should we start counting down, 'Lifers?
2012 is the year when we'll say good bye to our most-liked boyband in the world. Let's make the rest of the days worthy!
Welcome Westlifers!!
This is the official site of Westlife News Philippines. This site is dedicated to gathering latest news and updates from the band and its members! Feel free to browse the site and surf from pages to pages.
IN THIS SITE, YOU CAN DO THE FOLLOWING:
- Listen to Music (from their last and upcoming album Greatest Hits) and sing along with the Lyrics *Download links included*
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View Photos
- Westlife Live in Manila concert photos!
- Snapshots from the Westlife Where We Are Tour Live at the O2 DVD
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Watch Videos (Music videos and others)
- Westlife Live in Manila concert videos
- Read News and Updates
- Download songs from Gravity and the new songs from the GREATEST HITS *NEW!*
- Vote on Upcoming Polls!
- Facts about the band will be dug!
- VISIT MY BLOG WestlifeNewsPH.tumblr.com
- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @WestlifeNewsPH
- LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/WestlifeNewsPH
I also do not own some of the photos seen in this site.
New songs from "Greatest Hits" are available for FREE download. Download links are included
No copyright infringement intended...
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Westlife Win MTV's Battle Of The Boy Bands
Irish boy band easily defeated Jonas Brothers in the championship matchup.
The fans have spoken. After two weeks of intense matchups and more than 12 million votes, Westlife have come out on top in MTV's Battle of the Boy Bands. The Irish boy band easily defeated the Jonas Brothers in the final round, with more than 70 percent of the final vote. It was a hard-fought finale with both bands' fanbases tirelessly voting in the hopes of giving their band the championship, but in the end, the international firepower of Westlife was too much for JoBros fans to handle.
Get More: Music News
Westlife may not have been favored to win this competition, but from day one they proved they were fighters and were out to make a statement. They got everyone's attention early on when, amidst accusations of cheating, they fairly beat out fan favorites the Backstreet Boys in the first round. They had no trouble at all beating out their next two opponents, O-Town and the Beatles, and managed to get past newcomers the Wanted in the Final Four to ultimately take on the Jonas Brothers in the championship.
This win in the Battle of the Boy Bands seems to come at a perfect time for the group because their 14-year career is about to come to an end. Westlife have decided to go their separate ways after the conclusion of their Greatest Hits Tour, which kicks off later this week and wraps up at the end of June in front of a hometown crowd in Dublin, Ireland.
Congratulations to Westlife and to all their extremely loyal fans: You have certainly proved your devotion and didn't let up no matter how tough the competition was. Thanks to all the bands that participated.
From newcomers One Direction, Mindless Behavior and Big Time Rush to veteran groups Boyz II Men and the Backstreet Boys, it was truly an epic tournament.
But it wouldn't have been possible without all of you, the fans. All of your vigorous voting resulted in some shocking upsets, some heated matchups and some rally-from-behind wins, making this a true battle of the boy bands.
Credit/Source: mtv.com
Westlife voted ‘best ever boyband’ in MTV contest
IRISH BAND WESTLIFE has been voted the world’s best ever boyband in an MTV competition.
MTV said that the Irish group received over 70 per cent of the final vote, easily beating the Jonas Brothers, the Backstreet Boys and the Beatles.
“Congratulations to Westlife and to all their extremely loyal fans: You have certainly proved your devotion and didn’t let up no matter how tough the competition was,” MTV said this evening.
Band member Brian McFadden left the group several years ago. Late last year, the remaining four members announced they were to separate after 14 years together. They are just about to start their Greatest Hits tour, which is due to finish up in Dublin’s Croke Park at the end of June.
Band members Shane Filan and Mark Feehily have been tweeting their thanks to fans for supporting them in the MTV vote:
Meanwhile, Nicky Byrne took the opportunity to poke fun at one of the losing contestants:
Credit/Source: thejournal.ie
SI WANT SHANE
Music guru Cowell offers Filan solo deal after Westlife split.
Byline: SAM HAMILTON
X FACTOR supremo Simon Cowell is hoping to tempt Westlife’s Shane Filan to sign with his label.
The music mogul, 52, has offered the band’s lead singer a big-money offer with Syco Records.
But Shane, 32, also has two other labels battling it out to release his debut solo album after the Us Against The World band go their separate ways this summer.
If he did decide to sign with Simon, it would be a thawing in the band’s frosty relationship with the pop guru after the group walked away from his label. A source said: “Shane was always the best singer in the band and it seems Simon realises that.
“It would turn a lot of heads if these two ended up working together. After Westlife go their separate ways, the only member of the band that Louis Walsh is going to be managing is Shane – and he has a great relationship with Simon.
“And while Simon can be a hard person to work with at times, he knows what he is talking about.
“With the X Factor it’s only when artists stop listening to him that they flop.
“So you’d be sure if Shane went with Simon, he’d definitely get a No1 album.”
Dad-of-three Shane will be heading straight to the studio after saying goodbye at Westlife’s final Croke Park gig with bandmates Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Nicky Byrne in June.
Credit/Source: Irish Daily Mirror
Westlife fan fights for life after being stabbed three times in row over boyband's CD
A man was left fighting for his life after being stabbed in his own home following a row over a Westlife CD.
Craig Holman was repeatedly knifed and punched after an argument broke out over the popular Irish boyband following a night out in Peterborough.
He had met three men at a nightclub and invited them back to his house in the Hampton area of the town where things ‘turned nasty’ over his choice of CD, a court heard.
Guilty: Kevin McGinty (left) and Wayne Sharman
Mr Holman was knifed twice in the leg and once in his stomach as well as being repeatedly punched in the face in the attack, which took place on October 21 last year.
Kevin McGinty, 27, from Peterborough and Wayne Sharman 25, of Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire, were found guilty of repeatedly stabbing Mr Holman.
The pair were convicted of wounding with intent after a two-week trial at Peterborough Crown Court.
A third man, Geoffrey Watson, 36, from Peterborough, was found not guilty of both robbery and wounding with intent and an alternative charge of unlawful wounding.
Giving evidence, Mr Holman told the court that the men had demanded money from him which he refused to hand over.
But when his dog was threatened he gave up and told them where he had stashed £1,000 in cash.
Speaking last week, Mr Holman said: 'I remember being pinned down by somebody and doing what he can to get the money out of me.
'Another guy was standing, not really involved, just shouting, "give it up, give it up".
'It all happened so quickly, I lost so much blood I was delirious.
'I tried to leg it out my house but I got dragged back by the people trying to do it.'
Mr Holman spent more than a week in hospital following his ordeal and still suffers flashbacks.
The jury listened to eight days of evidence including testimony from the victim and all three defendants.
They returned their guilty verdict last Friday and the trio will be sentenced tomorrow.
After the hearing, investigating officer Detective Constable Kevin Pool, from Cambridgeshire Police, welcomed the convictions.
He said: 'This was an extremely serious assault which could have resulted in the death of the victim.
'He is still affected to this day by what happened but I hope these convictions and the sentences to come will allow him to move on knowing that justice has been done.'
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Shane raises us up
WESTLIFE STAR TAKES TO STAGE AT JP’S PARTY PUNTERS SINGING THE BLUES AFTER TOUGH DAY
Byline: ALANA FEARON
WESTLIFE star Shane Filan kicked off his solo career early – when he raised the roof at a private bash in Cheltenham.
The You Raise Me Up singer, 32, surprised guests at a party thrown by JP McManus when he started singing karaoke.
It may have been a nightmare opening day at Prestbury Park for Irish punters but Shane did his best to lift the nation’s battered spirits by belting out a few hits.
Mogul JP threw the party to celebrate his horse Aflie Sherrin winning the Handicap Steeple Chase and Shane and Gillian were among his VIP guests.
Irish goalkeeper Shay Given revealed: “I’m here with Shane [Filan] so the craic is good.
“It’s a pity I wasn’t here on Tuesday night because Shane was on the karaoke at JP’s party.
“I hear he’s good at it.” Shane said on Tuesday that he was just weeks away from signing a solo contract after Westlife announced in October they were splitting up.
The Daily Mirror learned last month that several top record companies are battling it out to sign the millionaire singer who has been dubbed the next Michael Buble.
But they’ll be shocked to hear that the dad of three has jumped the gun and kicked off his solo run, a few months before his 14-year career with Westlife officially comes to an end.
But the star wasn’t the only Irishman going on a solo run at Cheltenham.
Shane was on the karaoke at JP’s Meath jockey Barry Geraghty was the country’s new hero last night after racking up a stunning hat-trick of wins on day two at Prestbury Park. Wins on Simonsig, Bobs Worth and Finian’s Rainbow in the Queen Mother Champion Chase made his tally of wins for the week four.
Credit/Source: Irish Daily Mirror – Published on 15.03.2012
westlife.gr
Manila Concerts: Top 50 BEST Manila Concerts of 2011:
1) Westlife: THE GRAVITY TOUR LIVE IN MANILA
On 29th September 2011, Westlife made their comback in Manila after five years. The concert was 99 per cent sold-out where only almost 40 tickets were not bought! STILL AMAZING for Westlife!
Westlife not only sang songs from their album "Gravity," but they made the concert a melancholia of their Greatest Hits. But to everybody's surprise, that concert would've been their last Manila concert. 'Lifers are indeed shocked about the group's decision to finally call it a day.
With 6,790 votes, that Westlife concert was recognized by Manila Concerts as the BEST concert in 2011! Runners-up included: Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, Owl City, 30 Seconds To Mars, Lee DeWyze, David Archuleta and Jason Mraz. Good job 'Lifers! I hope that the lads will see this result and decide to include the Philippines in their "Greatest Hits" tour. Let's keep our fingers crossed on that one!
