Not bad for someone who isn't an opera singer. I like this guys voice a lot and he holds the ending notes very well. This is a very tough song, very tough. People should lighten up on this kid.
well to you all that dont think this song is good i would pay to see him sing this to me he excelled every expectation i had of him. he should be very proud what he did with this song i agree he has a voice of an angel and i wish him well
this was my favourite year of idol. i was rooting for damien all the way through so it was pretty awesome when he won. i remember this rendition floored me at the time. but then again pretty much all of his performances did.
Yes, even Damien admitted that he doesn't speak Italian and had never sung opera before - so it's not perfect in the classical sense... but he made it his style and it's perfect to me. He had one week to prepare a compulsory piece for the competition - when he usually sings rock/alternative - and it's better than others who practised much longer. He gave it his all and I loved it. I say, BRAVO DAMIEN!! You rocked the house!!!
Oh so did I...I definately got goosebumps I have over his last three performances, then grand final night when he sung the new release I was like WHOA he's just so good
All you people commenting and wasting all our tiem y saying how bad it was go and get a life. Firstly it wasn't his choice to sing it the judges chose the song. And he's NOT an opera singer he's just got a awesome vocal range. He was singing it the best he could because he HAD TO. And unless you are an expert on Opera or can do better than keep your insultive opinions to yourself because we do not want to hear them
Met this challenge head-on and then some. Ok - it wasnt TOTALLY flawless, but it came close to it and he made this his own. Definitely better than some of the "professional" versions I've heard and this with just a few days prep and no opera training. Brilliant. His expression at the end of the song is priceless!!
i feel sorry for ppl who insult him.. u guys are jokes.. its obvious that the song was 'given' to him.. he dint choose it.. plus the word tenor means 'to hold'.. and obviously he can hold his voice at a fairly high pitch..
Pop music? i WATCHED the video you recomended tfondaro and the music is exactly the same. Mario sings that song like EVERY other classical singer i have ever heard, he has style yes but trained, typical and boring. this is someone who hasn't been trained to sing the part is having a go and doing a DAMN good job. good stuff damien, showing the world that even classical music can have a contemporary change just like all other music and sound good.
Back then I would have been teary eyed. But then I actually started watching operas and then when I do listen to pop singers trying to do opera, I have the same reaction as you. I mean he did his best and was forced to sing this aria and not in a language he understands. He did his best.
I agree and like your sentiment. Personally, I don't give much of a fig for "technically good" singers - what makes a singer, in my view, is how the lyrics are communicated. Is it honest and true to the lyrics? Yes. That makes this a good rendition, and it's not half bad technically anyway, with that NATURAL, not forced, vibrato. (Damn, I hate it when popular music singers produce false vibrato - it's so tacky.)
I love Damien! Overly difficult song but he handled it well, can't understand the judges with their choices sometimes, had the same issue in Finnish Idol this year.. How is he doing these days? Is he still popular in Australia?
People should wake up, this type of "entertainment" has one purpose, and one purpose alone...to make the already wealthy even wealthier. The Damian Leith's, and Paul Pott's come in way down the list in term's of their importance, and to those of you who say that it's their chance for fame.....what chance?.
Too bad Paul Potts wasn't Australian! He'd have shown this guy a thing or two!! So when is someone going to sing this aria on "America's Got Talent"?? What's after that? The Apocalypse!!! I can't wait...
fair balls to him. a brave choice of song. I dunno what he was doing last night tho, he sang three shite songs that no one had ever heard before. The winners single is a bag of shite too.
@apoc214 And you, my dear, are what the rest of us call an "opera snob". It's performing songs like Nesun Dorma on shows like Idol that opens up a whole new world of music to people (and kids) who wouldn't necessarily know about it. So just get over yourself. Also, this song was chosen FOR Damien. He didn't choose it. No, it's not perfect because he's not an opera singer but he gave it a smashing shot and won the comp. What have you accomplished lately?
