Damien Leith's musical odyssey has been nothing short of extraordinary, one which has played out before the eyes of a captivated nation. The Irish-born troubadour's career went stratospheric when he appeared on, and subsequently won, the 2006 edition of Australian Idol. Along the way, Leith's touching songs have captured millions of hearts and multiple platinum awards. The singer-songwriter's journey continues with the new album, Remember June, his third studio set and his strongest to date.
The album embodies a maturing Leith, its rich textures of sound not light-years from the world-beating output of Keane and Coldplay. "This definitely feels like I'm slowly becoming the musician I'd like to be," he muses. Previous albums Where We Land and the covers set Catch the Wind established Leith as one of the finest vocalists in the land. But in his own words, "This is probably the only one that really feels like a 'me' record." With producer Stuart Crichton [Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, Delta] bringing his considerable clout to the new recordings, Remember June has a resounding international quality. It's full of highpoints from the crisp, radio-friendly track "To Get To You," and the haunting "Forgive, Forget." Leith's trademark falsetto shines through in "Wouldn't Change a Thing," and there's the punching, piano-driven "Golden Line."
It's been six years since he left his homeland, but Leith is feeling right at home in Australia. And it shows in his music, which has grown up and matured quite like this happily married father-of-two. It's a body of work whose underlying theme studies the highs and lows of life. But its not a ballad album, Damien stresses. "This album is not as personal as I've done before. It's deep in some places, but it's not necessarily lifted from my own life. Some of the songs definitely came from other influences." This time, Leith has drawn deep from the well of conceptual albums, the likes of which David Bowie and The Who would be proud. "I've always liked the big-sounding albums, with cool middle-eights, big choruses and big changes. Definitely with this album, I've managed to get certainly an element of that."
Remember June is Damien plugged-in and on song. His vocals are as beautiful as ever, but there's a tougher edge this time around. "Stuart really pushed me to sing hard. In the back of our minds was The Killers meets Roy Orbison. It kept coming back time and time again, to go for the bigger notes. On this album I wanted a lot of heaviness." Leith penned the bulk of the album but formed an amazing writing partnership with Crichton - a winning formula. Crichton had originally come on board to assist writing "Forgive, Forget," one of the standout tracks on the album. However, when Crichton headed back to his native Scotland, Leith immediately realised he couldn't let this one get away. So he reached out, and reeled-back his collaborator. "It was a total laugh working with him," notes Leith, "But he's a nutcase behind it all. He's got an intensive crazy side about him, and I suppose he wouldn't be as good as he is if he didn't. When people say 'get a good producer,' they're talking about Stuart Crichton."
In the process of writing and recording the album, Leith was simultaneously working on his upcoming novel, due to be released in early 2010. A follow-up to the artist's "One More Time", there are parallels between the songs on Remember June and the themes of the novel. "It's sometimes difficult to separate yourself from the two forms of writing," explains Damien. "I might write a strong or emotional chapter in the book and later that evening, subconsciously, write a song of a similar theme - it's so easy to get attached to your characters."
On Remember June, Leith has mixed all the right ingredients with more than enough care and attention to take another tilt at success. REMEMBER JUNE IS RELEASED on OCTOBER 16 2009
Hey Damien, We are all looking forward to the shows coming up! Thank you for keeping us updated. Wow sooo many! You are going to be a very busy man indeed! Take care of yourself and you'll be seeing us all at some stage!
p.s. Have fun tomorrow at Customs House Sydney, should be a great show.
Hello Damien, how are you going? I hope all is well for you & your family.
Just stopping by to say "hi" and show some support. Your voice is amazing & beautiful & I love your Irish accent. Keep up the brilliant music you are creating.
If you could please stop by my page & have a listen to the demo 'Evil Tempered Ways', and have a read of my lyrics, it will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Best wishes to you all, keep in touch & take care,
Hello Damien, Thank you, so much ,for responding. I am very pleased to read , that you are happy in Australia. Lifes ,winding road ,takes us along to the most wonderful of locations. Kindest Regards, To you and your family, Phil Jackson. UK/songwriter/blues artist.
Hi there, My second single and video clip off my Self titled Debut EP has just been released to radio and has now been added on CMC's Top 30. You can check out my new single and video clip 'You Better Run' on www.toridarke.com Would love your support by requesting me on CMC http://www.countrymusicchannel.com.au/cmc/Requests.aspx and helping me to climb the charts.
You were fantastic yesterday at Bella Vista Damien. Thank you so much for singing some great songs. You looked terrific in that nice shirt Please do me a favour and don't ask me to sing with you again! Now you know why I didn't sing on Adam Harvey's album. lol. Have a great week. Love from Braffy xxxx *pat*
Hi there Damien There are a few of us heading out to Bella Vista on Saturday. It will be a great day and fabulous if the whole family went. Face painting, petting zoo, entertainment ♥♥♥♥♥, sausage sizzle. I hope your voice recovers. I was listening online to your interview on Adelaide radio this morning. I hope the guitar gets a new string shortly. Take care and see you on Saturday. Love from Braffy xxxx *pat*
Thanks for all the tour dates Damien. You are going to be so busy the start of next year. So exciting and looking forward to going to a couple of the shows :) We still have Remember June on REPEAT in this house. Absolutely loving it and can't wait to hear a new single on the radio soon! Sending you and the family lots of love and hugs.. XOXOXOXOX
Hi there Damien I am so loving 'Remember June'. I was driving for over 100km yesterday and had 'Remember June' ♥♥♥♥ blasting away the whole time. It was a fantastic and enjoyable trip. There are no bad songs, just brilliant ones.
I enjoyed hearing you co - host on NOVA100 last night.
Have a lovely weekend and say hi to the family from me.
Love from Braffy xxxx *pat* PS - Beautiful photos in the magazine articles. ♥♥♥♥
Hey Damien, Just loving listening to Remember June, the whole album is just brilliant. The Show at the State Theatre was INCREDIBLE! You guys just rocked the house, your voice was the best I've ever heard it. Thank you soooo much for a fantastic night. All the best Sue xoxo
Hi Damien, Thankyou so much for an AWESOME show at Thornbury on Saturday, you really ROCKED !!!! I LOve your new style & All the songs on REMEMBER JUNE. Can't wait to see you at the Palms in December....It's too far away :( Take Care, LOts Of LOve Di XOXO
WOW D! LOVED the show at The Thornbury too. I was totally blown away by the BIG sound and your amazing Remember June songs LIVE! Man, you guys really know how to ROCK! My only sad thought is that you didn't get to sing Wouldn't Change A Thing. I love that song. Next time at The Palms, OK? ;)
Hi Damien, Thankyou for a magnificent show on Saturday night, The Thornbury Theatre absolutely rocked, I love all the new songs from REMEMBER JUNE and they all sounded awesome with the band. Have a great week Take care Love Sue
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