It’s quite a journey going from washing a car owned by chart-topper Steve Garrigan of Kodaline fame to recording songs with him in London.
ut singer Conor O’Farrell (20), a member of Louis Walsh’s new boyband, has revealed how working with Garrigan on their debut album has been a real “full circle moment” for him.
Walsh has enlisted the star power of the Dublin singer/songwriter to bring him on board his band’s first release, which is being produced by Brian Higgins of ‘Girls Aloud’ fame.
“Steve came over the studio in London and sat down with us and had some songs that were already half done. So he ended up giving us about five or six songs and then spent two days helping us, giving us pointers and tips which was incredible,” Conor told independent.ie.
“To have such a big artist helping you out at such an early stage is just mind-blowing, especially for me personally. I used to work in a car-wash when I was younger and I used to watch his car for him so it was a lovely full-circle moment for me.
“We had a bit of time with him and he sat down and we wrote a song with him which was really cool. He’s such a great guy.”
The new band, Next in Line, will make their debut on RTÉ’s Late Late Show this Friday as they perform to a huge TV audience for the very first time.
For Walsh, it will be a trip down memory lane given that he also mentored Boyzone from their first appearance on the flagship show back in 1993.
Conor, from Co Meath said that he and his four band-mates are chomping at the bit to perform this weekend. “We’re ready for it. It’s been a long time coming now and we can’t wait to get going,” he said.
“It will be a bit nerve-wreaking, that’s only natural for any band going on the Late Late Show, especially for one starting off. It’s going to be a huge moment for us and our families. Mine all going to one house to watch it and cheer me on through the performance. We can’t wait – it’s going to be brilliant.”
The quintet is also made up of Harry O’Connell and Conor Davis, both 19 and from Dublin alongside Neung Kelly (20) from Carlow and Joshua Regala (17) from Navan.
They were picked from over 1,000 aspiring stars who auditioned for Louis Walsh last year, before the line-up was confirmed last February.
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And their name, Next in Line, is a nod to their first-ever newspaper interview where the band’s identity was revealed in ‘Life’ magazine last July,
“The idea came from the headline that was used in the Independent article. When the article came out, people actually thought that was the name of the band,” said Walsh.
“We didn’t have a name at the time and we thought it was perfect. So I had to check if it was registered or not and it wasn’t so we’ve gone with that name. It’s perfect for them.”
He is predicting big things for his new band and said there’s “nobody else out there like them.” “They’re young, they’re talented, they have their own sound and they’re going to be huge stars,” he said.
After their Late Late Show appearance, the band will also have their first public performance on Grafton Street next Saturday at 4pm, which will be filmed live by YouTube.
Follow the band on Instagram @nextinlinemusic
