Darius Danesh

Darius Danesh was born in Glasgow in 1980 to a Persian father and Scottish mother. He first sang in public at the age of 4 and persuaded his parents to buy him a guitar when he was 9. Having done well at school he went on to Edinburgh University to study English Literature. It was while he was here that his friends took him along to a radio audition, he passed it and was taken to the Popstars auditions, that went to make him a star, although he was asked to leave in the final stages. Offers of record deals followed but he decided to stay on his degree course. However, when Pop Idol came around he felt ready to have a crack at it. He came third in the competition, and signed to Mercury in May 2002. His first single Colourblind went to number one in the following August, and his album Dive In went platinum in March 2003.