CARLY SMITHSON HAS FALLEN ON HER FEET

Irish singer Carly Smithson has truly fallen on her feet.
The 25-year-old Dublin-born star has joined newly created American rock band The Fallen in her latest bid to become a major star in the United States.
She is starting to record again and making planning to head out on tour with the new band.
The Fallen is made up of former members of established American rock group Evanescence, whose debut album in 2003 was named Fallen, sold 15 million copies worldwide and helped the band win two Grammys.
Ironically, Carly sang one of that group's biggest hits Bring Me to Life while competing in the American Idol TV talent show, on which she first found fame stateside.
Evanescence was founded by founded by guitarist and songwriter Ben Moody and his school chum, singer, pianist and songwriter Amy Lee when she was 13 and he was 14.
Heavily-tattooed Carly, who was discovered in Ireland when she was just five-years old appearing in adverts for Denny's sausages, replaces Amy in the new line-up.
Carly, who has often been compared to Amy, is delighted with the new move, which means that she will be able to concentrate on more heavy rock music.
In fact, Carly, whose first record-deal in the U.S. went pair-shaped and she was dropped by her label in 2002 after just one year, has revealed that since competing on American Idol she has actually turned down several offers because she did not want to be pigeon-holed as a pop singer.
“I’m excited to be able to completely jump out of the box,” said Carly, who starred in Les Miserables on the Dublin stage playing Little Cosette in 1992. “The Idol thing, you know, was very PG, it was for a family audience … I’ve never been more happy than being in this band.”
Meanwhile, Moody is equally delighted that Carly has joined the rockers.
“We began looking for our soulmate, which we were scared was going to take a long, long time,” he said.
But he discovered Carly, who he describes as “pretty awesome,” by chance through his roommate and she fell into the bands' arms.
Carly has revealed how the latest turn in her rocky road to stardom came about after rejecting other offers.
“I knew I wasn’t making the wrong decision when I turned down the other offers,” she said. “Actually, I didn’t. I thought I was making a huge mistake.
“But I’d rather make a huge mistake than be miserable in something I’d regret for the rest of my days. I wanted to stay true to what I love and believe in and this is everything that we’ve all wanted for a long time which is awesome.”
Carly disclosed that the offers she turned down were “just other deals that came along that were all about pop music.”
But they all felt wrong for her.
“I’m not a pop artist,” she said. “I didn’t want to do pop. I wanted to do heavy rock music and I’ve wanted that from the beginning. And I'd be happy not doing anything rather than doing something that wasn’t the right thing.”
Carly actually performed Bring Me to Life while taking part in the American Idol tour of the states but she never imagined that she'd be singing with many of the band's old members.
“No…No,” she said. “I kept getting told that you don’t have the rock voice, you can't do rock music. But it’s everything I am. It’s everything I listen to. I’m not the regular girl next door.
So when Moody started talking to her one night in Los Angeles about joining up with him and his mates Carly, who lives in San Diego with her tattoo artist husband, admits she “didn't even know” what to think.
She said: “It was the most bizarre experience. And I got into the car after and I was driving back to San Diego that night and I just thought about it the whole way home, because I needed to make a decision fairly fast. And I called my manager the next day and said, 'what do you think of this?' And he said, 'I think it’s awesome.'
“And I said, 'yeah, I think it’s pretty awesome as well.' And being solo was kind of lonely. Trying to make a record solo. And now there’s four other people who bring all sorts of different things to the table and musically it's like everything I was trying to do. The whole heavy rock with great melodies.”
Carly revealed that previously her voice was not raspy enough for rock.
“They just felt my voice was more suited for pop music which … no thank you,” she said. “I think I got the first glimpse of how I could make this happen, recording in the studio.
“I said, I can sing this type of music and I can record it really easily. And I really love those powerful big high choruses. And I think that’s what Ben and the boys really saw in me when they came to me. And it’s just a friggin’ family all of a sudden.”
Carly knew she had found her soulmates right away.
“Yeah! It’s weird. Everything. It’s like we’ve been friends for ever,” she said.
She went on: “We sat down in that initial meeting and Ben said, 'I understand you’re doing your own project, but where do you see yourself? What are you trying to achieve.'
“And I told him visually what I was trying to achieve. Stage show-wise. Musically where I wanted to go. And it was like we were both on the same page. It was exactly his vision too. It was perfect.
“I played him some of my ideas for music. They loved them. They played me some of theirs. I immediately come up with melodies for some of them. We’re working on so many songs at the moment.
“Everything that I had been putting into motion just happened so fast as soon as this band got together. Whereas I was doing it for a long time with people who didn’t really get me or were trying to pull me in another direction.
“I literally jumped into this situation and everything I was trying to put together and everything they were trying to put together for all of us fell into place really fast. The right mix straight away.”
Carly is delighted to be thinking about heading out on the road again.
“Hell. Yeah. It’s so exciting,” she said. “I’m just excited now. Singing music that’s ours. This band. We are The Fallen but the boys came from Evanescence which already is an established act and they already have a following which isn’t PG. I don’t have to strip myself down.
“As much as I love the Idol show. I love all the people on there and they are amazing. For me personally it wasn’t creatively and musically the best time for me. Ever since I came off the show, I’ve been so happy and I’ve never been more happy than being in this band.
“Idol did exactly what I was supposed to do. And I am so glad I held out for the right opportunity and the right moment. These guys make the most amazing music and it just all fell together. It’s great.”