The Script

Danny O'Donoghue and Mark Sheehan had been friends since childhood in Dublin and had already been in a boy band, Mytown, before working as songwriters and producers in Canada and Los Angeles, writing for acts including Britney Spears, Boyz II Men and TLC. They returned to Dublin, formed The Script with drummer Glen Power, and signed to Phonogenic in 2005.

Their self-titled debut, released in 2008 after the band relocated to London, went to number one in both Ireland and the UK. It produced "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" and "Breakeven," establishing the mid-tempo pop-rock sound built on piano and clean guitar, phrased with cadences borrowed from R&B and hip-hop.

Science & Faith, #3 and No Sound Without Silence each topped the Irish and UK charts between 2010 and 2014, with Science & Faith also reaching the top three in the US. Singles from that stretch included "For the First Time" and "Hall of Fame," the latter a collaboration with will.i.am.

Later albums Freedom Child (2017) and Sunsets & Full Moons (2019) kept the band on the road, with singles "Rain" and "The Last Time" reaching the UK charts, followed by a 2021 greatest hits collection. The band has sold more than 20 million albums and won three Meteor Ireland Music Awards.

Sheehan died in 2023 after a brief illness. O'Donoghue, also known to UK audiences from his time as a coach on The Voice, has continued to lead the group alongside Power and newer members Benjamin Sargeant and Ben Weaver.