Again, great job 'Lifers! #WestlifeForever
-Argyll
NICKY: IT IS GOING TO BE SO SCARY, BUT WE ALL KNOW WESTLIFE IS OVER
Byrne just doesn't know what the next step is after calling it a day
IT'S been a dramatic few weeks in the world of Westlife - and that's before they face into the emotional rollercoaster of their final shows this summer. Towering Mark Feehily recently announced his shock split with longtime English boyfriend, Kevin McDaid, a boyband-star-turned photographer. And The Voice of Ireland mentor, Kian Egan, got the best Christmas present ever when he and his gorgeous wife, Jodi, became first time parents to baby son, Koa.
Shuffle caught up with Nicky Byrne and Shane Filan to find out how they will cope with the traumatic months ahead as they close the Westlife chapter after 14 years at the top of the charts. The boys admit that all the Westlife lads are "scared" of what lies ahead.
"It's not like taking a break," Nicky Byrne points out."When we took a year off after Croke Park in 2008, I thought, 'I'll enjoy my life; I'll holiday, I'll do a little bit of work.' This is different: we're making a career decision that is final and that's going to be scary.
"How we are going to face our final show I don't really know. It's easy to predict that we're all going to be sad and that we'll cry and hug each other. But it's the aftermath that scares us because we just don't know what lies ahead.
"Waking up the day after our last show is going to be a really weird feeling. It's going to be like, 'OK, what are we going to do now?' None of us want to sit at home shining our golf clubs."
Singer Shane Filan, sitting on the edge of a couch in a plush hotel room, nods in agreement. "It is going to be scary and it scares all of us, but we also know that Westlife has to come to an end," he says.
"We're together 14 years as a pop group, which is bananas.We're wondering what else is out there in life, having spent half of our lives in a band. It's been amazing, but we also know there are other things in life that we'll never get to do unless we make the break and give it a go."
Shane reveals that all four members of Westlife want to remain in showbusiness - and he will be the first member to launch a solo singing career. Louis Walsh has already agreed to be his manager. "Shane is going to be huge as a solo singer," Louis tells Shuffle.
Shane admits: "I know it's a tough world out there and we are all going to have to prove ourselves outside Westlife.There will be a lot of pressure on us because we'll all be under a microscope no matter what we do."
Despite their apprehension about the future, the Westlife lads say they are also facing into the unknown with a sense of excitement. "We feel nervously excited that we have a challenge again because Westlife had stopped being a challenge," Shane admits.
"In the last few years it was nearly like auto pilot. And while we loved doing the live concerts, the business side of running Westlife was draining the joy out of it for us.The business side is stressful."
Filan and Byrne laugh at the reaction they got from some media people following the announcement of their split. "It's like when someone dies, suddenly we were great," Nicky laughs.
"I remember reading stuff through the years - and you only remember the bad things - about us being a karaoke band or whatever. And, do you know, probably some of them were right.
"But as soon as we said we were quitting, there was nostalgia for the group and loads of journalists and radio people were saying nice things about us. If we'd known they felt that way about us we might have stayed on."
WESTLIFE'S last Irish concerts will be at Croke Park on June 22 and 23.
source: sundayworld.com
OMG! Mark Feehily breaks up with boyfriend Kevin McDaid!
Westlife singer splits from photographer boyfriend after seven years
WESTLIFE hunk Mark Feehily revealed that he and long term boyfriend Kevin McDaid have parted ways!
The singer released the news via Twitter saying: “Sadly, Kevin & I are no longer together.”
“We’ve had an amazin 7 yrs & are both so thankful for the love & support u have shown us from the start.”
The singer went on on to say they wouldn’t be answering questions about the break-up and thanked fans for their continuing support.
The split has come as a shock after Mark spoke in March about his long-term plans to marry Kevin and eventually wanting to become parents.
The couple had been engaged since January 2010 after meeting at a concert five years earlier.
They went public with their relationship in 2007 after Mark revealed his sexuality in a newspaper interview.
source: https://www.ok.co.uk
Westlife’s Kian Egan and wife Jodi Albert welcome baby boy
By Ken Sweeney
Westlife star Kian Egan has become a dad.
The singer and his wife Jodi Albert became proud parents of baby boy Koa, weighing in at 8lbs and 2 ozs, born at 6.10pm last night in Sligo General Hospital.
It had been the couple’s wish that their baby was born in Ireland, and in Kian’s home town of Sligo.
“That was how we planned it and it went to plan except it happened a little early,” Mr Egan told the Irish Independent, revealing that January 1 had been the due date of their little arrival.
Mr Egan, a surfing fanatic, revealed the name Koa was a Hawaiian name which he and his wife had found while checking a list of names and they liked it.
Source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Shane Filan will be most successful after Westlife split, predicts Louis Walsh
By Lynne Kelleher, Irish Daily Mirror
LOUIS Walsh has predicted Shane Filan will be the most successful solo artist of Westlife after the band splits next summer.
And the X Factor judge said the 32-year-old is the only one of the four who will remain in his stable of acts when they go their separate ways after 14 years together.
The pop guru told RTE TV’s Saturday Night Show that he could see the dad of three from Sligo having a career like big band singer Michael Buble.
He said: “I’m going to manage Shane Filan. He’s going for the Michael Buble market. They’re all good but I can only manage one. I love Shane’s voice. I love Mark’s voice too.
“The other boys, Kian and Nicky, are going to do TV and different stuff and radio. They are going out on a high.
“Shane is going to be a big artist. I will only manage someone if I believe in them. If I get someone amazing I will manage them.”
The TV star also insisted he won’t be dressing up as a woman again after posing as his former the X Factor colleague Cheryl Cole last week.
He said he was surprised by the stir surrounding his Cheryl impression.
Louis, 59, added: “I’ve never done it before and I’m not going to do it again and I’ve never worn high heels. You only live once and you have to have a laugh.
“It took about an hour. It was fun. I didn’t know it was going to be on the front page of the paper in Ireland. I’m not ashamed. It was fun.
“I think my family might be disowning me. I’m going home for Christmas, what the hell. I actually look a bit like my mother in it.”
And Louis insisted he would not be stepping down from X Factor after reports that fellow judge Kelly Rowland wanted him axed.
He said: “I’m not giving it up, no way, unless I’m sacked. I like Kelly, I do like her. None of us are hired again. Nobody is signed. I hope to do it. I’ve done it for eight years and I hope to do it another year.”
And the music manager hit back at Samantha Mumba’s recent claims that he didn’t spend enough time on her career.
Louis said: “She is a very nice girl. I got her a record deal and she didn’t even have to sing. I just walked her into the record company, Polydor, and they saw her and they signed her.
“She had a massive, massive career but maybe she didn’t work hard enough because she was dropped by the record company. I wasn’t dropped. I’m still working with them.”
Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk
Simon Cowell lifts lid on stormy relationship with Westlife
By Lynne Kelleher
X FACTOR guru Simon Cowell has revealed how he almost came to blows with Westlife in a series of blazing rows when he was masterminding their career.
The record company executive is full of praise for the band, who delivered him 14 No1 singles, but gives a revealing insight into their fiery relationship in a new TV special.
The band also lift the lid on their friendship, their rocknroll lifestyle behind their clean-cut image and their most extreme fans.
And Simon Cowell is already hinting at a reunion by suggesting that the world wont have to cope without Westlife for ever.
Cowell admitted: I just cant accept the fact that there isnt going to be a Westlife any more but I have a hunch there will be.
He described them as enthusiastic puppies in the heady early days when they became an overnight boy band sensation.
He said: “I dont think Ive met anyone who worked as hard as these guys. They were like little puppies in those days.
“It was all about the fans. In those days the band was so happy and so enthusiastic and just wanted to sing.
“Always with them it was about the fans. They were always conscious that no matter how tired they were people had paid to see them and they wanted to put on a show.”
But he added the band had stand-up rows with him over their career as they got older.
He said: “We had face-offs. God we had fights. Me versus five, practically turning into a punch-up over disagreements.”
Over the past 14 years Westlife have had 26 top 10 hits, including 14 No1 singles, and 11 top five albums along with countless awards and sold more than 44 million records worldwide.
And Cowell says in the ITV special, Westlife For The Last Time, that he immediately knew the band had the X factor.
He added: “Normally in those situations you act a bit cool but Louis was sitting next to me and 30 seconds in I said, Louis were in.
“I wanted them in the studio as quickly as possible. I was in kind of a hurry to get the first record out. I wanted the public to see what I had seen as quickly as possible.”
Shane Filan tells how the crazy antics of hysterical fans in Asia when they first touched down in the continent brought home the extent of their fame.
He said: “The fans were pretty aggressive and they would see you and not realise and would be pulling bits of hair out of your head.
“In a way we loved it because it was Oh my God were so famous!”
In the ITV special, presented by Christine Bleakley, the band candidly talk about their relationships after being on the road for 14 years. Nicky Byrne revealed he views his bandmates as family members. He said: “It’s like putting your four brothers on a tour bus for 14 years. You are going to disagree with things and you are going to go head-to-head with people.
“Its all happened except we’ve never actually got in a situation where one of us actually punched the other.
“We’re probably worse than a bunch of girls. I dont know what the Spice Girls was like but I think we were quite honest with each other from the start.”
He also tells how he thought Louis Walsh wanted to put him into a pub band when he first auditioned for Westlife.
