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.</blockquote>
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.
|-
! scope="row"| Everything Is True
|
- Released: 20 August 2009
- Label: EMI Australia (5099968447922)
- Format: CD, digital download
| 5
|
- ARIA: Gold
|-
! scope="row"| Shotgun Karaoke
|
- Released: 31 October 2013
- Label: EMI Australia (3755469)
- Format: CD, digital download
| 17
|
|-
! scope="row"| Strange Loop
|
- Released: 13 May 2016
- Label: EMI Australia (4777227)
- Format: CD, 2×LP, digital download
| 5
|
|-
! scope="row"| Shotgun Karaoke Vol. II
|
- Released: 24 October 2025
- Label: EMI Australia (7871625)
- Format: Streaming, CD, LP, digital download
| 8<br />
|
<!--|-
| colspan="11" style="font-size:85%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.-->
|}
Extended plays
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! Title
! EP details
|-
! scope="row"| Counterfeits and Forgeries
|
- Released: August 2009
- Label: EMI Australia (5099968551322)
- Format: Limited Edition CD
|-
! scope="row"| iTunes Live from Sydney
|
- Released: 16 October 2009
- Label: Paul Dempsey
- Format: DD
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of singles, with selected chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certification
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| AUS<br />
|-
! scope="row"| "Out the Airlock"
| rowspan="3"| 2009
| 84
|
| rowspan="4"| Everything Is True
|-
! scope="row"| "Ramona Was a Waitress"
| 85
|
- ARIA: Gold
|-
! scope="row"| "Fast Friends"
| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Bats"
| rowspan="2"| 2010
| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "We'll Never Work in the Town Again"
| —
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Morningless"
| rowspan="3"| 2016
| —
|
| rowspan="3"| Strange Loop
|-
! scope="row"| "The True Sea"
| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Idiot Oracle"
| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "The Sky's Gone Missing"
| 2018
| —
|
| Vast
|-
! scope="row"| "Fashionably Late (Every New Year's Day)"<br />
| 2021
| —
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| "If I Could Turn Back Time"
| —
|
|-
| colspan="11" style="font-size:85%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.
|}
Guest appearances
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Artist
! Album
|-
| 2010
! scope="row"| "Your Lovin' Is On My Mind"
| various artists
| Before Too Long: Triple J Tribute to Paul Kelly
|-
| 2010
! scope="row"| "Addicted"
| various artists
| He Will Have His Way
|-
| 2013
! scope="row"| "Sunrise"
| with Darren Middleton
| Translations
|-
| 2016
! scope="row"| "Calling Out"
| with Pez
| Don't Look Down
|-
|}
See also
- Something for Kate
- Fanning Dempsey National Park
Awards and nominations
APRA Awards
The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters".
!
|-
| 2002
| "Monsters" by Something for Kate <br>(Paul Dempsey, Stephanie Ashworth, Clint Hyndman)
| Song of the Year
|
|
|-
| 2020
| "Fear Of Missing Out" by Ainslie Wills <br>(Ainslie Wills, Paul Dempsey, Lawrence Folvig, Arron Light)
| Song of the Year
|
|
|-
| 2021
| "Situation Room by Something for Kate <br>(Paul Dempsey, Stephanie Ashworth, Clint Hyndman)
| Song of the Year
|
|
|-
| 2025
| "Disconnect" by Fanning Dempsey National Park <br>(Paul Dempsey / Bernard Fanning)
| Song of the Year
|
|
|-
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.
!
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2009
| Paul Dempsey
| ARIA Award for Best Male Artist
|
| rowspan="3"|
|-
| Paul Dempsey & Wayne Connolly,
| ARIA Award for Producer of the Year
|
|-
| Everything Is True
| ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album
|
|}
National Live Music Awards
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2016
| rowspan="2" | himself
| Live Voice of the Year
|
|-
| Victorian Live Voice of the Year
|
|-
EG Awards/Music Victoria Awards
The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music.
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009
| himself
| Best Male Artist
| unknown
|-
| Everything Is True
| Best Album
| unknown
|-
References
;General
- Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
;Specific
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