Westlife
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In tradition of Irish and British boybands like Take That and Boyzone comes multi award-winning, Guiness World Record holding boyband – Westlife. Consisting of Shane Filan, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Bryan McFadden and Nicky Byrne, the quintet has proven to be successful all over the world even when Bryan McFadden left the group on March 9, 2004. Having out lasted just every other boyband that sprouted out along with them like weeds, Westlife continues to laugh off speculations of a break-up and say that their goal is to score at least 20 UK number ones.
Contents |
About
The Irish boyband was formed in July 1998 under the management of Boyzone manager Louis Walsh. Westlife’s roots can be traced back to Sligo, in the northwest part of Ireland, where Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan were part of a six-member vocal group named IOU. Walsh took interest on them and held an audition in Dublin for another two members where he recruited Brian McFadden and Nicky Byrne and three other members of IOU were given the sack. Walsh then introduced them to Boyzone vocalist turned solo artist, Ronan Keating after they signed a recording contract with BMG using the name Westlife.
They use the name Westside during their performance as an opening act for the Backstreet Boys when they visited Dublin. Learning about the existence of some American artists performing as Westside, they changed their name to Westlife, and are still currently using it. In 1999, they released the first single off their self-titled debut album, "Westlife". Swear It Again went straight to number one in Ireland and U.K. charts, swiftly followed by If I Let You Go in August 1999 which also entered the charts at number 1 and Flying Without Wings in November 1999. In 2000, they replicated the feat with their double a-side single I Have A Dream/Seasons in the Sun which knocked Cliff Richard’s Millenium Prayer off the top spot.
Their sophomore album was swiflty recorded and in November 6, 2000 they released Coast To Coast with the number one singles, My Love and Against All Odds, a duet with Mariah Carey. The album also included their first single that didn't reach number one on the UK charts, What Makes A Man.
In 2001, the group had their first world tour entitled "Dreams Come True" from a song off their sophomore album, unofficially nicknamed the "No Stools Tour" since the group was famous for performing on stools. 2001 also saw the release their third album, World of Our Own. All five also being songwriters, they penned 8 songs in the album. There were rumors spreading about Westlife breaking up. Instead, they released their fourth and fifth album in 2003 and 2004 respectively, Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Vol I which even won Record of the Year for the third time in five years and Turnaround which was the last album to feature Brian McFadden.
Bryan McFadden decided to leave the band on March 9, 2004 to spen more time with his family with former Atomic Kitten member, Kerry Katona and their two children -- Molly and Lilly Sue, born in 2001 and 2003, respectively. They eventually broke up and Bryan started his solo career. He changed the spelling of his first name from Bryan to the original Brian. His first single, Real To Me, went straight to number one on the UK charts.
The loss of a member in a group means the beginning of end of for the bands but not with Westlife. In less than a month after Brian left, the group went on their tour and released Allow Us to Be Frank later that year which was a collection of Rat-Pack hits. The album was recorded in Las Vegas and the videos of the singles were also shot in Las Vegas, making it a more convincing Rat-Pack cover album.
After Westlife took a four-month-break, their longest ever, they came back with yet another chart topping single, You Raise Me Up. Their seventh studio album, Face to Face quickly followed and went straight to the top spot on the UK charts. It was the first time that they held both top single and album position in the same week. December of 2005 saw Westlife release a duet with Diana Ross, When You Tell Me That You Love Me, a song which was also sung by American Idol season 4 finalists which peaked at number 2 in the UK charts.
In Early 2006, they released the last single off Face To Face, Amazing which peaked at number 4 on the UK charts. In November of 2006, they released their eight album The Love Album and once again, their single The Rose topped the charts for the 14th time. The Love Album includes covers of hits such as "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", "All Or Nothing" and "All Out Of Love", a duet with Delta Goodrem.
When "The Rose" hit number one on the UK charts, Westlife became the third act along with Cliff Richard to have the most number one singles in the U.K. chart history. As proof of their success, they're even in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only band to have topped the UK charts seven times in a row. As of early 2007, they are worth over 35 Million Euros and are the biggest boyband, ever.
