Photo courtesy of Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

On December 15, Daniel O’Donnell, Irish singer, television presenter and philanthropist, will be taking the stage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. O’Donnell, who hails from County Donegal, Ireland, is not only a household name in Ireland and Great Britain, he’s one of the most successful artists in the history of the United Kingdom’s music charts. O’Donnell is the only artist in the world to have a hit on the UK charts every single year since 1988–his latest album, How Lucky I Must Be, released this past October peaked at number 39 on the UK album charts.

“There’s quite a few original songs on the album from Irish writers,” says O’Donnell. “It’s just a collection of songs that I connected with when I first heard them. That’s really the criteria for me when I record something–I just have to love it and if I love it, then we record it.”

O’Donnell has been loving what he does for quite some time now, since the start of the 21st century, he has released a studio album in every single year, including 2023’s How Lucky I Must Be. “I always sang from a young age, but I never thought about having a career in it,” says O’Donnell. "However, once I started, I enjoyed it so much that I thought it would be a good way to spend your life, so I traveled with my sister Margo and her band for two years, before breaking off and making my first solo record in 1983.”

It didn’t take long for O’Donnell to explode in popularity. Soon after the release of his first solo record, he signed with his long-term manager Sean Reilly, where he began selling out concerts all across Ireland and the United Kingdom. Fast forward to today and O’Donnell is still touring and performing with the same vigor and enthusiasm he did when he began. “I just love the music and I love singing,” he says. “There’s just a lovely atmosphere when I’m on stage and I suppose that the audience seems to enjoy it just as much as I do.”

Photo courtesy of Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.