tell me something about Declan Galbraith(quick)

Declan Galbraith (born December 19, 1991, in Hoo St Werburgh, Kent) is an English singer of Scottish and Irish origin. He and his family live in Hoo, a village near Rochester, Kent. He is known for the control and range of his voice, as well as his ability to interpret and adapt material of differing genres.

His first recording was a version of ‘Walking in the Air’,which was released on a special Christmas Hits album which also featured Westlife, Elton John and Elvis Presley among many others. He appeared at the Queen’s Jubilee at St Paul's Cathedral, where he sang ‘Amazing Grace’ accompanied by the St Paul’s choir, and at an Elton John concert where at least twenty-two thousand listeners were present.

Two appearances on German TV led German media giant Pro7/Sat1 Media to bring Declan to its new record label Starwatch, distributed by Warner Bros. In cooperation with producer Ully Jonas, the resulting album, entitled Thank You, was released on December 1, 2006.

Declan Galbraith and his family live in England, in the small town of Hoo, near Rochester, Kent. His father, Alec, is of Scottish descent, while his mother Siobhan comes from a large Irish family. She is a twin and one of 14 children in her family. Declan’s grandfather whom he affectionately called ‚Poppy Ben’ sang in a band and played several instruments and often took Declan along to the ‘Fleadhs’ (concerts) he was playing in.

“I would sit there for hours watching Poppy Ben and the musicians, and listening to their music“, says Declan. The explosive mix of Scottish and Irish musical traditions inspired Declan and became his early musical influence. He remembers himself already singing at the age of two. He adds, “These are some of my very first memories in life – always singing.“ His talent was publicly acknowledged for the first time when at just 7 years old he insisted on performing spontaneously at the annual Rochester Dickens Festival, a two-day extravaganza where people were invited to dress up in Victorian costumes to celebrate the life and times of the famous author Charles Dickens and his links with their town. Little Declan, dressed up as a chimney sweep, started singing and the crowd went wild. Soon after this he started to enter local talent contests and within a year he had won 15 titles and more than £1,000.00. He wisely put most of it into a savings account, but he did spend some of it on computer games, a basketball and a brand new football.

Now, some five years later, Declan has made music and singing his full-time career. Siobhan Galbraith: ”As parents, it has always been the biggest concern to ensure that irrespective of his talent and success, Declan would not lose touch with the real world, and to remain a normal young man. We know he has an extraordinary talent and he has set himself a very high goal.”

As a result of his success in the talent shows, the major recording companies soon heard about Declan and he was signed to his first recording contract in England. His first recording was ‘Walking in the Air’, which was released on a special Christmas Hits album, also featuring Westlife, Elton John and Elvis Presley. Declan loves to sing to live audiences and among some of his most memorable performances are, the Queen’s Jubilee at St Paul’s Cathedral, when he sang ‘Amazing Grace’ accompanied by the St Paul’s Choir and an unforgettable experience when singing in front of more than 22,000 people at an Elton John concert.

Declan says: “So far I have been able to realize my dream of making music and singing. I am now playing guitar and the piano and have also started to write my own songs, which hopefully I will record on future albums. One day I would also like to develop other skills and perhaps do some acting as well."

Declan is determined to keep his feet firmly on the ground and knows that it is important to keep up with all of his schoolwork and education. He finds time to practice his music every day.