Daniel O'Donnell has slowed down and stepped back from his hectic country music career.
After 40 years in music, the singer wants to spend more time with his family and get the balance right between his working and personal lives.
He also admitted that at the beginning on his life on the road, he thought about giving everything up and turning to his plan B.
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Daniel told RSVP Magazine: "I have slowed down and I don’t do nearly as many shows as I used to. Going forward, I will cut down more. Visibly, people will know that they don’t see me as much."
He added: "I want more time to relax and I want to get the right balance between having time off and time on."
Daniel is celebrating 40 years in music, and he has had an incredible career over the last four decades.
He said: "It’s 40 years since I released my first album and it’s even more than that since I released my first record. When you look back at it, it’s amazing how quickly time has passed.
"Sometimes it feels like the blink of an eye and, all in all, it’s been wonderful.
"I never thought I’d be on Top Of The Pops and I never thought I’d have had this career. I never thought I’d be at this level and get to tour the places I have.
"I’ve been on TV shows here and there. It’s amazing when I sit back and think about it all."
There was a time where where Daniel thought about giving it all up and leaving country music.
He said: "I didn’t think it was going to work out for me and it was coming to a point where I needed to make a living. Although I had recorded my first album, I couldn’t see any benefit to being in the industry.
"I remember going to [music manager] Mick Clerkin in 1985 and telling him I didn’t think I was going to be able to stick it out.
"He told me there was a good reaction to the album forming and that it was starting to get airplay. I stuck it out a bit longer and, luckily, things started to take off for me."
The Donegal man always had a Plan B.
He said: "If music didn’t work out for me and I had to do something else, I would have gone back and done teaching."
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Does he want to be here in 10 years, celebrating another decade in music? "I don’t know if I will. I don’t think I will go on that long.
"I will always sing, but I don’t think that I will always tour. I don’t think I’ll keep up touring to this extent.
"I won’t give it up in the immediate future, but I won’t stay doing what I have been doing."
Daniel doesn't have much left on his bucket list as his career moves forward, but he always open to new ideas.
He said: "I’ll do whatever comes my way and what I enjoy doing. The balance of having time off is very important to me now."
It’s 10 years since Daniel competed on Strictly Come Dancing, and he looks back on his time on the show fondly given the headlines around it this year.
He said: "It was the greatest thing ever and it was the most frightening thing ever. I can’t begin to tell you how nervous I was.
"I thought I was going to die doing it every week. It was an amazing experience. I tuned in to a couple of episodes this year and it hasn’t lost one bit of its excitement.
"I hope they keep Dancing with the Stars going here in Ireland. It’s equally as good as Strictly, it’s not a poor relation. It’s absolutely super.
He continued: "I was terrified though, as I said, and people asked me if I was disappointed when I got voted out.
"I was like Usain Bolt when I got loose [laughs]. It’s hard to describe the show, it’s like nothing else in the world is happening when you’re dancing."
Through The Years – The Very Best Of Daniel O’Donnell is available to buy and stream now
Read the full interview with Daniel O'Donnell in the December issue of RSVP Magazine - on shelves now
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