Louis Walsh looking for new girl band

JP Liz

Source Irish Times

Celebrity band promoter Louis Walsh and a member of Westlife are to audition in Dublin this week for five talented young women to form Ireland’s latest girl band.
Walsh and the Sligo-born boyband heartthrob Kian Egan will co-manage the new band.
Open auditions will take place at The Pod venue on Harcourt Street in Dublin from noon to 6pm on Friday and Saturday July 25th and 26th, with call-backs on Sunday July 27th.
Walsh and Egan will judge the talent and all those who audition will be asked to sing a cappella.
The members of the five-piece band will be between the ages of 15 and 25, Walsh said.
Egan added: “I am really hoping we are going to see and hear some great talent from all parts of the country. I know how much an audition like this can change your life – so my advice is to go for it.”
Organiser and publicist Joanne Byrne said her advice for any girl coming to the auditions was simple.
“Know what you are going to sing, learn the lyrics and put some thought into your appearance”.
The Pod was also the venue for try-outs for Westlife and Boyzone, which both became massively successful internationally. Walsh also backs the Irish girl band Girls Aloud.

Its rumoured that Kian's girlfriend Jodie Albert (not Irish) is in the band already

stovelid

This is a music forum. Try here instead.

all the stars

So,
I actually went to these auditions. (im embarrassed to admit it but i did)
I went on saturday morning. Q was grand - spotted so many ooompa looompa's riduculosly over-dressed it wasn't funny.Massively overdone hair, make-up, tan, outfits etc..

So, set up was - 20 girls at a time brought into stage area. 5 at a time on stage, each stepped forward and sing few lines til "thank you" was said by louis.

Have to say, some great singers, and more awful singers.

Fully equipped - stage, lights, video recording, monitors, sound engineers (well - he must have gone for coffee coz he had no clue how to adjust levels)

I'm now going to say, 2 girls were already part of the line up as we had known before applying Jodie - Kians from westlife other half (not irish) and this Michelle (model not a singer) so already he is now looking for 3 not 5 as advertised.

Now, the only girl i got speaking to, was from UK also, and had been personally invited by louis by phone to come over and audition(also not irish as advertised). so now he is looking for 2 not 5.

She is a lovely girl - now i didn't get to hear her sing but hopefully she gets it - she was such a sweet girl.

But it really upset me that really, there wasn't 5 places up for grabs- not really. So, it was a waste of time me taking a day off work etc.

And really, if the packaging isn't on point, it doesn't matter if you have incredible talent...

It was all looks, i know you can make anybody sound great in studio these days with all the vocal effects.... Really dis-heartening..

Now, vented. all better

all the stars

so, just after seeing that another girl Linzi cowap was also selected before auditions to be included.

That means 4 people of the 5 were already in there.

PR stunt - the whole thing me thinks.

carchaeologist

all the stars wrote: »

so, just after seeing that another girl Linzi cowap was also selected before auditions to be included.

That means 4 people of the 5 were already in there.

PR stunt - the whole thing me thinks.

Why isnt anybody surprised!!!
Its just a moneymaking excercise for louis and kian!!!

all the stars

carchaeologist wrote: »

Why isnt anybody surprised!!!
Its just a moneymaking excercise for louis and kian!!!

Thats true, Its just odd is all.
It just was very unfair to advertise this and give people unfair aspirations when ~"the job weas already taken internally".

Guess from a personal point of view i was annoyed to be dismissed along with some of the most amateur singers i heard, people who actually turned and ran off stage etc.. -
Guess i expected to at least get a call back as i have talent. . . and they said thats what they were after...
louis you hoooer
*shakes fist in air *

stovelid

all the stars wrote: »

Guess i expected to at least get a call back as i have talent.

Why on earth would having 'talent' be useful in a band put together by Louis Walsh?

gazzer

Now there is a surprise. Kians girlfriend leaves Hollyoaks to try her hand at acting but it doesnt work out so what does generous boyfriend do... thats right he starts a band and puts his girlfriend as a singer in it.. Fair play though to him and Louis for having the brass neck to pretend that Jodie was audtitioning just like the rest of the everyday folk..

all the stars

stovelid wrote: »

Why on earth would having 'talent' be useful in a band put together by Louis Walsh?

