The Script's Danny O'Donoghue talks Satellites: "We never thought we'd get back on stage"

"I’m so proud of the boys that we got to a place where the album’s finished," says The Script's Danny O'Donoghue of their latest LP Satellites.

The group's journey to this point has been a difficult one. In April 2023, The Script tragically lost their co-founder and lead guitarist Mark Sheehan at the age of 46.

Frontman O'Donoghue admits he 'never thought' he'd be back on stage with the band again following Sheehan's passing. So, as we catch up with him over Zoom backstage on their US tour as Satellites tracks to become The Script's seventh Number 1 album, his appreciation is palpable.

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From his dressing room, Danny explains he's dabbled in sobriety and clean living in 2024.

"I was never a massive drinker anyway," he says, "But I started doing Dry January and here we are in August now.

"I haven’t been sitting here thinking ‘God, it’s been such a long time!’ There was one day, my friend had a bit of a celebration, so I went out and had two beers. I woke up the next morning with a slight hangover and thought ‘I haven’t missed this at all!’ I have a lot of fun without it.

"It’s not necessarily forever, but it’s for now."

It's a clarity that will no doubt have helped Danny navigate a difficult year, allowing the space to focus on the creation and promotion of the group's latest body of work.

"It’s been such a long journey to get to this place, it feels surreal. We’ve been campaigning for what feels like a very long time, and there’s a new music landscape, even since we released our last album, with TikTok and Instagram.

"Everything’s changed with how you’re promoting yourself online and how involved you need to be. It’s been fun, it’s been a learning curve. Most of all, I’m just super excited to get the music out."

When we praise Danny on the band's ability to commandeer the modern music industry, he humbly comments: "We’re lucky enough to be on our seventh album and have a great relationship with the label who, in turn, have a great relationship with the likes of TikTok and Spotify.

"We’d be mad to think that these companies working together isn’t something to pay attention to, and that’s not a bad thing. 

"Streaming saved the music industry all those years ago and now, watching the direct impact of songs like The Man Who Can’t Be Moved and Breakeven on TikTok, is amazing for older bands to see.

"The fans aren’t even posting pictures of the band, they don’t care about us. It’s the lyrics of the songs that they love.

"There’s a 17-year-old today who wasn’t alive when The Script started. The Script are about to turn 18! It’s crazy to think that there’s another generation now getting into our lyrics. It was the first time I was able to see that there’s a real spot for us on social media. We don’t have to be on there, dressing young and trying to act cool, it’s just about the lyrics. 

"The younger generation are all about emotion, lyrics and getting to the core of who they are as a person on the inside.

"Maybe we were 17 years too early?" Danny jokes.

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On the importance of artists embracing social media, Danny adds: "That mystique around artists has been totally broken down now. I love long form interviews and I love that people are constantly online, it’s a chance for people to see if you’re nice or an asshole.

"You can’t be a great singer and an asshole these days. It’s a great window into people’s hearts and souls. I get it, it’s not for everybody and some musicians say ‘is writing a song not enough?’ Here’s a newsflash for you – it’s not any more.

"You’ve got to do everything you possibly can to promote your music if you love it and feel it deserves a place in the world."

There's one particular song on the record the group are most excited for fans to hear.

Gone, track five, is one of those written about their late bandmate Mark which perfectly 'encapsulates' his energy.

"We’re grieving publicly in real time, and there are three or four tracks on the album that’s very prevalent in; particularly in the song Gone," Danny explains.

"In Ireland, you can have a sad funeral or a celebratory wake, where you’re celebrating somebody’s life rather than grieving their loss. It’s a subtle difference, but it puts your head into a place where you can be optimistic about what you’re going through.

"You can focus on the great things that somebody did in their life in the short time they were here. If you focus on the other stuff, what they’re missing out on, that becomes too much to bear. I think trying to stare up, and aim at the stars, is a better place to be.

"We tried to inject some tempo and positivity into the album, as much as we could under the circumstances."

Danny continues: "The song Gone really encapsulates Mark, his high energy and his drive, and the impact he made on so many people’s lives.

"That's a really special song. We held it off for people to listen to until the album arrived, we didn’t want it to be one of the lead-off singles, just because of the lyrics how much it means to us as a band.

"Now, people aren’t just chatting about Mark, they’re talking about people they’ve lost as well. It’s not just from my perspective, that I’m missing Mark; they’re missing their loved one too. Comment sections are a place for people to connect over loss.

"I think there’s something for everybody on this album. You can go through all the feelings; love, loss, friendship, grief, optimism, sorrow. It can be quite melancholic in parts, too.

"I’m so proud of the boys that we got to a place where the album’s finished. Just to get to this point where we’re backstage now, doing a show tonight, and have an exciting day of interviews. I honestly never thought we’d get back to the stage.

"Everybody enjoy it, or jog on!"

The Script's Satellites is out now via BMG.

Article image: Jordan Rossi