Westlife have become successful all over the world. They are the biggest pop acts to come out of Ireland, ever. They also have duets with some big artists such as Dianna Ross, Mariah Carey, Lulu, Donna Summer, and Delta Goodrem to name a few. They haven't managed to truly conquer the U.S. market yet, their highest charting US single being Flying Without Wings which peaked at number 10 in the U.S. chart and was the first single from American Idol winner, Ruben Studdard's debut album. In 2000, their debut album was released in the US but wasn't such a big hit. In 2001 they made yet another effort to conquer the US markets with their 3rd album, World of Our Own. They released it in the US along with the title track's US mix but due to the sharp decline in boybands that year, they failed to win the American public's attention.
Members
 Real Name: Shane Steven Filan Birthdate: 5th July 1979 Lead Vocals |
 Real Name: Mark Michael Patrick Feehily Birthdate: 28th May 1980 Lead Vocals |
 Real Name: Kian John Francis Egan Birthdate: 29th April 1980 Background Vocals |
 Real Name: Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne Birthdate: 9th October 1978 Backgroud Vocals |
 Real Name: Brian McFadden Birthdate: 12th of April 1980 Lead vocals Fact: Left the group on March 9, 2004 |
Awards & Certifications
Awards Won
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Smash Hits | Best New Tour Act |
| 1999 | MTV Awards | Best UK and Ireland Act |
| TMF Awards | Best New Comer (Belgium) | |
| Top Of The Pops Awards | Best Band Of The Year (Norway) | |
| ITV's Record of the Year (UK) | Record of the Year | |
| 2000 | ITV's Record of the Year (UK) | Record of the Year |
| Disney Kids Awards | Best Male Group. | |
| Hit Awards | Best International Group (Norway) | |
| Celebrity Awards | Pop Stars Of The Year | |
| TMF | Best International Band (Holland) | |
| Smash Hits | Best Album (Coast To Coast) | |
| Smash Hits | Best Single (My Love) | |
| Smash Hits | Best Non - British Band | |
| Smash Hits | Best Band On Planet Pop | |
| Smash Hits | Best Hair Cut (Kian) | |
| Smash Hits | Most Fancied Male (Shane) | |
| Smash Hits | Best Band | |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Best UK And Ireland Act | |
| Capital FM Awards | Best International New Comer | |
| Meteor Irish Music Awards | Best Irish Pop Act | |
| TV Hits Awards | Best Band | |
| TV Hits Awards | Best Looking Pop Star (Shane) | |
| 2001 | Capital Awards | Best International Group |
| Disney Kids Awards | Best Male Group / Artist | |
| Disney Kids Awards | Group Of The Year | |
| Pepsi Chart People's Choice | Best Breakthrough Video (Uptown Girl) | |
| Smash Hits | Best Band On Planet Pop | |
| Smash Hits | Best Album (World Of Our Own) | |
| Smash Hits | Best Hair Cut (Nicky) | |
| Top Of The Pops | Best Pop Act | |
| Online Music Award | People's Choice | |
| Record Industry Association | Best Top Ten Selling Album (Singapore) | |
| Radio Music Awards | Listerner's Choice Best Group (Singapore) | |
| VIVA Comet | Zuschauer Comet | |
| Brit Awards | Best Pop Act | |
| Meteor Irish Music Awards | Best Irish Pop Act | |
| MTV Awards | Best International Pop Act (Asia) | |
| Top Of The Pops Awards | Top Pop Act | |
| Radio Music Awards | Listerner's Choice Best Group | |
| 2002 | NRJ Radio Awards | Best Foreign Band (Sweden) |
| Hot Press Irish Music Awards | Outstanding Achievement In Popular Music (Ireland) | |
| Irish Buzz WKD Awards | Best Irish Band (Ireland) | |
| IFPI HK | Top Sales Music Award (World Of Our Own) | |
| Smash Hits | Hall Of Fame. | |
| Smash Hits | Best Pop Band. | |
| Smash Hits | Best International Act | |
| Smash Hits | Best Cover Of The Year | |
| Smash Hits | Mentalist Of The Year (Bryan) | |