Marcia was a bit upset because she was grieving for Belinda Emmet and thanked Damien for it being appropriate and said it was well done, Kyle said it was a fantastic performance but hassled Damien about whether or not it's the sort of thing he'd release, to which Damien said no, he just performed it "for the challenge"
He only had six days to learn the song from scratch. Plus he had to work on another song as well. It's not perfect but for 6 days preparation in a style he had never done before it's pretty bloody good.
I think he has a great voice,,,but you re right on the fact that he DID hurried through the most momentous part of the song,,,,,,but come on! this is a difficult song! he only had a week to work on it! ooh well,,,that's my opinion,,, ;D
Can contestants from Australian Idol really get a chance to show what they've got on the market? I mean we know a lot of them were going nowhere and went passe ever since earning some title and gone. It is really 15 minutes fame, case in point on the AI scene!
Don't be so picky Damo's not pretending to be Pavorotti or even David Hobson this is a popular version of Nessum Dorma- done by some other? pop star already. Yes it well open the door to classical music for those who have never been exposed to it. All the better for the real opera singers. Go Damo.
@renilicious Why the hostility? I really like this clip. He has a great voice. He sings it really well. The english part kicks ass. The italian on the other hand, is ridiculous. And it's really a shame, because, if he did it all in english, it would have been great. Damien is great in this clip, but whoever came up with the great idea that he should learn Nessun dorma in a week should be kicked in the ass.
True he doesn't have an operatic voice. I thought he did a fair rendition but he is notRussell Watson. Having said that I love Damien and I love his voice.
i agree mate, i dont see how he got a touch down, he only done better than the backup singers in the last 5-10seconds. Hes a good singer dont get me wrong but a touchdon from this performance for nessun dorma.....its a joke
This was judges choice? But why did they give him something he obviously couldn't do properly? Don't get me wrong, if he had no choice, he did the best anyone could expect of a non-classically trained singer, but why would they make him do nessun dorma? I guess it didn't matter in the end cos he won, but, seriously, he didn't do the song any credit, irrespective of how long he had on it.
@renilicious Also, it's not about what I accomplished lately. I murder Nessun dorma. Puccini is turning in his grave when I sing it. :) My point is that he's capable of an even better performance, if he had another song or time to properly prepare. My beef is that it seems that people behind these shows only know one aria and that's Nessun dorma. There's a gazillion of cool arias of all kinds, but everyone from Paul Potts onward sings Nessun dorma. Let's hear something else, pls.
You said it son...he's not an opera singer..indeed he's barely a singer- he proves this by having to to put the mic almost into his mouth in order to be heard...and this is an aria....not a "song", but being Australian I guess you can be forgiven for not knowing this.
i disagree with rosamondfc, i thought the performances were quite evenly matched, although im inclined to lean towards damien as i believe he is the better singer of the two.
what language is he singing in the first verse?!! it sounds like he's forgotten the words and is making up some combo of english and italian!! which is just massacring the the aria! 2nd why is he even singing this? it's like.. i don't know, i don't want to be mean but that's SO messed up!!! his voice is definitely, definitely great for other things but for opera? (especially Puccini, who only the very most robust singers can even think about handling) anyways...eek!!
Well, I seriouselly don't know why everyone fels the need to sing nessun dorma, as if it is a must and some sort of piece that all great artists are supposed to sing. I guess this does not bother english speaking people, but he utterly murders the Italian language (and I am not Italian). Also, the ending was a messup. So my point is: Leave Nesun dorma and opera in general to opera singers unless you can really pull it off.
check out Paul Potts in the UK talent contest, a humble, non arrogant, unassuming normal guy off the street who went on to win the competiton. (check audition first) This is weak and rubbish in comparison!
What a brilliant voice...Thank you Damien .
Still brings tears to my eyes..............absolutely beautiful.
Best version of this song EVER.
This brings still tears in my eyes. He is so good. Love him, Love him, Love him!!!!
