Louis Walsh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Louis Walsh
Walsh in 2009
Born	Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (1952-08-05) 5 August 1952 (age 72) Kiltimagh, County Mayo, Ireland
Occupation	Music manager television personality
Years active	1969–present

Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He is famous for helping many pop groups and singers become stars. He managed popular Irish acts like Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward, and Westlife. These groups were very successful in the 1990s and 2000s.

Louis Walsh has also been a judge on several TV talent shows. These include Popstars, You're a Star, and The X Factor. He also judged Ireland's Got Talent. In 2024, Walsh was a contestant on the reality show Celebrity Big Brother.

Early Life and Beginnings

Michael Louis Vincent Walsh was born in Kiltimagh, Ireland, on 5 August 1952. His parents were Maureen and Frank Walsh. He was the second of eight children in his family.

Becoming a Music Manager

Westlife, a famous group managed by Louis Walsh

Louis Walsh moved to Dublin in the late 1970s. He wanted to start a career in the music business. In 1993, he decided to create an Irish version of the popular band Take That. He advertised for auditions, and this led to the formation of Boyzone.

Success with Boyzone and Ronan Keating

Walsh managed Boyzone to international fame. They had 16 songs reach the top three in the charts. Six of these songs became number one hits. They also released four number one albums. Boyzone sold over 20 million records around the world.

When Ronan Keating from Boyzone decided to take a break, Walsh continued to manage his solo career. Ronan Keating had number one hits like "When You Say Nothing At All" in 1999. His album sold 4.4 million copies. Later, Keating and Walsh decided to go their separate ways.

Creating Westlife

After Boyzone, Walsh formed another boy band called Westlife. Ronan Keating even helped Walsh manage Westlife for their first few number one songs. Westlife was formed in Dublin in July 1998. They became incredibly successful.

Westlife sold over 50 million records worldwide. This included their studio albums, singles, and video releases. They achieved 14 number one singles in the United Kingdom. Over their 14-year career, they had 26 songs in the UK top ten. In 2004, their song "Flying Without Wings" was the first number one on the UK Singles Downloads Chart. In December 2012, Walsh also became the manager for the band Union J.

Television Career Highlights

Louis Walsh first appeared on TV in 2001. He was a judge on the Irish version of Popstars. The next year, he was a judge on the UK show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. He judged alongside Pete Waterman and Geri Halliwell.

Forming Girls Aloud

On Popstars: The Rivals, Walsh's girl band, Girls Aloud, competed against Pete Waterman's boy band, One True Voice. Girls Aloud's first song, "Sound of the Underground", reached number one in the UK. Walsh helped the band sell a million singles. Their first album also went platinum, meaning it sold over a million copies.

Walsh has also appeared on other talent shows. He was a judge on You're a Star in Ireland. He filled in for Simon Cowell on Britain's Got Talent in 2010. He also filled in for David Hasselhoff in a later series.

The X Factor Judge

Louis Walsh became a judge on the ITV talent show The X Factor in 2004. He judged alongside Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne. In 2004, Walsh helped the group G4 achieve a chart-topping album. In 2005, Walsh managed the winner of the show, Shayne Ward. Shayne Ward's first song, "That's My Goal", was number one in the UK for four weeks.

Walsh briefly left The X Factor in 2005 but returned quickly. He stayed to support Shayne Ward, who went on to win. Walsh later won The X Factor: Battle of the Stars with actress Lucy Benjamin.

Returning to The X Factor

In 2007, it was announced that Walsh would not return to The X Factor. However, Simon Cowell decided to re-hire him. Walsh confirmed his return as a judge for the fourth series. He mentored the Over 25s category that year.

Walsh returned for the fifth series in 2008. He mentored the groups, including JLS, who finished as runners-up. He continued to mentor groups in the sixth series in 2009. He took Kandy Rain, Miss Frank, and John & Edward to the live shows. John & Edward, also known as Jedward, went on to have successful careers.

In 2010, Walsh mentored the Over 28s category. His contestant, Mary Byrne, reached the semi-finals. Walsh returned for the eighth series in 2011. He was the only original judge left after Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue, and Cheryl Cole left. He mentored the Over 25s category.

Walsh continued as a judge for the ninth, tenth, and eleventh series. In 2013, for the tenth series, he mentored the Boys category. This was a change from his usual Overs and Groups categories. His contestants, Nicholas McDonald and Luke Friend, both reached the final. Nicholas McDonald was the runner-up.

In 2015, Walsh decided to leave The X Factor to focus on music management. However, he returned as a judge in 2016 and 2017. On 7 June 2018, Walsh announced he would not return for the fifteenth series. He said the show needed a change and he was ready to leave.

In 2019, Walsh returned to The X Factor for a special celebrity version, The X Factor: Celebrity. He was the mentor for the winner, Megan McKenna. This was Walsh's third win as a mentor on the show.

Ireland's Got Talent

In May 2015, it was announced that Louis Walsh would be a judge on a new Irish talent show. This show was produced by Simon Cowell. It was later confirmed to be Ireland's Got Talent. Walsh was the head judge, alongside Michelle Visage, Denise van Outen, and Jason Byrne. The show started on 3 February 2018 and ran for two series. It was cancelled in July 2019.

Junk Kouture

Louis Walsh at Junk Kouture

Since 2014, Louis Walsh has been a judge on Junk Kouture. This is a program about sustainable fashion, where contestants create outfits from recycled materials. Other celebrities like Rosanna Davison and Michelle Visage have also been judges.

Other TV Appearances

Louis Walsh has appeared on other TV shows. In 2011, he raced a car on Top Gear. In 2014, he was on an episode of Who's Doing the Dishes?. In 2016, he appeared in Drive, a show where celebrities competed in races.

In March 2024, Walsh entered the Celebrity Big Brother house as a housemate. During his time on the show, Walsh shared that he had survived a rare form of blood cancer in 2020. He reached the final of Celebrity Big Brother and finished in fourth place.

Groups and Performers Managed by Walsh

Awards and Recognition

• 2009 Mayo Person of the Year
• 2015 The Irish Post - Outstanding Contribution to Entertainment Award

See also

In Spanish: Louis Walsh para niños