| Brit Awards | Best Pop Act. | |
| TMF | Best International Pop Act (Holland) | |
| Meteor Ireland Awards | Best Irish Pop Single (Uptown Girl) | |
| Meteor Ireland Awards | Best Irish Pop Album (World Of Our Own) | |
| Meteor Ireland Awards | Best Irish Pop Act. | |
| National Music Awards | Favourite UK Band. | |
| MTV | Favourite Pop Act (Singapore) | |
| Capital FM Awards | Best International Group | |
| Digital Music Awards | 'People's Choice Award' for Best Official Website | |
| 2003 | ITV's Record of the Year (UK) | Record of the Year |
| TMF | Best Pop Act (Holland) | |
| Capital Awards | Best International Group | |
| Capital Awards | Best Website | |
| Meteor Ireland Awards | Best Irish Pop Act (Ireland) | |
| 2004 | Smash Hits | Favourite Download (Flying Without Wings) |
| Digital Music Awards | 'People's Choice Award' for Best Official Website | |
| Meteor Irish Music Awards | Best Irish Pop Act. | |
| World Music Awards | Best Selling Act (Ireland). | |
| NRJ Awards | Best Pop Band (Sweden) | |
| Nordic Music Awards | Best International Pop Act | |
| 2005 | ITV's Record of the Year (UK) | Record of the Year |
| Meteor Irish Music Awards | Best Irish Act | |
| 2006 | Meteor Irish Music Awards | Best Irish Act |
Nomination
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Brit Award | Best Pop Act |
| 2006 | MTV Asia Award | Favourite Pop Act |
| 2005 | Brit Award | Best Pop Act |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | UK | AUS | GE | US | UWC | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Swear It Again | 1 | 12 | ~ | 20 | 26 | Westlife |
| If I Let You Go | 1 | 13 | 50 | 56 | 28 | Westlife | |
| Flying Without Wings | 1 | 35 | 85 | 10 | 28 | Westlife | |
| I Have A Dream/Seasons in the Sun | 1 | ~ | 24 | 73 | 23 | Westlife | |
| 2000 | Fool Again | 1 | ~ | 80 | ~ | 29 | Westlife |
| Against All Odds (with Mariah Carey ) | 1 | ~ | ~ | ~ | 13 | Coast to Coast | |
| My Love | 1 | 36 | 57 | ~ | 10 | Coast to Coast | |
| What Makes A Man | 2 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | Coast to Coast | |
| 2001 | I Lay My Love On You | ~ | 29 | ~ | ~ | 31 | Coast to Coast |
| Uptown Girl | 1 | 6 | ~ | ~ | 35 | Coast to Coast | |
| When You're Looking Like That | ~ | 19 | ~ | ~ | ~ | Coast to Coast | |
| Queen of my Heart | 1 | ~ | 27 | ~ | 19 | World of Our Own | |
| 2002 | World of Our Own | 1 | 21 | 11 | ~ | 11 | World of Our Own |
| Bop Bop Baby | 5 | ~ | 15 | ~ | 19 | World of Our Own | |
| Unbreakable | 1 | ~ | 12 | ~ | 24 | Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Vol I | |
| 2003 | Tonight / Miss You Nights | 3 | ~ | 41 | ~ | 38 | Turnaround |
| Hey Whatever | 4 | ~ | 22 | ~ | ~ | Turnaround | |
| Mandy | 1 | ~ | 14 | ~ | 24 | Turnaround | |
| 2004 | Obvious | 3 | ~ | 39 | ~ | ~ | Turnaround |
| Ain't That a Kick in the Head | 4 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | Allow Us to Be Frank | |
| 2005 | You Raise Me Up | 1 | 3 | 11 | ~ | 33 | Face to Face |
| When You Tell Me That You Love Me (with Diana Ross ) | 2 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | Face to Face | |
| 2006 | Amazing | 4 | 34 | ~ | ~ | ~ | Face to Face |
| The Rose | 1 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | The Love Album |
News
- it was announced on 5th of November 2006 Nicky Byrne and wife, Georgina are expecting their first child, due next summer.
- "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" was supposed ti be released but more recently, Westlife's Europpean Manager Charis Christou, announced that Sony BMG, the company that releases Westlife albums has cancelled the release of 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' and any other single releases from the current Love Album.
