Louis Walsh is the undisputed king of the Irish pop scene. He is the man behind some of the most
successful bands in pop history, 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. Relying on his instincts, Louis knew that his next hit would be with a band to rival the success of Take
That. A series of auditions followed and five unknown artists were plucked from obscurity. Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham made up the band and Boyzone was born. They achieved 16 top three singles, six of which were Number 1s 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 over themselves 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.

Louis was also the mastermind behind Lulu’s duet album featuring stars such as Paul McCartney, Sting and Elton John and the album was Lulu’s most successful release to date, reaching Number 4 in the
charts.

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.

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 with The 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.