He said: “I sang the song Father And Son and I remember thinking they werent stopping me and they had stopped other people.
“I came off the stage and Louis came over. I had never met him before and he said, Stay there, stay there I want you in my next pub band.
He was saying pop band but I thought he was saying pub band and I thought, I dont want to be in a pub band.
The dad of two admitted he was reluctant to accept the end of the band and said: “I was probably the last one to come to terms with it and go, Yeah, is it the right thing? Westlife is all we know. I really believe weve made the right decision and lets see whats next.”
And the only Dublin member of the band since Brian McFadden left the rest of the lads are from Sligo said he will always keep Ireland as his home.
He added: “My family and all my roots are still in Dublin. Youre Irish and youre proud of it. You want to come home and share it all with everybody you know so well.
“My children [twin boys Jay and Rocco] will be starting school in Dublin so Dublin and Ireland will always be where my home is.”
Bandmate Kian Egan echoed his sentiments and said: “We are brothers in every sense of the world. We fall out, we make up, we kiss, we cuddle, we fight, we argue but we love each other and thats the way it is with us. Mark Feehily said the band had a rocknroll lifestyle during the early days of fame in the late 90s.
He added: “We lived it up. We were 20 years old and it was kind of, Why not?
“We were like caged monkeys getting set free and we were hanging out of the chandeliers after every gig until the sun came up and even much past it.
The gay star also spoke about his struggle to come out in 2005 and agonising over the reaction of female fans.
He said: “Im not stupid. Ive read Smash Hits since I was five years old and it was all about the girls fancying the boys. I completely put it back down inside myself and locked the door and threw away the key. In your mind it gets very dark and very scary. You feel alone.”
Mark added he was amazed with the reaction of the fans and said: “We were just about the release You Raise Me Up when I came out publicly and anybody who argues it would have damaged Westlifes success can put a sock in it because we had the biggest hit of our career.
“Westlife wouldnt be possible without us being all happy in our personal life. Its really important to spend time at home and do normal everyday things.
“I will always see myself as member of Westlife until the day I die.”
- WESTLIFE For The Last Time will be shown on ITV tonight at 9.05pm.
Source: mirror.co.uk
Real reason we're splitting: After 14 No.1 singles, Westlife are calling it a day - now, for the first time, they reveal why
The year was 1999 and I was in a seedy nightclub watching five fresh-faced Irish boys, in ludicrous long coats, launched on the world as Westlife.
They were united only in their awkwardness as they sang and moved together, and I wondered at the time whether there really was room for another Irish boy-band, managed by their then little-known manager Louis Walsh, alongside the already established Boyzone.
The answer, as it turns out, was: yes. I’ve watched them perform many times since, everywhere from Dublin to Singapore.
I saw them rehearse on a grimy industrial estate before going on to become the biggest stage act in the UK, selling out Wembley Arena 25 times.
They have enjoyed phenomenal success, with 14 No 1 singles, seven No 1 albums, selling 44 million records in total. And I’ve seen them grow from hesitant boys into confident young men.
Then, they were all in their teens — apart from Nicky Byrne who was 20. Now, Mark Feehily and Kian Egan are 31, Shane Filan 32, and Nicky 33.
And they have decided it’s all over — they’ll split up after next summer’s tour.
It’s an emotional time for them and their army of fans, but, as they told me this week, they’ve been considering breaking up for some time. And it’s real — and for ever.
‘We know some sceptics see it as a marketing ploy and think that we’ll make millions by staging a comeback in three years’ time,’ says Mark.
‘After all, Boyzone and Take That re-formed after saying it was all over. But we have zero plans to get back together.
‘No one can predict the future, but as far as we’re all concerned, it is the end of Westlife.’
They first considered splitting in the summer of 2009 after a one-year break to recharge their batteries.
They found the original spark wasn’t there and initially blamed it on Simon Cowell, though they never explicitly said so, and his record company Syco. In the beginning Cowell micro-managed their record choices, choosing their 14 No 1s.
‘Simon became massive in the States and had less time for us,’ says Nicky.
‘He still came back and picked our singles, but we just didn’t have him seven days a week as we did at the beginning.’
They had high standards to maintain with all their singles going Top Five until Us Against The World went to No 8 in 2008.
For other artists that would still be good, but it signalled something more significant in Westlife as their audience grew up with them and they shifted into more of an album act.
But leaving Syco for another label, RCA, did not work the magic they’d hoped for.
‘As a band, though not individually, I think we have lost ambition,’ says Nicky. ‘As soon as your hunger goes, you have to face facts, man-up and make the decision.’
Shane explains: ‘We realised that we were not enjoying it as much as we used to.
‘It wasn’t the record company’s fault — they offered us a really big multi-million-pound deal and we turned it down. We said we didn’t want to listen to any more offers. We could have taken the money and not delivered, but we wanted to be honest and end on a high.’
Adds Mark: ‘I really don’t think any one person can be either blamed or take responsibility for the end of Westlife. There was no one incident that resulted in an argument and somebody stomping their foot and saying: “Right that’s it. It’s over!”
‘Everyone slowly started coming round to the same way of thinking, and we waited until we were all of the same mind before we took it seriously.
‘Everyone makes up the band, everyone is responsible for the success and everyone is equally responsible for the end. Westlife has always been quite balanced like that. No one person has ever taken over and caused the beginning, the middle or the end of Westlife.’
Mark, Kian and Shane were originally friends from Sligo in the west of Ireland and had their own band. It was Shane’s mother who knew Louis Walsh and got them introduced to him.
Walsh put together the five-piece hit-making machine in 1998, bringing in Nicky and the long departed Brian McFadden.
Louis believed, initially, that they were making a big mistake in splitting.
Kian says: ‘At first, Louis said: “No, don’t be silly. It won’t happen. It will sort itself out.” Then I told him we were thinking of putting out a Greatest Hits album and that the next tour will be the last. When I told him that the thought of breaking up was in everybody’s mind, he said: “No, no, no!”
‘Then, when we were out in Asia just recently, I emailed him the press statement announcing the split. He repeated that he thought it was a mistake, but once it was made public, Louis seems to have come around.’
Says Shane: ‘He told us we were being very brave. He said we could probably keep doing it for as long as we wanted, but we were right to end it on a high.’
Mark thinks Louis will cope without them. ‘Part of his mechanism is about being strong, so I don’t think he is actually going to break down and start crying over the demise of Westlife.
‘But I think, deep inside, it’s a sad day for him. We have been a big part of his success, and he has been a massive part of our success.’
The four boys are naturally wondering whether they will remain close to each other.
‘I probably know them better than my own brothers, which is freaky but true,’ says Shane who is from a tightknit family of seven children.
Kian and his wife Jodi are close to Mark and his partner Kevin McDaid.
Dublin-based Nicky seems the most detached. He says: ‘I like to think we will meet up and have a pint and a laugh — why not? It would be silly not to. But at the beginning, we’ll probably all want to find our own individual space.’
When Brian McFadden left the group in 2004, unhappy with their musical direction, they thought they would have to disband. But, urged on by Walsh, Cowell and their fans, within weeks they completed a triumphant tour and knew they were secure. McFadden’s departure still rankles with Kian.
‘Me and Brian have had words about everything that happened. I told him I was unhappy he left our band high and dry four weeks before a big tour. He said he was thinking about it in his terms and I said: “Well, think about it in my terms.”
‘I am not going to lie. I love Brian as a person. He is a fantastic character, he’d give you the shirt off his back. But he is also a loony tune.
‘I thought once one member of the band leaves at that early stage, that’s it. I was probably the one to have that reaction more than anybody else. I thought we were done and dusted, and I found it strange at the time why he would want to do that.
‘He couldn’t cope with having four other guys telling him he had to do things. He wanted to be his own person and be the free spirit that he actually is.’
Nicky, too, admits that there was resentment at the time. ‘But we have been out with him since and discussed our careers,’ he says. ‘If he was to ever do anything again with Westlife, that would be very special.
‘For different reasons it may never happen — ever. Or it might happen on the last tour. I think it would be nice, and I hope we do sing with him again one day.’
McFadden may have been the first to crack, but he wasn’t the only one finding it tough to conform to the restrictions of being in a boy-band.
Shane is a bit sheepish when he admits it now, but in the early days, they were all encouraged to say they didn’t have girlfriends so their fans could imagine they were footloose, fancy-free and available for them.
Even then, Shane was in love with his childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh, now his wife and mother of his three children, —Nicole, six, Patrick, three, and young Shane who will be one in January.
‘I lied, purely to protect her. She was just starting university and was a normal girl in class.
Nobody knew she was my girlfriend, bar one or two of her very close friends. But there were 5,000 people in the college who didn’t know, and so they didn’t treat her any differently.’
No one had a tougher time in the band than Mark Feehily who, desperate to cover up the fact he was gay, was in denial to himself, friends, family — and the group.
‘Pop magazines would ask me questions about my ideal girl and I tried to think to myself what she would be.
‘I tried to be honest. I don’t like to look at that period of my life as if I was lying to the fans. I tried my best to be as honest as I could, but I also had some figuring out to do.
‘I come from rural Catholic Ireland. It was a big deal in my head and I made an even bigger deal out of it. Looking back on my life, my family still love me, everyone loves me even more now, but at the time it was not easy to view things that way.’
The lowest point, which was also a turning point for Mark, came at the height of the band’s fame in 2001 with the release of their third album World Of Our Own, which spawned three No 1 singles. He was left alone in a hotel in London while the rest of the band went off to see family.
