1. Damien Leith was the winner of the Network Ten music contest Australian Idol in 2006.
34 Facts About Damien Leith
1. 2.
Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of which peaked in the top two of the ARIA Charts, including two number ones.
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Damien Leith has been awarded seven platinum and one gold certification for albums and singles by ARIA, which equates to sales of just over half a million.
4.
Only following determined coaxing by friends, Damien Leith auditioned for the 4th series of Network Ten's Australian Idol along with some 25,000 other contestants.
5.
Damien Leith was selected by the judges as one of the final 24 contestants, and was the first person voted into the competition's top 12 as the result of a nationwide viewer vote.
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Damien Leith was praised by the show's judges for his falsetto technique, which he used regularly in performances.
7.
Damien Leith played piano for the non-competition round "Up Close and Personal" night, when he performed his original song "Sky".
8.
Damien Leith holds the record for being awarded the most touchdowns, at four apiece.
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Damien Leith is one of only few contestants to never land in the bottom 2 or bottom 3 throughout their series.
10.
At age 30 at the time, Damien Leith became the second oldest winner of any Idol series in the world.
11.
Controversy among viewers was created as Damien Leith was not an Australian citizen at the time of winning the Australian Idol.
12.
In late December 2006, Damien Leith signed with Sony BMG Ireland and, on 18 January 2007, "Night of My Life" entered the Top 10 singles chart in Ireland.
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Damien Leith performed in a nationally televised concert, Australia Day Live, on the eve of Australia Day in 2007, in the nation's capital, Canberra.
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Damien Leith performed two songs, Peter Allen's "Tenterfield Saddler" with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and "Night of My Life".
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In late February 2007, Damien Leith embarked on a two-week, 14 show tour of major Australian East Coast cities.
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On 22 February 2007, Damien Leith was presented with two ARIA No 1 Chart Awards for his first single "Night of My Life" and first album The Winner's Journey.
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On 9 July 2007, Damien Leith was nominated for a 2007 Helpmann Award in the category of Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert.
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In early November 2007, Damien Leith performed "22 Steps" on the TV soap opera Neighbours.
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Damien Leith is the first Australian Idol winner to score two consecutive number 1 albums.
20.
Damien Leith had an appearance on Rove on 26 August 2007 and he performed live during the semi-finals of Australian Idol 2007 on 30 August.
21.
In October 2007, Damien Leith was nominated for three Australian ARIA Music Awards including; Best Breakthrough Single and Highest Selling Single for "Night of My Life", which he was unsuccessful in.
22.
Damien Leith was nominated for Highest Selling Album for The Winner's Journey, which he won.
23.
In February 2008, Damien Leith began hosting Network Ten's television series Saving Kids.
24.
On 26 April 2008, less than a year after the release of his first studio album, Where We Land, Damien Leith released his second album, Catch the Wind: Songs of a Generation.
25.
Damien Leith has released his second novel which has a father and son relationship plot, and was released by HarperCollins.
26.
On 1 November 2013, Damien Leith's released a new album called Chapter Seven.
27.
In May 2014, Damien Leith released a new single titled "One and Only Mum".
28.
In November 2014, Damien Leith released a Christmas extended play titled It's Christmas Time.
29.
In February 2015, Damien Leith announced his eighth album titled Songs from Ireland.
30.
In January 2017, Damien Leith won his first Golden Guitar award at the Country Music Awards of Australia winning Song of the Year for "Call Me Cray" which he co-wrote with Travis Collins.
31.
In 2020, Damien Leith performed "Uninvited" with Greg Gould from Gould's album 1998.
32.
Damien Leith was born in Ireland and raised near Milltown, County Kildare.
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Damien Leith's father travelled as part of his work as an engineer, and their family lived in various countries including Libya and Botswana.
34.
Damien Leith became an Australian citizen on 25 January 2007, taking the pledge from then Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, in a nationally televised broadcast on Network Ten.