Whilst you may remember him as the man with the voice of an angel from the 2006 series of Australian Idol, 17 years later Damien Leith is still doing what he loves most. Performing, hosting a radio show and being a dad.

Damien will be the first to say just how grateful he is to Idol, which saw a rebirth this year, for catapulting him into a life that he enjoys now.

Damien began his journey with music and singing at the age of 17, claiming that “once music got under my skin, there was nothing I could do, it took over.” Reminiscing on this time, he says he grew his hair long, started joining bands and writing songs. From there it completely took over his life.

In 2003 Damien moved to Australia with his Australian wife, he gigged all over Sydney and in 2006 he auditioned for Idol. Little did he know his life was about to be completely transformed.

From there, his day job was pushed to the side and opportunities started being thrown his way, leaving no time for his career as a chemist.

Damien says that the trickiest part of becoming a musician and turning that into a living is, “understanding the business behind the art.” He thanks great role models and mentors like Joe Melson (writer of Roy Orbison’s Crying, Blue Bayou, In Dreams) for helping him navigate his new career.

Damien soon went on to perform at major events, including at World Youth Day in 2008 in front of figureheads like The Pope.

“Looking out over the crowd, I couldn’t believe how big the show was – it was insane,” he remembers.

These days, life looks a little different now. Following a relocation to Wollongong, Damien is successfully pursuing another dream of being a breakfast radio show host. With no two days the same, his wake up call is now 4:30am, where he heads off to his breakfast radio gig, then works on his music, prepares for touring and produces other music.

“I’ve slept in twice in my five years on radio and both times, it was my phone’s fault!” he said.

Music-wise Damien’s newest single ‘Superhuman’ is a deeply personal one, writing about his experience with chasing your dreams and living in the moment.

“I wrote the song for my kids to know that if something’s not working, don’t be afraid to pick everything up and try something new,” he said.

Damien also hinted that he has some new work on the horizon.