‘I stayed in bed practically the whole weekend watching TV and was quite depressed. It was horrible. I had never felt so lonely. I was stopping myself walking out the front door of the hotel and meeting somebody and falling in love with them.
‘That was rock bottom. I felt empty and alone. This was at the height of Westlife’s early fame, so it just goes to show that things aren’t always as they seem.
‘Something cracked then — and grew. It took two or three years, but I finally began the process of coming out, which involved telling all my friends back home and my family. Later, I plucked up the courage to speak to the other guys, and then I met my boyfriend Kevin. We went on holidays and weren’t trying to hide.’
A huge moment for Mark personally was the overwhelming approval of the fans at a concert at Croke Park stadium, Dublin, in June 2008 when he told the crowd: ‘I’d like to say a massive thank you to my boyfriend and I love you very much.’
He says now: ‘I barely got to the end of it. I was so choked with the scream of support the crowd let out.’
Mark and Shane — Westlife’s lead vocalists — both plan solo recording careers, with Shane most likely continuing to be managed by Louis Walsh.
Nicky, by contrast, says: ‘For the first couple of years I won’t miss singing, although I will miss the fans and the banter.’
He has been married for eight years to Georgina, daughter of the former Irish PM Bertie Ahern, and sister of novelist Cecilia Ahern. They have four-year-old twin sons, Jay and Rocco. Nicky now plans a career as a TV presenter.
Kian, who is a coach on the Irish version of The Voice, and co-managed recently disbanded girl band Wonderland with Walsh, is thinking about forming a new boy-band to manage. He and wife Jodi are expecting their first child in January.
The success of Westlife made them among the richest young men in Ireland, with an estimated fortune of around £10 million each.
Some of them have lost more than others in the Irish property crash, but none have lost their determination. Now, all four are flying without wings.
■ The Greatest Hits album is out now. Westlife: For The Last Time is on ITV1, tomorrow at 9pm.
source: dailymail.co.uk
Westlife star reveals Christmas wishlist
Westlife star Kian Egan says celebrating Christmas as a dad would be the best present ever.
Kian Egan and his wife Jodi Albert are expecting a baby on January 1, but the Uptown Girl singer has admitted that he would be delighted if their new arrival is a few days early.
Speaking to The Irish Daily Star newspaper Egan said: “A Christmas baby would be amazing! It would be such a beautiful present.”
He added: “But then it would miss out on having a separate birthday celebration, so it would be a bit unfair.”
The Sligo-born star revealed that he and Jodie just can’t wait to become parents saying “We’re so excited. We don’t have a clue what we’re having, as neither of us wanted to know.”
He added: “We’re running around baby shops picking up cute clothing. I bought four or five outfits for boys and girls to cover all bases.”
Source: rte.ie
Nicky Byrne’s regret
By Kim Dawson
WESTLIFE regret letting their last ever single be the Gary Barlow-penned Lighthouse and not a tune written by the band’s Mark Feehily, 31.
The song stiffed at No 32 and was their only release not to go Top 10.
Nicky Byrne, 33, told me: “It’s disappointing as we’ve never had a chart position that bad. Our fans instead bought tickets for our last tour next May.
“Beautiful World, which Mark wrote, would have been better. However, as we’re splitting up, whether it charted at No 1 or No 100, it makes no difference to the next six months for us.”
Source: dailystar.co.uk
Take a look back at Westlife's incredible career in their latest video
Westlife have unveiled the video for their latest single.
The Irish boyband, who recently announced plans to split following their 2012 tour, have chosen Beautiful World as the next single from their Greatest Hits album.
The video takes a nostalgic look back at their amazing 14-year career, which has seen them sell over 44 million records worldwide. Keep watching to relive the dodgy haircuts, cheesy dance routines and questionable fashion choices.
Beautiful World is available now on the album Greatest Hits.
source: 4music.com
A CELEBRATION OF ‘LIFE
WORDS: PAUL SIMPER
PICTURES: IAN DERRY
TV buzz throws Westlife a leaving do to toast the lads’ final ever TV special before they head off on their farewell tour…
“Why is it beers always better on day two?” ponders Shane Filan, as he relaxes in a cosy East London snug with his fellow
Westlifers Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan.
The day before, the band were filming their final ever TV special Westlife: For The Last Time late into the evening. That,
combined with some after-show drinks with friends and family, means they’re stuggling a bit today.
“I had three kids jumping on me at 7am,” says Shane, dad to Shane Jnr, one, Patrick, three, and six-year-old Nicole, “but
now I’m ready for a beer.”
The TV special in many ways heralds the beginning of the end for Shane, 32, Mark, 31, Nicky, 33, and Kian, 31, which will
culminate in an emotionally-wrought last tour for their fans (and the boys themselves) in May next year.
Managed by Louis Walsh, signed by Simon Cowell and championed by Ronan Keating, Westlife have never been the coolest kids
on the boy-band block. But they’ve outlasted all their rivals and sold an incredible 44 million records worldwide. And
we’ll say this: They’re definitely not as clean-cut as they look. Which all are reasons worth cracking open the bubbly and
beers for.
“But not shots,” grins Shane. “One Direction can do the shots now. It’s their turn…”
WESTLIFE ON… THE EARLY DAYS
Nicky: My first gig with the boys was at Beat On The Street [a live music event]. Louis got us free denims and buffalo
boots like Emma Bunton had – we looked like a mix of the Spice Girls and B*witched!
Kian: We were miming this song called Good Thing into head mics that weren’t even plugged in.
Nicky: I couldn’t dance, so I got stage fright. Louis was always on at me: “Work on your dancing!” It was appalling, but
hilariously funny. I thought the other lads were going to kick me out!
WESTLIFE ON… FALLING OUT
Nicky: It’s uncanny – every band is different and every band is the same. We’ve all had the same arguments, wants and
needs.
Kian: The whole debate Steps had about who sings the lead, we’ve had that. But Nicky and I knew that Shane, Mark and Brian
would be doing a lot of the lead vocals and accepted whatever was best for the band from day one. That’s why we’ve lasted
14 years, because we dealt with those issues head-on.
WESTLIFE ON… LOUIS WALSH
Shane: For Louis, Westlife are the success story of his life; his pride and joy. He’s very protective of us. If a
journalist or TV show says anything bad about us, he’ll be straight on the phone to have a go at them.
Mark: He’s allowed to say whatever he wants to us but if anyone else does, they’re in trouble! Even when the split was all
finilised, Louis couldn’t help but throw in: “Is there any way..?”
Shane: He’s devastated that Westlife are ending, but he knows we’re right to leave while we’re still at the top. Louis said
to us: “I respect your decision. I’m not delighted about it but I know it has to be done.”
WESTLIFE ON… SIMON COWELL
Kian: We wouldn’t be sat here today without Simon. I was saying to Louis the other day, if Westlife ever get back together,
the first person we should do it with is Simon Cowell. He’s the one who knew how to get it right. He picked every hit he
had for 14 years.
WESTLIFE ON… THEIR BIG BREAK
Shane: The real ‘punch the air’ moment for us was when we won Record Of The Year with Flying Without Wings in 1999. We
celebrated with Louis and Simon, drinking champagne. Simon was so massively into our career then, he just sat there
planning what to do next.
Mark: It was between us and Ronan Keating, and we beat him. Ronan had been our mentor and it was like he’d created a
monster!
WESTLIFE ON… BRIAN MCFADDEN
Kian: We thought it was over when Brian left. We just looked at the history of bands like the Spice Girls and Take That
after Gery and Robbie went.
Nicky: Brian was the Robbie of the group. But that had never bothered us until we were at an awards show in Dublin and
Kerry Katona had just won I’m A Celebrity – all the questions at the press were directed to Brian about Kerry. Things
started to go pear-shaped after that…
Kian: Any time we see Brian now, we want to be around him because he’s a great character. Would we bring him back, Robbie-
style, for our last ever live show? [Smiles.] If he was as big as Robbie, maybe… but he’s not!
Nicky: Brian’s featured ont he Greatest Hits album, though. We’re not blanking the guy.
Kian: But at the end of the day, he still left our band. He said to me in LA recently: “Would we not do something
together?” and I was like: “Brian, why would we, man? You can’t just walk back in when you decide you want to.” A part of
me does think it would be a great moment for him to walk back on stage. I just don’t think that’s now – maybe int he
reunion in 20 years’ time. We’ve had to make such a big decision to bring the biggest thing in our lives to an end, and
it’s the four of us who have kept it together.
WESTLIFE ON… BAD BEHAVIOUR
Nicky: We made one real error with a drinking session in Dublin. It was a Friday and we were supposed to fly to the UK the
next morning. There was a private jet booked, but it couldn’t take off and because we were all b******ed, we cancelled the
show. We got battered by Louis. We were young and, to be honest, full of ourselves.
Mark: We’ve had some great lock-ins when we’ve wanted a few drinks and tell the band manager we’ll lock up after them. If
we’re feeling in an extra flamboyant mood, we’ll offer bribes just for them to stay open for an extra half hour.
WESTLIFE ON… THE MISSED HIT
Mark: Daniel Bedingfield said he sent If You’re Not The One, to Simon Cowell but he just sent it back saying: “No, thanks.”
Shane: That song was massive. Marky would have nailed those high notes. It would have been a Westlife classic.
WESTLIFE ON… THEIR RIVALS
Kian: When bands like One Direction and JLS have the X Factor behind them, it’s a much bigger platform to launch from. But
it’s also going to make the fall a lot bigger. The Wanted have a better chance than any of them because they’ve come up the
ranks slowly and gone into music the normal way. After 14 years, knowing what we know now, I’m not sure I’d want to be part
of a boy band via The X Factor.
