Louis Walsh

Louis Walsh

Louis Walsh

Louis Walsh is the undisputed king of the Irish pop scene. He is the man behind many successful pop groups, masterminding the careers of Boyzone, Westlife, Samantha Mumba, Girls Aloud and Shayne Ward. The fact that he has achieved a staggering 28 number one hits is a testament to his success and is one of the reasons why Louis Walsh is one of the most respected names in the music industry today.

Louis first taste of success came when he spotted an artist called Johnny Logan. Louis was convinced that Logan could be a big hit if he was given the right break and persuaded him to sing at The Eurovision Song Contest. His gamble paid off and in 1980 Johnny Logan won the 25th Eurovision Song Contest in front of 500 million viewers. Logan’s first album sold half a million copies within three days of its release, catapulting Logan to Number 1 in eleven European countries. With a number one artist already under his belt, Louis was ready for his next challenge.

Louis hit the big time with Boyzone achieved 16 top three singles, six of which were Number 1’s and four Number 1 albums, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. When Ronan Keating announced he wanted to take a break from Boyzone, Louis continued to manage his career, helping him to score a Number 1 hit with ‘Life is a Rollercoaster’ in 2000. Ronan’s solo album shot to Number 1 and a further two hit singles were released from the album, which went on to sell over 4.4 million copies.

Louis’ next discovery, Westlife, proved a hit from the start. Record companies were falling overthemselves to sign the band and in 1998 Simon Cowell of RCA signed them up in a multi-million pound deal. Their first single ‘Swear it Again’ reached Number 1 in the UK charts and their next 6 singles all followed suit. The group currently hold the record for achieving the most consecutive number 1 singles. Under Louis’ guidance, Westlife have accumulated an overwhelming 13 UK Number 1’s and six number 1 selling albums.

In 2001, Louis made his first foray into television on the Irish version of Popstars. The show made Louis a household name in both Ireland and the UK. The following year, Louis appeared as a judge on Popstars: The Rivals, along with Pete Waterman and Geri Halliwell. Louis went head to head with Pete Waterman on the show, with his all girl band Girls Aloud battling it out with Pete’s boy band, One True Voice. Girls Aloud won hands down and their debut single achieved the coveted UK Christmas Number 1. Louis continues to manage the group, who went on to achieve a million single sales while their debut album went platinum.

In 2004 Louis first appeared as a judge on The X Factor, and found chart success with G4, who have gone on to have two chart topping platinum selling albums. In 2005 he found success again X Factor winner Shayne Ward, whose debut single That’s My Goal spent four weeks at number one and whose debut album has sold over 3 million copies to date.

ITV

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