Tours & Concerts
The Love Tour March and April 2007
- Nottingham Arena
- Hallam FM Arena
- Manchester MEN Arena
- Cardiff International
- Birmingham NEC Arena
- Bournemouth International Centre
- Brighton Centre
- London Wembley Arena
- Metro Radio Newcastle Arena
- Glasgow SECC
- Aberdeen Exhibition Centre
- Dublin The Point
Discography
Albums
 Released: November 1999 Label:Arista |
 Released: November 2000 Label:BMG/RCA |
 Released: November 2001 Label:RCA |
 Released: November 2002 Label: BMG International |
 Released: November 2003 Label:BMG |
 Released: 2006 Label:BMG International |
 Released: October 2005 Label:BMG |
 Released: November 2006 Label:BMG Germany |
Singles
| Date | Title | Album | Peak positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Australia | Germany | United States | |||||
| April 12 1999 | "Swear It Again" | Westlife | 1 | 12 | -- | 20 | ||
| August 9 1999 | "If I Let You Go" | Westlife | 1 | 13 | 50 | -- | ||
| October 18 1999 | "Flying Without Wings" | Westlife | 1 | 31 | 85 | -- | ||
| December 6 1999 | "I Have a Dream / Seasons in the Sun" | Westlife | 1 | -- | 24 | -- | ||
| March 17 2000 | "Fool Again" | Westlife | 1 | -- | 80 | -- | ||
| September 18 2000 | "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (with Mariah Carey) | Coast to Coast | 1 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| October 31 2000 | "My Love" | Coast to Coast | 1 | 36 | 57 | -- | ||
| December 18 2000 | "What Makes a Man" | Coast to Coast | 2 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001 | "I Lay My Love on You" 1 | Coast to Coast | -- | 29 | -- | -- | ||
| February 26 2001 | "Uptown Girl" | Coast to Coast | 1 | 6 | 8 | -- | ||
| August 27 2001 | "When You're Looking Like That" 1 | Coast to Coast | -- | 19 | -- | -- | ||
| November 5 2001 | "Queen of my Heart" | World of Our Own | 1 | -- | 27 | -- | ||
| February 18 2002 | "World of Our Own" | World of Our Own | 1 | 21 | 11 | -- | ||
| May 12 2002 | "Bop Bop Baby" | World of Our Own | 5 | -- | 15 | -- | ||
| October 28 2002 | "Unbreakable" | Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Vol I | 1 | -- | 12 | -- | ||
| March 24 2003 | "Tonight" | Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Vol I | 3 | -- | 47 | -- | ||
| September 15 2003 | "Hey Whatever" | Turnaround | 4 | -- | 22 | -- | ||
| November 10 2003 | "Mandy" | Turnaround | 1 | -- | 14 | -- | ||
| February 23 2004 | "Obvious" | Turnaround | 3 | -- | 39 | -- | ||
| November 1 2004 | "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" 2 | ...Allow Us to Be Frank | 4* | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2004 | "Smile" 3 | ...Allow Us to Be Frank | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| December 19 2004 | "Beyond the Sea" 2 | ...Allow Us to Be Frank | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| October 24 2004 | "You Raise Me Up" | Face to Face | 1 | 3 | 11 | -- | ||
| December 12 2005 | "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (with Diana Ross) | Face to Face | 2 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| February 20 2006 | "Amazing" | Face to Face | 4 | 34 | 53 | -- | ||
| November 6 2006 | "The Rose" | The Love Album | 1 | -- | -- | -- | ||
Footnotes: 1 "I Lay My Love on You" and "When You're Looking Like That" were released only in Australia, SE Asia and some European countries
2 "Smile" and "Beyond the Sea" were released only as UK Official Downloads. "Smile" and "Fly Me To The Moon" were also released as a download in Belgium and as a commercial single in Asia Pacific.
3 "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" was released only in Asia Pacific.
Compilations & Live Releases
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- Their single The Rose off The Love Album is their 14th number 1 hit making them the third act in UK chart history along with Cliff Richard to have 14 UK number ones.
- Mark Feehily revealed he was gay and dating former boyband singer Kevin McDaid
- Shane Filian married Kian Egan's cousin, Gillian Walsh.
- Kian Egan is currentlly dating Hollyoaks actress, Jodi Albert.
- Nicky Byrne married the Irish Prime Minister's daughter, Georgina Ahern
- "What Makes a Man" was their first single that didn't go into the UK charts straight at number one. Bob the Builder's "Can We Fix It" was number one at that time.
- Shane is mad about horses while his cousin in law Kian is mortified by them
Reviews
Westlife are the only boyband out of the 90's boy band explosion to actually survive the new millenium. They've managed to score 14 UK number ones, 7 in a row and continue to do so. Westlife's music can be described as teen pop but more recently they've switched to adult contemporary. I recommend Westlife to anyone who loves pop chart-topping atists who've been in the industry for quite some time now.- Nikki, 2/25/07
External Links