Nicky: But finishing now is a reality check for us. It’s the circle of life. Westlife really aren’t that important. We’re a
boy band. We did some amazing things but when you’re living it, you think you’re the most important thing on the planet.
WESTLIFE ON… THE FINAL TOUR
Shane: We want our last show to be at a very special venue, somewhere like Wembley Stadium. I’m already getting emotional
thinking about that very last song. When we come off stage after that and Westlife is over, our lives change forever. I
just wonder what that feeling’s going to be like. It’s very scary, the thought of it. I’m not looking forward to that at
all.
WESTLIFE ON… THE FUTURE
Kian: It’s going to be different for all of us. I’m honestly keen to sit on my a**e and let it get fat! Although from 1
January, I’ll be a dad. I’ve already been doing some judging on the Irish version of The Voice. It’s got a much nicer feel
than The X Factor, so Louis hasn’t been giving me any tips.
Shane: I’d love to keep singing after Westlife. I have absolutely zero plans, as you’ve got to get a record deal first, but
it’ll be sorted out over the next nine months. Deep down, we all know that we still have to work. None of us wants to
retire at 32 years old.
Nicky: If Shane or Mark were to do a solo project, we’d all be there [clicks fingers] in an instant.
Mark: My wedding will be next year at some point when we can do it properly [Mark is engaged to British fashion
photographer Kevin McDaid]. We’ve got nothing to prove to anyone, so we’ll get married in our own time, but we do want it
to be as soon as possible.
WESTLIFE ON… THEIR LAST NIGHT OUT TOGETHER
Kian: I’m not sure the last night out is ever going to happen with us. There will always be another night out!
Shane: But we’ve been talking about coming up with something that’ll just be for the four of us when all this finishes. We
might go away for a bit of p***-up – the four of us. No partners, no managers, no anybody. Just us four.
WATCH IT! WESTLIFE: FOR THE LAST TIME SAT 17DEC
WESTLIFE: GREATEST HITS AVAILABLE NOW
(personalise your album at www.mixpixie.com)
Source: TV buzz / Thank you so much Maya and Chrissy for the scans / twitter.com/ianderry / westlife.gr
Westlife bid a fond farewell to the X Factor
The mighty Westlife took to the X Factor stage at Wembley Arena during tonight’s live final to perform for the last time on
the show.
The boys, who announced earlier this year that they were splitting up, sang their single What About Now, showing just why
they have become one of the biggest boy bands on the planet.
Dressed in smart black outfits, Kian Egan, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Mark Feehily belted out the soulful track amid
screams from the girls in the crowd.
The boys, who have been together for 14 years, are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven
singles peak at number one in the charts.
Westlife have sold over 44 million records worldwide and have accumulated 14 number one singles in the UK, the third
highest in UK history. They have also broken numerous records and have been credited as the second biggest-selling artist
and biggest-selling band of the decade by The Official Charts Company.
The band performed their classic hit Flying Without Wings on The X Factor in 2008 alongside JLS and returned in 2010 to
perform new single Safe.
Kian was also a guest judge on the show when he joined Louis Walsh at the Judges Houses stage of the competition in 2007.
The group have recently released a Greatest Hits album and will disband in 2012.
Source: programmes.stv.tv
Last performance: Westlife take to the stage for their swansong at the X Factor Final
By HOLLY THOMAS
Louis Walsh may not have had an act in the X Factor final tonight, but one past choice of his was represented on stage tonight.
Iconic Irish ‘boy’ band Westlife, formerly managed by the judge, performed at the Wembley arena for the show’s final, singing What About Now to the 10,000 strong crowd.
The five took their traditional positions standing simply in a row behind their mikes for the emotional last performance.
Shane Filan tweeted from backstage beforehand: ‘Great atmosphere down at the xfactor ! Coldplay next door to us! Defo watching their rehearsal . Class’
Things were clearly getting emotional however, as Kian Egan tweeted: ‘On the way to x factor rehearsal now. This will be our last tv performance as Westlife . A great one to finish on. Love u all x #sad’
It was clearly a close-run thing for Nicky Byrne, as less than three hours before the show he posted: ‘On plane heading down runway !! Up up & away ……..
They had announced the news of on their official Twitter feed, writing: ‘We are excited to announce that Westlife will be performing on @TheXFactor final this Sunday 11th December on ITV1!’
Though this is a particularly special occasion, this isn’t the first time they have performed on the X Factor.
They sung their comeback single Safe on the show last year as part of the ‘battle of the boy bands’, which also featured Take That and JLS.
Westlife confirmed their split after topping the charts for 14 years in October.
They said: ‘After 14 years, 26 top ten hits including 14 number one singles, 11 top 5 albums, 7 of which hit the top spot and have collectively sold over 44 million copies around the world, 10 sell-out tours and countless memories that we will forever cherish, we today announce our plan to go our separate ways after a greatest hits collection this Christmas and a farewell tour next year.
‘The decision is entirely amicable and after spending all of our adult life together so far, we want to have a well-earned break and look at new ventures.’
The quartet added that they believe their greatest hits album is the perfect way to say goodbye to their fans.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Nicky wants X Factor job
By Kim Dawson
WESTLIFE singer Nicky Byrne will be ringing up ex-label boss Simon Cowell when the man-band split next year, asking for a job on X Factor.
Nicky, 33, told me: “It’s funny with The X Factor because in the past we’d be looking at the bands and how they perform, but this year I’m looking more at Louis and Dermot to see what they do.
“I’m keen to do more TV presenting and I can see myself getting into a Dermot O’Leary kind of role. Presenting a show like that is something I would like to do.
“I’ve a good relationship with Simon, despite everything. I texted him when we left the label and it’s all amicable now.
“Maybe down the road, me doing X Factor would be a very interesting conversation to have with him.”
Westllife’s Greatest Hits is out now.
Source: dailystar.co.uk
WESTLIFE REFLECT ON 14 YEARS IN THE CHARTS, BANDMATE BETRAYAL AND CRAZY FANS…
They maybe have broken millions of hearts with the shock news they’re set to split after 14 years of number one hits and sell-out gigs, but those cheeky boys from Westlife can’t stop smiling right now. OK! joined them on their very final album shoot, and afterwards when we shared a few drinks with the fab foursome – Shane Filan, 32, Kian Egan, 31, Nicky Byrne, 33 and Mark Feehily, 31 – we’d never seen them in such high spirits! ‘Take the beer away from Shane, we’re on our third, but we’ve already got a wee buzz,’ says Kian. ‘The most exciting thing about Westlife in the past five years is right now!‘
Our favourite Irish lads are certainly making the most of their time together ahead of their huge farewell tour next spring – but, if like with Take That and Robbie Williams, you’re expecting the return of former member Brian McFadden, who left back in 2004, you couldn’t be more far off. In fact, the mere mention of his name cut the jovial atmosphere with a knife. Mark tells us: ‘It’s not happening and was never happening, even though everyone has asked.‘ But would they like him back? A firm ‘no’ was uttered in unison, with Mark adding: ‘We had to rebuild, re-bond and re-energise when Brian walked and after that the four of us are not breaking for Brian or anyone.‘
Shane explains: ‘Brian left because he didn’t like being in the group. It shocked us beyond belief, we actually thought we were being Punk’d on that MTV show when he said he wanted to leave. I was like: “You’re s**tting me? Why the f**k would you want to leave Westlife?” We were all getting on so well, but we didn’t have a clue what was going on in his personal life, his marriage, any of it.‘
Here, the boys spill all on Brian’s betrayal, as well as Mark’s upcoming wedding extravaganza, the truth behind their split and life after ‘Life…
How are you feeling about the split?
Nicky: It’s exciting, but nervous excitement. It had to happen. We were living with the idea for about a year and the pressure we were putting on ourselves to constantly deliver got too much. We’d had an amazing run, but it was getting to the point that the only enjoyable part was being on stage and the banter with the fans. It took us all individually to get to that time and when we sat down to talk about it, we all embraced it.
Shane: We’re breaking up, but we’ve never been so enthusiastic about the next tour.
Kian: But we’ll probably have four or five moments where we’ll all be bawling our eyes out.
Shane: I honestly think we’ll need therapy after!
What’s the reaction been like from fans?
Nicky: People say: ‘You’ll reunite in ten years’ – but that’s really not the plan, we want to knock this on the head now. It’s sad as we don’t want to break hearts, but there’s more to life than Westlife.
Kian: Yeah, the fans are devastated, but there hasn’t been anything super-negative. Overall people have been supportive.
Mark: From day one, when we were 18 and single, the fans have followed our stories, with us and with our families. They’ve evolved with us.
Who instigated the split?
Nicky: Brian back in 2004!
Shane: No, I don’t think anyone did. But every time we had a drink we’d chat about it, even though none of us wanted it to happen. It’s like if you love someone, but you know you’ve got to break up with them. We’re all such close friends.
Kian, your wife Jodi Albert is pregnant – did that pay a part in the decision?
Not at all. The baby was completely unplanned, but it was obviously meant to be as we have other new things happening in our lives.
Shane: I have young children so to end Westlife is probably the opposite of what you want to do, but you have to take the families out of it, it’s about the four of us.
Mark, so now you can start planning to tie the knot with your fella Kevin McDaid?
I am getting married very soon, but Westlife isn’t anything to do with that. I 100 per cent want it to be next year. I don’t want to do it on a Friday and be back at work on the Monday and be working two days before – I want to find a gap. It’s only a matter of time and I can’t wait. It’ll be the best day of my life.