Me too
amazing... damien is a one of a kind
He did a lot better than u could ever do.. he's awesome.. proud to call him our Australian Idol (even though he's Irish)
Not bad for someone who isn't an opera singer. I like this guys voice a lot and he holds the ending notes very well. This is a very tough song, very tough. People should lighten up on this kid.
One of the best Idols ever!
This year's bunch won't even come close.
I've never been a fan of Idol, until i saw Damien sing, he's the only contesant to ever make me want to watch Idol. You are the beast Damien.
He's incredible. He's an even more incredible singing in person!
This made the hairs on my neck stand up - a real tingle. Beautiful.
I like it is great and I I like all of your videos it is great
That makes me teary everytime I see it. So beautiful!
Damien I love you !!!! Its true his face says it all at the end - Bravo Bravo !!!
well to you all that dont think this song is good i would pay to see him sing this to me he excelled every expectation i had of him.
he should be very proud what he did with this song i agree he has a voice of an angel and i wish him well
I loved it......
this was my favourite year of idol. i was rooting for damien all the way through so it was pretty awesome when he won. i remember this rendition floored me at the time. but then again pretty much all of his performances did.
he learned the italian for this song in the week which i thought was amazing when i heard it first time
Bravo Bottswanna1000 couldn't have said it better. This is the first idol winner anywhere that the people will want to see in concert.
Yes, even Damien admitted that he doesn't speak Italian and had never sung opera before - so it's not perfect in the classical sense... but he made it his style and it's perfect to me. He had one week to prepare a compulsory piece for the competition - when he usually sings rock/alternative - and it's better than others who practised much longer. He gave it his all and I loved it.
I say, BRAVO DAMIEN!!
You rocked the house!!!
Awesome i love him
Glad he won the competition.....excellent
Oh so did I...I definately got goosebumps I have over his last three performances, then grand final night when he sung the new release I was like WHOA he's just so good
All you people commenting and wasting all our tiem y saying how bad it was go and get a life. Firstly it wasn't his choice to sing it the judges chose the song. And he's NOT an opera singer he's just got a awesome vocal range. He was singing it the best he could because he HAD TO. And unless you are an expert on Opera or can do better than keep your insultive opinions to yourself because we do not want to hear them
That look in his eyes was like, thank fuck I did it, and as someone who's performed this song I know what a massive task it is
Pretty good for somebody who only had a few days to learn it. I enjoyed it anyway.
Met this challenge head-on and then some. Ok - it wasnt TOTALLY flawless, but it came close to it and he made this his own. Definitely better than some of the "professional" versions I've heard and this with just a few days prep and no opera training. Brilliant. His expression at the end of the song is priceless!!
This was much much more challenging and WAY better delivered than Anthony's performance of The Prayer.
He absolutely blew me away last night!!
Beautiful voice
This is "supposed to be" an operatic aria,,,,far beyond non singers,,,like this.
He's very nice looking too :))
thumbs up to those watching this in 2017
Elizabeth Blackford 2019
i feel sorry for ppl who insult him..
u guys are jokes..
its obvious that the song was 'given' to him..
he dint choose it..
plus the word tenor means 'to hold'..
and obviously he can hold his voice at a fairly high pitch..
Pop music? i WATCHED the video you recomended tfondaro and the music is exactly the same. Mario sings that song like EVERY other classical singer i have ever heard, he has style yes but trained, typical and boring. this is someone who hasn't been trained to sing the part is having a go and doing a DAMN good job. good stuff damien, showing the world that even classical music can have a contemporary change just like all other music and sound good.
im his biggest fan
oh well, regarding to classical training... When Russell Watson first came out with his album, The Voice, he wasn't classically trained either.
Lolololololololol came here after watching Pavarotti, Three Tenors and Corelli 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Back then I would have been teary eyed. But then I actually started watching operas and then when I do listen to pop singers trying to do opera, I have the same reaction as you. I mean he did his best and was forced to sing this aria and not in a language he understands. He did his best.
