Westlifes
original members hail from
Co. Sligo in Ireland.Out
of those original members
only three remain;Shane
Filan, Kian Egan and Mark
Feehily.Bryan McFadden and
Nicky Byrne joined the group
when Louis Walsh showed
interest in the band, he
then introduced ex-Boyzone
member Ronan Keating to
the band and the pair now
co-manage the group.
The first
single to be released was
"Swear It Again"
which went in straight to
number one in the U.K. and
in Ireland, it then went
to tne top spot in numorous
other countries.They followed
it with "If I Let You
Go" which also went
to number one in those countries.They
have released nine singles
altogether off their previous
two albums,"Westlife"
and "Coast To Coast".
Their next single is called
"Queen Of My Heart"
and it is on their upcoming
album "World Of Our
Own". They have been
entered in the "Guinness
Book Of Records" for
having their first seven
singles go straight to number
one in the U.K. and for
having five number one singles
in Ireland.
Their
tour earlier this year was
so successful that tickets
are already for sale for
their next one in 2002,
which is in big demand.Westlife
have tried, and unfortunatly
failed, in conquering America
but the lads have vowed
to try again and their fans
are certain that the American
public will realise, sooner
or later, how great Westlife
really are.
History
Relaxed,
refreshed and bursting with
energy, Westlife, the quiet
superstars of the mainstream
UK music scene, bounce back
with their new album ‘Face
To Face.’ It’s
a world that they have dominated
for seven years and the
album features all the hallmarks
of that reign - a collection
of classic songs and future
standards. In brief, ‘Face
To Face’ finds Westlife
doing what they’ve
always done best.
After
a brief interlude with their
Rat Pack album of classic
song sung in the style of
Sinatra, ‘Face To
Face’ is Westlife’s
first collection of new
songs since ‘Turnaround’
topped the charts in 2003.
“I think this album
shows that Westlife are
back in a big way. It’s
got the best material we’ve
ever released,” says
Shane confidently. Agrees
Nicky: “At the time
Turnaround seemed like one
of our best albums - and
this one feels even better.”
A familiar
blend of big ballads and
mid-tempo tunes, balanced
by the occasional up-tempo
song, ‘Face To Face’
presents Westlife playing
to their strengths –
passionate vocals and memorable
tunes. It’s a straightforward
formula that’s been
winning hearts and ears
since the dawn of popular
music, from the doo-wop
days of the Platters, through
the timeless harmonies of
the Drifters and Coasters,
to the slick modern sounds
of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC,
Take That and Boyzone. But
no one’s done it with
so much success as Westlife
– 34 million album
sales are testament to that!
Following
four months’ holidays
– the longest break
of their entire career –
the boys have returned to
action sounding stronger,
fresher and hungrier than
ever. “I think the
break did us good,”
says Nicky, who spent much
of his summer getting in
shape in the gym. “We
still look at ourselves
as the luckiest band in
the world, but when you
do something so long and
so frequently, you’re
bound to need time to recharge
your batteries.”
That freshness
can be heard all over ‘Face
To Face.’ The band
have never sounded in better
voice and they’ve
rarely had a better choice
of material on which to
show it. “We know
we have to raise the bar
each time we make an album
and be bigger and better,”
acknowledges Shane, who
recently became a father
for the first time. After
seven years together, their
seventh album finds them
at the top of their game,
and it’s a big game
they play in, with six multi-platinum
albums in the UK alone.
Add to that the Brit Awards,
MTV Award, 12 UK number
one’s; Westlife are
amazingly one of the biggest
brands on the planet.
Songwriting
and production duties are
equally divided between
long-term collaborator Steve
Mac and Swedish hit-makers
The Location, returning
to the Westlife fold after
working on their first two
albums (and for Britney
Spears, Backstreet Boys
and *NSYNC among many others),
with recording done in Ireland,
Sweden and London over the
long hot summer.
And the
secret behind their rejuvenated
sound – not such a
secret really – is
that they’ve just
recharged their batteries
with the longest holiday
of their career. “We
had nearly four months off
and it felt like three years,”
laughs Nicky. “The
break made us realize how
much we wanted to start
work again. At the end of
it I couldn’t wait
to get back into the studio.”
A new
start and a new chapter…
but the Westlife story is
far from over.
Kian:
Birthday and place of birth:
29th April 1980, Sligo
Starsign: Taurus –
and I am like a bull!
I never thought that Westlife
would: Have 12 Number One
Singles.
My favourite Westlife moment:
Shooting the video for If
I Let You Go in Tenerife
My favourite Westlife track:
What Makes A Man
My favourite Westlife video:
Fool Again
What the other guys say
about me: Very headstrong!
When I'm not working I like
to: Spend time in the surf
dude!
My motto is: Treat people
how you like to be treated
Shane:
Birthday and place of birth:
5th July 1979, Sligo
Starsign: Cancer
I never thought that Westlife
would: Still be hugely successful
seven years on
My favourite Westlife moment:
Meeting the Pope
My favourite Westlife track:
Flying Without Wings
My favourite Westlife video:
Fool Again
What the other guys say
about me: That I am generous
and a nice guy!
When I'm not working I like
to: Change my daughter’s
nappies!
My motto is: Everything
happens for a reason
Nicky:
Birthday and place of birth:
9th October 1978, Dublin
Starsign: Libra - I am a
beautifully balanced person!
I never thought that Westlife
would: Play two nights at
Lansdowne Road to 80,000
people.
My favourite Westlife moment:
Meeting the Pope and our
dads performing on our TV
show 'She's The One'
My favourite Westlife track:
World Of Our Own
My favourite Westlife video:
World Of Our Own (U.S Version)
What the other guys say
about me: I'm the longest
in the shower
When I'm not working I like
to: Spend time with my wife
and walk our little pups
My motto is: Smile, enjoy
life, live every day like
it's your last
Mark:
Birthday and place of birth:
28th May 1980, Sligo
Starsign: Gemini.
I never thought that Westlife
would: Win Record Of The
Year three times!
My favourite Westlife moment:
Meeting the Pope
My favourite Westlife track:
Can't Lose What You Never
Had
My favourite Westlife video:
World Of Our Own (U.S Version)
What the other guys say
about me: Where is Mark?!
When I'm not working I like
to: Write songs
My motto is: Wake up and
breathe!