You’ll have three best men?
Maybe more, or maybe I’ll have none. It’ll be hard to choose.
Which of the boys would you trust to do a speech?
Nicky loves to talk, definitely not the other two!
Would you like a family?
I don’t know, I’d be more inclined to try and have a kid biologically somehow first. I’ve got three dogs, which are enough for now, an we’re also renovating two houses.
What will you miss the most about Westlife?
Kian: Being on stage and getting the reaction from fans.
Shane: We’ll always be Westlife members and it’s cool that people automatically know that.
Kian: But in the future when people ask us what we do, we’ll be like: ‘Nothing, we’re on the dole!’
Which of you has gained the most column inches?
Nicky: It has to be Brian, seriously!
Kian: Out of us four, probably Mark because he’s gay.
Mark: Maybe in England, but Nicky definitely gets the most in Ireland.
Who’s had the most underwear thrown at them?
Nicky: I’ve had the most knickers.
Shane: I’ve had the most bras, so you have the knickers – we’ve had all shapes and sizes thrown at us – 1,276 pairs to be exact.
How many marriage proposals have you had?
Shane: One girl came to a signing in a wedding dress, we had to say no to her. There are some crazy fans out there.
Nicky: Yeah, another girl is at the airport every time we land. She’ll see us, cry and curl up in a ball. We’d try and hug her, but she’d just collapse straight away.
Mark: If you just look at these girls, they literally loose the plot. This one has done it about 100 times. I’m like: ‘She needs to find herself a boyfriend!’
What’s the most rediculous thing you’ve read about yourselves?
Shane: I read that I broke my back one time in a bad accident on stage and I was in a wheelchair!
Which celebs have you been linked with?
Mark: It’s more a case of who haven’t we been linked with, but if we told you who they all were we’d p**s off a lot of people.
Who would you say gets their body out the most?
Mark: Lately, Shane – he’s been doing a JLS!
Shane: Yes, probably me!
Kian: I have a very funny video footage of Shane in Asia with his top up over his head feeling himself.
What’s the most rediculous fan mail you’ve received?
Shane: All sorts. Mark’s got sent a turnip with all the dirt on it, then at a signing we were given a public hair taped to an envelope and also a used tampon in a box.
Would any of you like to be a judge on The X Factor when you do part ways?
Kian: Yes, I love doing The Voice in Ireland and I’m very good at it, but I am brutally honest. I managed a girl band [Wonderland], that didn’t work, but we still got in the album chart. It was a learning curve. I think that’s where I’m going to, management or helping people in that world, TV or not.
When was the last time you spoke to Brian McFadden?
Shane: A year and a half ago. We went out with him in Ireland and had a great night.
Mark: It’s like seeing an ex, it’s weird but you’re still friends and there’s no problems.
Kian: Brian asked me about it all one night. He said to me: ‘I was really disappointed by the things you said about me in the book.’ I was like: ‘I told the truth. What you don’t realise is that you walked out of the band, that is how I felt.’
Kerry Katona has said that Westlife put Ireland on the map…
Mark: Maybe in her mind!
Shane: We were very close with her, we had a laugh. There were no bad vibes. I’m godfather to her daughter Lilly.
Mark: I sent her a text after I hadn’t seen her for four years, saying: ‘I’ve just seen you on TV, I miss you!’ She replied: ‘Oh my God, I’m sitting here crying in my living room!’ She obviously missed us too when Brian walked, I’d love to see her again.
Finally, are you worried you’ll hit a low when it’s all over?
Mark: There are a whole mixture of emotions. Some mornings we’ll wake up and think all deep and dark and others we’ll wake up and the future is bright. The unknown is exciting.
WESTLIFE’S ‘GREATEST HITS’ ALBUM IS OUT NOW.
THE BOYS’ ITV SPECIAL, ‘WESTLIFE FOR THE LAST TIME’, WILL AIR IN DECEMBER.
INTERVIEW BY CHRISSIE REEVES
Source: OK! Magazine
Our Splitting is not a Publicity Stunt! (Star Magazine)
By Kelly Allen
Westlife Open Up about Their Shock Split, Louis Walsh and Why A Future Comeback Is Not On The Cars
There are sore heads all around when Star sits down with Westlife for what looks to be the last time (sob!). Earlier this month, the irish boyband announced they were calling it a day after 14 years (almost six of those with former member Brian McFadden) of topping the charts – and they are all feeling the effects of the night before, following a marathon drinking sesh to toast their futures without each other.
”We filmed our TV show [Westlife: For The Last Time] last night and got really drunk after”, explains Kian Egan. “Our heads are banging, but the best way to get over a hangover is to get back on it with a few beers.”
So, as we sit heartbroken with a galss of water, Kian, 31; Shane Filan, 32; Mark Feehily, 31; and Nicky byrne, 33, sup their morning after pints and tell us all about the decision to split, the release of their Greatest hits album, and their plans for their farewell tour next spring. Oh, and they reliably inform us that they won’t be reforming – well, not for a good few years, at last!
Boys, it’s the end of an era! What made you decide to split up?
Mark: “We’ve never actually used the words ‘splitting up’. But it doesn’t matter what people call it, we are going out separate ways. We’re not getting hung up on it.”
Shane: “It is what it is – it’s the end!”
Kian: “I shouldn’t say it but before we went on tour to Asia, we knew what was going to happen. We knew it was out last tour in Asia and when we came back we were going to release the news, so Asia’s probably the best trip we’ve had in years! It was like going away with your four mates on the piss. It was a fairytale moment.”
But why now?
Shane: It’s probably be brewing for a good year, as we knew we were coming to the Greatest Hits and the end of our contracts. We’d all been sitting down and talking about the pressure and the stress of trying to make the record and get it right. It felt like it was time.”
Nicky: We never wanted to fall down and be one of those bands that released records all the time, which we were felt we were starting to do. And it felt like: ‘You know what, lads? We’re OK – we’ve done a lot!”
Shane: “It felt like it wasn’t special anymore, not like it used to be. For the fans it’s slightly different but for us it’s been like: ‘Are we getting better? Are we getting worse? Are we getting to the stage where we aren’t enjoying it?’ It is half out life. None of us want to let it go and we will all be crying come June [when the tour ends], but it’s time.”
There’s been speculation that you’ve all fallen out…
Mark: “No! We are eager for our fans to know we are all still friends.”
Shane: “We were just saying, actually, that we’ve become closer as a group of people over the past three or four years. But there’s been a massive pressure on us.”
Pressure to compete with the likes of One Direction & JLS?
Mark: “No, it doesn’t come from that.”
Shane: “There has always been groups trying to come in, and some of them have been very successful. Westlife has always focussed on being westlife. There are always gonna be groups like One direction and JLS”
Kian: We’ve had big pressure on us for the past three years. It’s been down to the four of us. The reason we’ve lasted as long as we’ve lasted, at the level we’ve lasted, was down to the pressure we put on ourselves from day one to be the best and to be committed and to be there, to be on time and to be all over the fucking world!”
Nicky: Once you’re inside the bubble, it’s very hard to see outside it. If you look at One Direction, I’d just say it’s the circle of life. When we started off we thought we were the biggest thing on Planet Earth and now we see these young bands doing it. We’ve had 14 years and there’s more to life than being in a pop group.
It’s so sad and final! Still, at least we get to see you on your farewell tour next year…
Mark: Yes, but it’s seems so, so far away. We’re not going anywhere just yet, so I’m not thinking about it. I don’t know if I’m doing it subconsciously or on purpose. But I think we’ve been preparing for the idea that it’s not gonna last forever for a few years now.
Shane: It will be kind of weird on the last night of the tour in Dublin next year, as that’s when it will be scary. It’s like: ‘What do you do after the concert?’ Because that’s it! It will be the last time ever! Do you go off for a drink; do you go for a cry? It’s one of those weird moments that we haven’t experienced, but when we do I know it will feel like we’ve been hit by a ton of bricks.
What has Brian said about it all?
Shane: To be honest, I don’t know when I last spoke to Brian. It was probably nearly a year ago.
Nicky: The last time we really saw Brian was when we were in LA about a year and a half ago.
Kian: I don’t think he’s that sad about it.
So you’re not going to bring him back on stage on the final night?
Kian: A lot of people have been asking that same question. For us, we were with Brian for nearly six years but without him for eight, so it’s kind of like: ‘Why would we bring him back?”
Mark: He lives in Australia, on the other side of the world these days.
Shane: Brian left the band for a reason, whatever that reason may be.
And how does Louis feel, after managing you for so long?
Nicky: We’re worried we might have to set up a helpline for Louis because he wasn’t happy about it at all! He is devastated, genuinely. I saw him the other night and I said: ‘So how are you feeling?’ and he said: ‘I don’t want to talk about it’. He’s not there yet. But he understands.”
What do you think of people who’ve said it’s a cash-in and you will reform in two years’ time?
Mark: It’s not a publicity stunt.
So you won’t ever do a Take That and get back together?
Nicky: It’s not a break, this is the end for us, but it’s inevitable we will all miss the band. I kinda miss it already, even though we have another six or so months to go yet.
Shane: Obviously it is the end, but ten years’ down the line we could be back together, you never know. We’ll always be member of Westlife, no matter what, whether the band’s broken up or not. Paul McCartney is forever a Beatle and I’m not comparing ourselves to The Beatles, but we’ll always be members of Westlife. Someday, yeah, we’ll sing together as a band, but it could be in 20 years’ time.
So what are you all planning to do one you’ve finally split?
