Hope people don't mind this. Not that anyone asked for it, but thought I'd give Damo his own thread and go through the songs I chose for Pop Factor Season 3 and would have chosen if by some miracle he had kept getting through.

He was my 3rd choice artist, after Jessie Ware and an artist I may try again for Pop Factor Season 4, but I put him as my 3rd choice artist because I knew I could do him justice and hopefully introduce an artist that people may have not heard of before.

The Audition Stage - 9 Crimes

So my thought process around choosing my 3 acts for Pop Factor 3 went as follows:

• Didn't want to stick to The Groups after sending Walk The Moon & The Chicks in previous seasons

• Thought I'd go for an act that I love, but one that people might not guess as me - Jessie Ware

• If I failed to get Jessie, I'd go for a second choice that could do well (may be revealed in a future season)

• On the off-chance that I couldn't have my 1st or 2nd choice, I went for a male artist that I know well and could do justice. I did not expect to be given my 3rd choice...!

'9 Crimes' however was a deliberate choice in case I did end up with the Irish troubadour. Go with one of his hits, but not one of the main two that people would know (Cannonball or The Blower's Daughter). I would have considered 'Unplayed Piano' but the vocal version of that song is not available on Spotify.....

I also saw '9 Crimes' as a good choice as it would test the waters and see if there was any chance that Damien could survive multiple rounds. I expected it would finish near the bottom, so was pleasantly surprised to see it score some high rankings from quite a few people.

The song itself is a thing of beauty. Yes, it is true that Lisa Hannigan should be credited on the song. She starts it FFS and sets the tone that Damien then builds on. Some people may think the song sounds boring, but the lyrics and the equally powerful video elevate the song. There's a reason this was a hit for him.

Damien has been quite vocal about the way in which his record label rushed the difficult second album (although I would say it has some incredible tracks on it - some of which will appear later). '9 Crimes' being the lead song from the album allowed it to be a success and out-peak his debut 'O'. It wouldn't get anywhere near sales wise mind you, but kept Damien on people's radar (as the label had wanted).