The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue on Songwriting and What It Means to Be Human

Nearly 20 years ago, The Script gave the world one of the most recognizable anthems from the 2000s: “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.” Now, the multi-awarded and platinum-selling Irish band is back with a brand-new song called “Man In The Arena.”

This track ushers in a new era, injected with a hard-hitting R&B groove before bursting into a classic Script mega-chorus. It also gives a preview of what to expect from their new album, “The User’s Guide To Being Human,” set for release in August this year. The record follows 2024’s “Satellites,” which was vocalist Danny O’Donoghue’s attempt to process the grief that followed the tragic passing of his bandmate and friend Mark Sheehan.

Danny, the voice and driving force behind The Script, recently flew to the Philippines for a special promo of the band’s new song — and a tour in support of their upcoming album. “Man In The Arena,” the tour, will have a Manila stop, happening at the Mall of Asia Arena on March 18, 2027. The show will have a Day 2, slated for March 19, due to overwhelming demand.

We sat down with Danny during his Wish Bus stint on May 25 to talk about growing up in a musical household, his love for R&B, and what it truly means to be human in the age of AI. 

You are no stranger to the Philippines. What can you say about performing for your Filipino fans?

The Philippines is a dream come true for us because [we’re] from thousands of miles away. So it's insane to come over here. And it feels like a home gig. It feels like I'm coming home. 

Well, let's talk about your roots. Not everybody knows that you come from a family of musicians. What was it like being brought up in that type of environment?

I grew up in a musical family. My dad was a musician. When you have that difficult conversation when you're a teenager, like, “I want to be a musician.” It makes it a lot easier when your dad or when your brother is a musician as well. 

So we're very, very lucky and very blessed to have the blessing of my parents to do this. But it was just so much fun growing up in a musical household. 

You once mentioned in an interview that you were fascinated by American music — Boyz II Men, Babyface, and Blackstreet. What was the switch like from R&B to pop or alternative rock?

It was tough to kind of make. But I think, growing up in Ireland, it was either rock or bust. So you rock, or that was it. So I kind of went down the rap or R&B route, and when I finally went in there, I got my feet wet, and then came back. And then I walked all over the rock carpet with my feet. So it kind of feels like there's still a little bit of elements of R&B, certain licks and stuff like that.

But I just really fell in love with lyrics, and I fell in love with storytelling. Storytelling is probably my best asset.

Is there any song that meant one thing before but has taken on a different meaning for you now?

A lot of songs. I mean, “If You Could See Me Now,” probably that one. It's got such an incredible meaning to me because it was about my mom and dad passing away. And then after Mark passed away, that song just took on a whole new meaning. 

How do you approach songwriting? Do you have to be in a flow state, in the zone, or can you just turn it on?

Well, it kind of just hits me at any time. It can be anything anybody says, you know, something interesting in a conversation, and then the next thing, something will pop out of my head. It's very strange. You put different scenarios in, and I always come out with a song. No matter what the outcome is, there's always a song at the end of the rainbow, you know. When it comes, it comes.

Is there any song that amazed you so much to the point that you wish you had written it?

“All of Me” by John Legend. That's beautiful. "All of me loves all of you/ Love your perfect imperfections." He's got a beautiful voice on him. That is an incredible song. My mate wrote that song as well — Toby Gad, his name is. Shout out to Toby. He also wrote “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, and a few other songs on top of that as well. He's insane.

Now, tell us about your upcoming album “The User's Guide to Being Human.”

So we came up with the concept of: if you went to another planet and you needed to remember what it was like to be human, I wish there was a booklet or something that kind of teaches you. Because in today's day and age, with so much AI and so many robots and all this crazy stuff going on, I think we need to remember what it is to be human — the emotion, the passion, looking into each other's eyes. So we wrote this song with lyrics like, “So tell me what the hell we're doing if we're not human beings being human.” And it ended up being the mantra for the whole album, so it kind of covers the whole spectrum of emotion and everything else.

Who is your guiding force back home, your Jedi knight, so to speak?

I don't really have one, to be honest. We kind of keep to ourselves. But maybe Mark, though. Mark was definitely the Jedi of it. You know what I mean? He's already missed. I carry his legacy with me at every point that I am on stage, from whichever corner of the globe I may be.

What is your message to your Filipino fans? 

We love you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you so much.

Watch out for Danny O’Donoghue’s Wish Bus performances of “Man In The Arena” and “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” on Wish 107.5’s YouTube channel. Stream The Script’s newest song here.

Editor's note: Minor revisions were done on the interview transcript for grammar and flow.