Shane: Maybe if you ask me this is six months’ time I’ll be able to tell you. I’d like to still sing; I’d like to stay in entertainment, definitely. That’s all I’ve known for the past 14 years.
Mark: I don’t think any of us are ready to hang up our boots just yet. I’ve got loads of energy – I love singing; I love creativity; I wanna do loads of stuff. I wanna do everything! And I’m excited about the unknown, as much as it’s scary. It’s all very bittersweet, as much as it’s sad when you think about everything, but at the same time it’s exciting. Sometimes you feel rotten; sometimes you feel great.
Nicky: I’ve already applied for the police force in Chicargo.
OMG! Really?
Nicky: No! [Laughs] I think I’m the type of person that has to keep going. I don’t see myself taking months and months off. I’m looking forwards to making my own decisions. I like being on stage, and for the best part of Westlife we were on tour. Nowadays, it’s probably the only enjoyable part.”
What about you Kian?
Kian: This is all we’ve known since we were teenagers. We came straight from school and did this! I’m looking forwards to living the next part of my life. To be honest, I’m going to do very, very little at first. I want to experience life and be a daddy as Jodi [Albert, Kian’s wide] is due on 1st January.”
So Aww! We’ve heard that you’re a judge on Ireland’s version of Ther Voice, too?
Kian: Yes, it’s one thing that was going to happen whether Westlife were still together or not. I think in the long run I’ll move into management, but I see myself chilling out for a year or two before I start on new projects.
Have Louis or Simon Cowell given you any advice about being a judge?
Kian: Well, I’ve spoken to both of them and they’ve just said: ‘Be yourself – be honest.’ I’ve had a few auditionees who’ve got a bit lippy at me, so I’ve got a bit lippy back, and I’, very honest with people. Basically, it’s similar to X-Factor, but the difference is you don’t see the person when you pick them. I love it and I’ve definitely got the winner!
You don’t seem to sad that it’s all over for Westlife. Is that because you’ve all got your own things planned now?
Shane: Life is full of highs and lows. Look at the 14 years we leave behind; look at the legancy and lifestyle we’ve had. We were living the fast life, and then there are the houses we live in, the cars we drive – all those different things. So, when you look at all those elements, you realise there’s absolutely nothing negative about leaving Westlife, and we can all walk away feeling super positive. It’s a happy ending!
Hmm… something tells us that your fans will need a lot more convincing before they feel the same way, lads!
Source: Star Magazine / Kelly Allen / Kianegandaily.webs.com / twitter.com/KianEganDaily / Westlife.gr
The voice: Westlife star raises tensions with ‘Cowell’ act
By Alexandra Ryan
IS Westlife’s Kian Egan looking to emulate Simon Cowell and become TV’s new Mr Nasty?
RTE’s The Voice could be set to rival the X Factor for spats among the judges, the Herald can reveal.
Gary Barlow has tried to pick up where Cowell left off on X Factor with a string of cutting comments.
Now sources say that Kian Egan could be the one to shout loudest and be extra harsh on contestants.
Tensions have already arisen between the boyband star and former Blizzards frontman Niall Breslin, aka Bressie, on the set of The Voice.
“Bressie and Kian are very different kind of coaches. Bressie is still young in the industry and he knows what it feels like to be knocked back but Kian wants the contestants to know the harsh realities of the music business,” a source revealed.
“Bressie does get quite defensive about Kian’s attitude and says that in his eyes the glass is always half full, and he doesn’t think the contestants deserve to be put down,” an insider explained.
With comments like “that just didn’t do it for me” and “there is no point in saying that it’s great when it really wasn’t”, Kian (31) comes out on top as the show’s baddy.
A source close to the popular show has admitted that although not everyone will like it, Kian is just bringing some honesty to the show. “Some of his comments do come across quite harsh, and Kian definitely is ruthless but he knows that’s the reality of the music industry.
“He has had massive success with Westlife but at the same had to deal with his band Wonderland being dropped by their music label so although he is quite cut-throat and really blunt, Kian is just being realistic,” the insider said.
And it’s not just Bressie, Kian, Sharon Corr and Brian Kennedy that the contestants will have to perform to during the early stages of the show. All the contestants will have to sing in front of industry experts who will act as advisors to the four coaches.
Mullingar musician Bressie will be joined by Irish singer-songwriter Ruth Ann Cunningham, who has penned such US hits as Jo Jo’s Too Little Too Late.
Meanwhile Sharon is paired up with Don Mescal, Kian will judge the acts in the early stages alongside singer Eddi Reader and Brian will look to choreographer Priscilla to help him choose his final six for the lives stages. After beating thousands of wannabes and battling against 23 other talented hopefuls on the live shows, the winner of The Voice Of Ireland will bag a recording contract with Universal Music.
hnews@herald.ie
Source: herald.ie
Westlife interview: ‘It’s a miracle we’ve lasted this long’
By Robert Copsey
We’ll readily admit that we were saddened by the recent news that Westlife are to part ways next year.
To remind us of their career highlights – spanning 14 years and ten albums – the group have handily put out their final Greatest Hits LP this week.
With the retrospective riding high in the charts, we phoned up Nicky Byrne to find out what he plans to do post-split and whether the group are already considering a future reunion.
Is this really the end of Westlife or are you already thinking ahead to your reunion?
“It genuinely is the end! I mean, you can never say never – and it will be nice to see the boys again down the line. We’ve still got our tour, and we’re really looking forward to going out with a bang. Louis [Walsh] wanted us to take a two-year sabbatical and come back to it, but that would have been too watered down for us. We needed to get away from it – we’ve given it our all during these 14 years.”
It doesn’t seem like you’ve ever had much of a break in those 14 years…
“We took four or five months off after our album Allow Us To Be Frank. It was a bad time in the band – Brian [McFadden] had left, we came out with a rat-pack album, the tour didn’t do great and we had one album left on our contract. I actually went and did an acting course in New York to prepare me for what might happen next. We came back and recorded what we all thought might be our last hurrah – songs like ‘You Raise Me Up’ – and it ended up being huge, so we stuck with it a while longer. It’s a miracle and a blessing that we lasted 14 years.”
What do you think the secret is to a long-lasting boyband?
“There’s no one-line answer to that, but one of the huge things that helps is being really honest with each other from the beginning. If someone was offered a solo deal, the rest of us would want to know about it because it affects our lives too. We all kept our cards on the table as much as we could. I think we were also blessed have Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh, who were a great team at the time we got them. The late ’90s were also a great time to launch in the music industry.”
What is Louis going to do now? He also threatened to leave The X Factor…
“He’s been in the music industry for a long time – he’ll be fine! There’s life in the old dog yet. He’s worked with Boyzone, Jedward, Girls Aloud and JLS for a short time. There’s still room for him to do something again. What’s going on with the panel on this year’s show is not brilliant. There’s no man better that Simon for sorting it out – I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Simon, Louis, Cheryl and Dannii back year.”
What are your plans after your farewell tour?
“I think TV and radio is something I really enjoy, and I’ve been dipping my toes into both over the years. I presented on BBC Radio 2 last week, which really gave me a buzz. It would be great to have a role like Ryan Seacrest. It’s great to be able to have those discussions now without feeling guilty.”
You’ve always had a hard time from critics; were you keen to go out on a high?
“We’ve had a lot of stick, but we’ve always been able to laugh at it. I’ve been on Digital Spy many times and laughed my tits off and things people are saying. We’re obviously not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but you have to take it on the chin. When we first started we auditioned as if we were going to be the new Backstreet Boys, but Simon and Louis obviously saw a niche in the market and marketed us very differently.
People have often referred to you as a stool band…
“People joke about us being a stool band who always stood up for the big key change. Truth is, we were just as embarrassed by it! One thing no-one could take away from us was that we always sang the songs well. I understood why the average person thought we were a band who sang covers and sat on stools – we got that – but our fans who bought the albums and came to the shows would always see a lot more.”
Is it true you were all big party-goers too?
“I never understood the whole boring side of Westlife. Maybe people thought that after seeing us on TV, but we were always having a laugh away from that. We recorded songs with some of the best artists in the world – I remember one amazing night out we had with the Backstreet Boys in Sweden. A lot of that stuff never got in the press, which in many ways was a good thing – we saw other boybands getting a hard time being photographed coming out of clubs. It was kind of cooler not to be there – you don’t see the bigger artists going about town, do you?
“At the end of the day, we’re a pop band, and at 32 years old we thought there had to be more out there than this. We’re not a new face walking through the door anymore – we’ve been that, and it was amazing. We could have taken the money and stayed together for a few more years, but we all thought it was time to see what else is out there.”
Westlife’s Greatest Hits album is out now. Their farewell tour kicks off next year.
Source: digitalspy.co.uk
Westlife On Split: We Lost Hunger For Music
By Kristiaan Yeo and Elizabeth Scott, entertainment producers
Westlife have explained their split by telling Sky News they lost their “hunger” for the music business.
The Irish group said they would be going their separate ways in October and and are now preparing for their farewell tour in the spring.
Despite being offered another lucrative record deal, they felt they could no longer continue.
Shane Filan told Sky News: “For us we don’t have the hunger like we did 14 years ago, even five years ago.
“We didn’t want to stick it out for the money. We had to be brave and make the decision.”
Nicky Byrne added: “As sad as it is and although none of us wanted the band to end, we knew it was going in that direction and we had to man up and take it on the chin.”
The pair said one of the highlights of their 14 years was being invited to record with Mariah Carey.
Their cover of Phil Collins’ Against All Odds in 2000 was a UK number one hit.