My mother told me, if you not have nothing good to say ,please do not say any thing.
-N O T GOOD!!!! bad bad bad!!!!-
I agree and like your sentiment. Personally, I don't give much of a fig for "technically good" singers - what makes a singer, in my view, is how the lyrics are communicated. Is it honest and true to the lyrics? Yes. That makes this a good rendition, and it's not half bad technically anyway, with that NATURAL, not forced, vibrato. (Damn, I hate it when popular music singers produce false vibrato - it's so tacky.)
here's a thought... if you don't like it... don't listen to it!!! simple!!!
I love Damien! Overly difficult song but he handled it well, can't understand the judges with their choices sometimes, had the same issue in Finnish Idol this year..
How is he doing these days? Is he still popular in Australia?
very very well done for doing it only with one week notice!!
Of course added the fact that it isnt his usual style, he had to learn italian and the entire song in a few days. Damo is a legend!
People should wake up, this type of "entertainment" has one purpose, and one purpose alone...to make the already wealthy even wealthier. The Damian Leith's, and Paul Pott's come in way down the list in term's of their importance, and to those of you who say that it's their chance for fame.....what chance?.
The man is not an opera singer. This was done in one week with everything else that he had going on.
Were you listening geeze it was great.
I hope someone could do this on American Idol... HE SLAYED THIS SONG!
i think this is better than paul potts first attempt
Too bad Paul Potts wasn't Australian! He'd have shown this guy a thing or two!! So when is someone going to sing this aria on "America's Got Talent"?? What's after that? The Apocalypse!!! I can't wait...
fair balls to him. a brave choice of song. I dunno what he was doing last night tho, he sang three shite songs that no one had ever heard before. The winners single is a bag of shite too.
Oh my god.
This is....an atrocity.
Horrible, awful, a crime.
Its "vincero" in English, it means "I will win" and he did!
@apoc214 And you, my dear, are what the rest of us call an "opera snob". It's performing songs like Nesun Dorma on shows like Idol that opens up a whole new world of music to people (and kids) who wouldn't necessarily know about it. So just get over yourself. Also, this song was chosen FOR Damien. He didn't choose it. No, it's not perfect because he's not an opera singer but he gave it a smashing shot and won the comp. What have you accomplished lately?
This is how to do a cover
Fair enough..I take back the Australian bit- I was a bit hot under the collar when I wrote it....but the rest is my honest opinion, and so it stays.
Go on dude. you sing it and put it on youtube
same dude.
Marcia was a bit upset because she was grieving for Belinda Emmet and thanked Damien for it being appropriate and said it was well done, Kyle said it was a fantastic performance but hassled Damien about whether or not it's the sort of thing he'd release, to which Damien said no, he just performed it "for the challenge"
He only had six days to learn the song from scratch. Plus he had to work on another song as well. It's not perfect but for 6 days preparation in a style he had never done before it's pretty bloody good.
I mean your the best Damien.
I think he has a great voice,,,but you re right on the fact that he DID hurried through the most momentous part of the song,,,,,,but come on! this is a difficult song! he only had a week to work on it! ooh well,,,that's my opinion,,, ;D
He sounds abit weak at the higher notes... @.@, but very nice!!!!!! A very refreshing change from all the covered classical singers. =)
and the studio burnt to the ground too
Wish they'd ditch Holden and get someone with a triple-digit IQ.
Yeh he really made disco work for him....pffffff :-) I must admit everything else has been great though...Split Enz song especially...
Oh god, he's fucking killing the classic...
Can contestants from Australian Idol really get a chance to show what they've got on the market? I mean we know a lot of them were going nowhere and went passe ever since earning some title and gone. It is really 15 minutes fame, case in point on the AI scene!
