Idol’s Carly ‘to blame for first album flop’
Monday April 14 2008
LA composer Steve Dorff claimed the Irish sensation refused to accept his advice during her first attempt to climb the charts in the late 1990s.
The move forced the respected composer to walk out on the singer over her choice of material - which went against his expert wishes.
And as a result, said Dorff, Carly's first album Ultimate High went on to sell a paltry 378 copies in its first three months on the shelves - despite MCA investing millions on a heavy PR campaign.
“I thought she was more of a pop singer and better suited to that niche than rock,” said Dorff, who is the father of Hollywood actor Steven Dorff.
“That was the direction she wanted to go. I didn't feel that was the direction I could serve her.”
After riding a wave of highprofile support over recent weeks, Dubliner Carly (24) is now the favourite to be booted off American Idol after being slammed by acid-tongued Simon Cowell.
CONVINCED
And while emphasising that he is convinced the wannabe is still destined for stardom, Dorff says the 'creative differences' behind their own work-split may now come back to haunt her.
Dorff recorded a series of demo singles with Carly when she moved to the US aged just 15 in 1999, and was pivotal in helping to seal the big-money MCA record deal.
But after continued disputes between the pair, he says he was forced to drop Carly due to concerns about her future career - a conclusion which now looks set to be repeated.
“When I first heard her (in the 1990s) I called my manager back and said I wanted to meet her.
“I assumed she was 25, 26, but what I found was an absolutely motivated and very cute, young, tiny and bubbly fun kid.
“I let her do her thing, but it was not the album I would have made. It just wasn't the right time for her,” he said.
- Fiachra O Cionnaith