“We were in Asia at the time,” Byrne said. “We had to jet into Europe. We were picked up by her yacht and brought to her villa. It was amazing.
“She’s Mariah Carey and she is in this pink, low-cut, tight top and we are five 20-year-olds from Ireland going…’wow’.
“We ended up having great fun with her and then going into the studio where she produced the record.
“She’s looking from the mixing desk into the vocal booth studio and doing harmonies and stuff and we’re thinking ‘is this happening’?”
Not joining the final tour is Brian McFadden, who left the group in 2004.
Byrne said: “It has definitely been discussed… we never fell out with Brian… but we have done eight years without him.
“Right now there are absolutely no plans but there’s certainly mixed emotions whether we should or shouldn’t. To be quite honest we have never spoken to Brian about it – ever.”
Neither has the band talked to McFadden about the band’s decision to split.
Filan said: “It will be interesting to know what he thinks of it all.”
Byrne revealed he is not looking at continuing in the music business, but would like to have a career as a TV or radio presenter, or even venture into acting.
Westlife, which also includes Mark Feehily and Kian Egan, got together in 1998 and are managed by Louis Walsh.
The group has achieved 14 UK number one singles and sold over 44 million records worldwide.
Source: Sky News
Westlife’s Kian Egan: We want fans to have happy memories of us
Pop heartthrob says fans shouldn’t be too sad when the tour is over and should think of the good times
IT’S going to be an emotional rollercoaster.
But Westlife’s Kian Egan says fans left devastated over their split should try and focus on how amazing their 14-year career has been.
Speaking in our exclusive interview, the heartthrob told us they want fans to walk away from their 2012 tour with “happy memories,” and not in floods of tears.
“[We want the tour to give fans] happy memories,” he told us.
“If a fan is that devastated that we’ve broken up, then it means they’ve been there from the start and it will be as devastating for them as it is for us.
“But don’t look back on the last 14 years as if they haven’t existed, look back on the last 14 years for how great they’ve been.
“It’s been an amazing time,” he said. “[But] not everything lasts forever. Take the positive don’t take the negative. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
And it seems he and the rest of the boys – including Nicky Byrne, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan – are going ALL out to give their fans the best-ever farewell tour imaginable.
“[Fans should] look forward to every hit,” Kian told us. “And expect the best show we’ve ever done.
“You’ll see four guys on that stage with so much passion, so much love for what we do and for the fans, who’ve given us what they’ve given us. We want to give amazing things.”
Westlife’s Greatest Hits album is out now.
Source: ok.co.uk
Feehily Will Wed When Westlife End
Irish pop star Mark Feehily is planning to wed his longterm boyfriend next year (12) after Westlife split for good.
The singer has been dating former boyband star Kevin MCDaid since he 'came out' as gay in 2005 and he proposed last year (10).
Feehily had initially planned to wed this year (11), but insists his schedule has been too hectic.
He has now vowed to get married in 2012, after Westlife bid farewell to fans following their Greatest Hits tour.
Feehily tells the Irish Daily Mirror, "We plan to get married as soon as possible but it's about finding a gap to do it.
"It will definitely be next year. We want to do it as soon as we possibly can, but we want it to be right as well. It's finding the time and doing it right. We've no reason to rush it or say, 'Let's just f**king pick any church or hotel or venue in the country'.
"We've been so committed to Westlife that while we've had big gaps when we're not working, you have to plan so far in advance for a wedding. So you really don't have time to plan. We've pretty much got the time to be getting on with the wedding now."
The band's final trek will end in Dublin, Ireland on 23 June (12).
source: contactmusic.com
Mark Feehily's big plans after Westlife's end
by Dean Piper, Sunday Mirror
Mark Feehily, of Westlife, gave me a bell this week to talk about their decision to call time on the band.
But fear not, Mark is planning some big solo projects.
He told me: “I will definitely focus on making music. Singing is my gift and what I’m really good at. I want to make records for sure, and I want to direct music videos – something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’ve never had the chance.
“I’d also love to write a book and I’ve been approached to write a musical – it’s a modern version of Taboo by BOY GEORGE. It’s my chance to be creative.”
I wish him well.
Source: mirror.co.uk
NO COMEBACK FOR WESTLIFE
this is indeed a sad news.. :(
By Kim Dawson with James Cabooter
WESTLIFE yesterday spoke for the first time about their decision to split after 14 years in pop.
The lads – Mark Feehily, 31, Shane Filan, 32, Nicky Byrne, 33, and Kian Egan, 31 – helped me mop up my tears as they vowed: “A reunion is not going to happen.”
Nicky confirmed: “It’s not a publicity stunt.
“There was more money on the table from Sony Records as part of a re-negotiation but it feels right to see what else is out there.”
It’s clear from spending time with the guys there’s no secret agenda, they simply feel they’ve done all they can as a group.
Managed by X Factor judge Louis Walsh, 59, Westlife’s achievements are immense, including 14 No 1 hits, seven No 1 albums and 10 sell-out tours.
Mark revealed: “Louis said to us: ‘Whatever is wrong we’ll fix it,’ but there’s nothing to fix. It’s a natural thing to happen. We couldn’t go on releasing albums until we died.”
Westlife’s final single Lighthouse drops on November 13 and is followed by their Greatest Hits a week later.
They tour the UK and Ireland for the last time next May.
Shane explained: “The tour will be the end of Westlife. We’re hoping to do one last extravagant show and it’s going to be horrendous when we come off stage, the worst day.”
Nicky agreed: “Other bands who have breaks know they might come back. We’re saying we’re not.”
Kian is the only member of the group with confirmed plans, as a judge on Ireland’s The Voice.
Shane mused: “I’d like to keep singing but we have no record deals.”
With The Wanted, JLS and One Direction flying the boyband flag, who do Westlife think can succeed them?
Kian said: “I don’t see any of them lasting as long as we have.”
Mark agreed: “Four or five years max for a boyband is normal.
“We lasted as we all get along. We’re quite freakish like that.”
Freaks, nah, fantastic, yes.
Source: dailystar.co.uk
Westlife shock fans with split announcement after 14 years together
CHART-topping act Westlife are to split "amicably" after 14 years and 26 top ten hits, they announced tonight.
The Irish group will bow out following a farewell tour next year and said they are looking forward to "new ventures".
Over the course of their career the group has achieved 14 number one hits.
In a statement the group said tonight: "Over the years Westlife has become so much more to us than just a band. Westlife are a family."
The group - for many years managed by Louis Walsh - survived the departure of one of its founding members Bryan McFadden, and continue seamlessly as a four-piece.
Singer Mark Feehily also won admiration for announcing he was gay when the boy band were at the peak of their success.
They produced hit after hit, with singles such as Swear It Again and Flying Without Wings among their number ones.
Many of their big hits over the years were cover versions and they capitalised on a swing revival by recording a Rat Pack-style album Allow Us To Be Frank.
Members Feehily, Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Nicky Byrne are due to release a greatest hits album shortly.
They said they had "countless memories that we will forever cherish" from their years together.
In a statement posted on their website, they said: "We today announce our plan to go our separate ways after a greatest hits collection this Christmas and a farewell tour next year.
"The decision is entirely amicable and after spending all of our adult life together so far, we want to have a well-earned break and look at new ventures.
"We see the greatest hits collection and the farewell tour as the perfect way to celebrate our incredible career along with our fans. We are really looking forward to getting out on the tour and seeing our fans one last time."
It continued: "Over the years Westlife has become so much more to us than just a band. Westlife are a family.
"We would like to thank our fans who have been with us on this amazing journey and are part of our family too.
"We never imagined when we started out in 1998 that 14 years later we would still be recording, touring and having hits together. It has been a dream come true for all of us."
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08/05/2012 16:49
WESTLIFE WIN MTV'S BATTLE OF THE BOY BANDS
Westlife Win MTV's Battle Of The Boy Bands
Irish boy band easily defeated Jonas Brothers in the championship matchup.
By Christina Garibaldi
The fans have spoken. After two weeks of intense matchups and more than 12 million votes, Westlife have come out on top in MTV's...
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08/05/2012 16:43
WESTLIFE VOTED ‘BEST EVER BOYBAND’ IN MTV CONTEST
Westlife voted ‘best ever boyband’ in MTV contest
IRISH BAND WESTLIFE has been voted the world’s best ever boyband in an MTV competition.
MTV said that the Irish group received over 70 per cent of the final vote, easily beating the Jonas Brothers, the Backstreet Boys and the...
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27/04/2012 16:37
BACKSTREET BOYS OUT OF BOY-BAND BATTLE? WESTLIFE ARE SURPRISED TOO
'When I saw the bands that were listed, I thought we haven't got a hope in hell in this,' group member Nicky Byrne says.
By Christina Garibaldi
The first round of MTV's Battle of the Boy Bands certainly shocked a lot of fans when Westlife overtook early...
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09/04/2012 09:07
SI WANT SHANE
Music guru Cowell offers Filan solo deal after Westlife split.
Byline: SAM HAMILTON
X FACTOR supremo Simon Cowell is hoping to tempt Westlife’s Shane Filan to sign with his label.
The music mogul, 52, has offered the band’s lead singer a...
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04/04/2012 07:35
WESTLIFE FAN FIGHTS FOR LIFE AFTER BEING STABBED THREE TIMES IN ROW OVER BOYBAND'S CD
A man was left fighting for his life after being stabbed in his own home following a row over a Westlife CD.
Craig Holman was repeatedly knifed and punched after an argument broke out over the popular Irish boyband following a night out in Peterborough.
He...