what makes it worse is i feel like that...
Its not important odviously .. sure even posh spice had enough auto-tune effects on her voice to make it sound like she could hold a tune..
Just sucks a*s.
Oppertunities are hard come by, (for this type of thing not indie bands, rock bands etc)

all the stars

iamnothim wrote: »

haha, my girlfriend wandered down to this as a joke and is now in the final 30. she doesnt even want to do it, but is gonna see it through to the end just to see if she can. as far as I know, only 2 of the 5 are already picked. they've been told 3 of the 30 make the cut

see now thats just not right, coz the likes of me and many others would love that oppertunity and she doesn't care.. funny how things work out.:(

all the stars

gazzer wrote: »

Now there is a surprise. Kians girlfriend leaves Hollyoaks to try her hand at acting but it doesnt work out so what does generous boyfriend do... thats right he starts a band and puts his girlfriend as a singer in it.. Fair play though to him and Louis for having the brass neck to pretend that Jodie was audtitioning just like the rest of the everyday folk..

yup. Agreed.

nhughes100

That's all the world needs, another bloody Karaoke group with Louis Walsh and another of his automatons in tow. I saw it on the news over the weekend and could not believe how many people turned up, do that many women think they can sing well enough to do it professionally? What is wrong with these people that they crave fame so much? There were 5 singers on the news and 4 of them were like something you'd hear at your next door neighbours bbq that's gone on for too long.

A publicity stunt that the public falls for yet again, what was that saying about fooling most of the people most of the time? Reality TV and manufactured bands are going to be the legacy of the noughties. Doesn't bode well for repeat TV in years to come.

all the stars

iamnothim wrote: »

it's not really that unfair. if she decided she doesnt want to do it, then whoevers next in line will be picked.

her main reason i think, is that she'd like to consider herself a serious musician, and this may damage her 'street cred'.

sorry,:o i just meant its usually the way - the less bothered i am about things the better they work out.. .. and vice versa.. typical life etc..

all the stars

nhughes100 wrote: »

That's all the world needs, another bloody Karaoke group with Louis Walsh and another of his automatons in tow. I saw it on the news over the weekend and could not believe how many people turned up, do that many women think they can sing well enough to do it professionally? What is wrong with these people that they crave fame so much? There were 5 singers on the news and 4 of them were like something you'd hear at your next door neighbours bbq that's gone on for too long.

A publicity stunt that the public falls for yet again, what was that saying about fooling most of the people most of the time? Reality TV and manufactured bands are going to be the legacy of the noughties. Doesn't bode well for repeat TV in years to come.

Indeed,
Guess most of them want to just "be Famous" where as some others (moi) actually want to sing and share our feelings & thoughts with the world (thru song... )

Mad stuff...

iamnothim

all the stars wrote: »

Indeed,
Guess most of them want to just "be Famous" where as some others (moi) actually want to sing and share our feelings & thoughts with the world (thru song... )

Mad stuff...

How do you share your thought and feeling when someone else writes your songs for you...

all the stars

iamnothim wrote: »

How do you share your thought and feeling when someone else writes your songs for you...

not sure i'd make the band anyway as i write my own material... and dare i say - its kinda heartfelt and honest... :cool:

He'd have people writing everything for you i guess.. no input required.

Bren_M.Records

I usually just have a laugh at all these boyband/girlband type things but for some reason the thought of Mr. Walsh forcing another one of these PR blitzed karaoke mobs on us is really making me angry.

The guy has made his money, fair play to him.
You would just think, nay hope that at some stage he would ask himself if maybe it was time to contribute something meaningful to the world of music. :mad:

nhughes100

Like all fads it will eventually pass, remember Stock Aitken and Waterman used to ply us thick with manufactured crap in the 80's and early 90's, nobody listens to it now. I'm really looking forward to what "Reeling in the years" has in store for us when reviewing the noughties. Surely the next generation will be there laughing their heads off at x-factor, Britains got talent, the next big thing, Dancing on Ice or the latest junk that has choirs battling it out for your valuable premium text messages.

stovelid

all the stars wrote: »

not sure i'd make the band anyway as i write my own material... and dare i say - its kinda heartfelt and honest... :cool:

He'd have people writing everything for you i guess.. no input required.

You're mad to have even considered it.

It would be quite hard to be accepted as a so-called credible artist if you had been in a Louis Walsh band, especially in a country like Ireland.

JP Liz

Why call it an Irish Girl Band?

JP Liz

Apparently the band will be built around Kian's girlfriend Jodie and 3 members were already cast before the auditions