Paul Dempsey

Paul Anthony Dempsey (born 25 May 1976) is an Australian musician. He is best known as the lead singer, guitarist and principal lyricist of rock group Something for Kate. Dempsey released his debut solo album, Everything Is True, on 20 August 2009, which peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart. He has also produced and co-written albums for other artists, including Mosman Alder.

Dempsey has experienced bouts of clinical depression and periods of writer's block, both of which have been publicised. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane noted that he "has the capacity to lay his soul bare through his music, there is little pretence or adherence to fashionable measures in the band's delivery".

In 2003, he produced and played drums, bass, guitar and keyboards on The Givegoods' 2003 album, I Want to Kill a Rich Man. The Givegoods was the project of Tom Morgan (Smudge) and Andy Calvert, with assistance from Evan Dando (The Lemonheads) and Juanita Stein (Waikiki and Howling Bells).

2008–2011: Solo career and Everything Is True In 2009, he had commenced recording an album titled Everything Is True in Los Angeles with mix engineer-producer Doug Boehm—in April 2009, the process was complete. The first single, "Out the Airlock", was briefly offered as a free download on his website before being officially released on 15 May 2009. The album was released on 14 August 2009 and peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Album Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2009, Dempsey and the album were nominated for three ARIA Awards: ARIA Award for Best Male Artist, ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album and ARIA Award for Producer of the Year.

In 2010, Dempsey played a variety of instruments on several of Melbourne dance artist T-Rek's albums, and contributed keyboards on Melbourne band The Nation Blue's album Protest Songs. In April 2010, Dempsey produced and mixed the third studio EP, Heavy Harm, by Sydney rock band, Papa VS Pretty.

In regard to the changes that the internet has had on the music industry, Dempsey said in November 2014: "A ton of things have changed and a ton of things haven't changed. I think the only brand new hurdle is that most music is now simply there for the taking and a large proportion of the population seem disinclined to assign any value at all to the hard work and resources that went into creating it. Other than that, the only thing that matters is the only thing that's ever mattered (in my opinion) and that is getting out there and playing your arse off in front of people anywhere you can, anytime you can. It's better than radio, it's better than the internet, it's better than a review and it's better for you and your band. If you want to be a musician, go be a musician. Be prepared to lose money and play to no one [but] hopefully it'll get better as you get better."

2024–present: Fanning Dempsey National Park & Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II In 2024, Dempsey collaborated with Bernard Fanning on a project called Fanning Dempsey National Park. Their debut album, The Deluge, was released on 2 August 2024.

In August 2025, Dempsey announced the release of Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II. The album, set for release in October 2025, features cover versions of songs by artists such as Cher, Patti Smith, Carla Geneve and R.E.M.

Released: 20 August 2009 Label: EMI Australia (5099968447922) Format: CD, digital download 5 ARIA: Gold

Released: 31 October 2013 Label: EMI Australia (3755469) Format: CD, digital download 17

Released: 13 May 2016 Label: EMI Australia (4777227) Format: CD, 2×LP, digital download 5

Released: 24 October 2025 Label: EMI Australia (7871625) Format: Streaming, CD, LP, digital download 8 Extended plays Title EP details Counterfeits and Forgeries Released: August 2009 Label: EMI Australia (5099968551322) Format: Limited Edition CD iTunes Live from Sydney Released: 16 October 2009 Label: Paul Dempsey Format: DD

Singles +List of singles, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions Certification Album AUS "Out the Airlock" 2009 84 Everything Is True "Ramona Was a Waitress" 85 ARIA: Gold "Fast Friends" — "Bats" 2010 — "We'll Never Work in the Town Again" — "Morningless" 2016 — Strange Loop "The True Sea" — "Idiot Oracle" — "The Sky's Gone Missing" 2018 — Vast "Fashionably Late (Every New Year's Day)" 2021 — "If I Could Turn Back Time" — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

Guest appearances Year Title Artist Album 2010 "Your Lovin' Is On My Mind" various artists Before Too Long: Triple J Tribute to Paul Kelly 2010 "Addicted" various artists He Will Have His Way 2013 "Sunrise" with Darren Middleton Translations 2016 "Calling Out" with Pez Don't Look Down