debut single We Cry was single of the week on Radio 2, RTE2 FM and Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show.
The Script will be supporting N*E*R*D on their UK tour later this year.
Danny and Mark met in their early teens, on Dublin's James Street, near the Guinness brewery.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Leeds lose Ward to Palace: Is there anyone they can afford now?
- Sheffield Wednesday leaving it late to hijack Leeds United over Ward
- As Snodgrass dithers over Leeds, Warnock throws a lifeline
- Ball is in Leeds United’s court over contract - Snodgrass
- Police turning blind eye to Asian voter fraud, says MP
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