Don't be so picky Damo's not pretending to be Pavorotti or even David Hobson this is a popular version of Nessum Dorma- done by some other? pop star already. Yes it well open the door to classical music for those who have never been exposed to it. All the better for the real opera singers. Go Damo.
Thumbs up if you're watching this in 2012 !!!
well stupid people have a right to an opinion too, so even Silver can say his piece.
lol...no need to get angry
this is better than pauls version
Fantastic performance. Can't surpass Pavarotti's but excellent nonetheless.
hat trick in that it's his 3rd in a row...
lol that's some truistic reasoning if i ever saw it
@renilicious Why the hostility? I really like this clip. He has a great voice. He sings it really well. The english part kicks ass. The italian on the other hand, is ridiculous. And it's really a shame, because, if he did it all in english, it would have been great. Damien is great in this clip, but whoever came up with the great idea that he should learn Nessun dorma in a week should be kicked in the ass.
Bizarre.
True he doesn't have an operatic voice. I thought he did a fair rendition but he is notRussell Watson. Having said that I love Damien and I love his voice.
That shit was horrible!W!
i agree mate, i dont see how he got a touch down, he only done better than the backup singers in the last 5-10seconds. Hes a good singer dont get me wrong but a touchdon from this performance for nessun dorma.....its a joke
This was judges choice? But why did they give him something he obviously couldn't do properly? Don't get me wrong, if he had no choice, he did the best anyone could expect of a non-classically trained singer, but why would they make him do nessun dorma? I guess it didn't matter in the end cos he won, but, seriously, he didn't do the song any credit, irrespective of how long he had on it.
I like he singing, nice voice, smoth tone, but it is not ophera it is nessun dorma turned into pop song.
@renilicious Also, it's not about what I accomplished lately. I murder Nessun dorma. Puccini is turning in his grave when I sing it. :) My point is that he's capable of an even better performance, if he had another song or time to properly prepare. My beef is that it seems that people behind these shows only know one aria and that's Nessun dorma. There's a gazillion of cool arias of all kinds, but everyone from Paul Potts onward sings Nessun dorma. Let's hear something else, pls.
You said it son...he's not an opera singer..indeed he's barely a singer- he proves this by having to to put the mic almost into his mouth in order to be heard...and this is an aria....not a "song", but being Australian I guess you can be forgiven for not knowing this.
I meant in a row !!
It's beautiful, but not the same. I guess actually watching Turandot, this song requires a stronger voice
first half really stupid and avarege but the ending was great!
pft..
i disagree with rosamondfc, i thought the performances were quite evenly matched, although im inclined to lean towards damien as i believe he is the better singer of the two.
Weak performance for that genre but I have to admit, the man can sing
come on man,you should be singing opera like,what's that..you don't even now the lyrics,jesus...stay home and close the door
what language is he singing in the first verse?!! it sounds like he's forgotten the words and is making up some combo of english and italian!! which is just massacring the the aria! 2nd why is he even singing this? it's like.. i don't know, i don't want to be mean but that's SO messed up!!! his voice is definitely, definitely great for other things but for opera? (especially Puccini, who only the very most robust singers can even think about handling) anyways...eek!!
di sicuro il maestro PUCCINI si rivolterà nella tomba ,VERGOGNA
This is lowered a minor 3rd... that's cheating!!!
to be fair, he has had no classic training. you cannot expect him to have the same standard as professional opera singers.
Well, I seriouselly don't know why everyone fels the need to sing nessun dorma, as if it is a must and some sort of piece that all great artists are supposed to sing. I guess this does not bother english speaking people, but he utterly murders the Italian language (and I am not Italian). Also, the ending was a messup. So my point is: Leave Nesun dorma and opera in general to opera singers unless you can really pull it off.
Yeah..Not as good as I thought it would be. It was a great vocal without a doubt. But it was such a so-what performance.
check out Paul Potts in the UK talent contest, a humble, non arrogant, unassuming normal guy off the street who went on to win the competiton. (check audition first)
This is weak and rubbish in comparison!