15/11/2010 Westlife think their new album is the most real
and personal they
have ever written.
The Irish band comprising
Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan are set to release their 11th album, Gravity, later this month.
The group are struggling to comprehend
how successful they have been,
and can't believe
they have been in the industry for so long.
They are all proud of their latest release, with Nicky explaining it's the album they have had the most input on.
We're a lot older now,
so if you look at someone like
[British boyband] JLS,
their fan base is so young so everybody is rushing out and downloading their stuff.
I suppose it's the same with
Take That as well, where the older you get and the longer you're in the market it's a little bit more difficult,
Nicky explained, when asked if he gets nervous when debuting material. We are 12 years in,
we have a new single and a new album and it really feels special. We worked with a guy in America,
we wrote a lot of this album. For the first time
this album feels real, it feels personal and like we got involved.
Kian was equally as glowing about the new record,
and took time to tell fans how much the group appreciate their support.
He is still shocked that so
many people have stuck by the group for 12 years,
and says performing live is one of the things he enjoys most.
We feel like we're here 12 years later still doing it, still being a part of Westlife. So many people out there are still continuously going out, buying tickets for our concerts, buying our albums... it's amazing, he told a UK TV show.
Last Sunday, they appeared with Take That and JLS on The X Factor, as Cowell's last remaining act (boy band One Direction) fought to stay in the competition.
'One Direction have got it all to come,' says Nicky. 'When we look back over Westlife, I'm sure there's a movie in there somewhere.'
'We've always had this squeaky clean image,'
says Nicky. 'At the start, we were put in these almost feminine white outfits and given cheesy dance routines,
but that's not who we were.' Indeed, but not the happy,
clappy version that the music industry has long had us believe. I meet the members of Westlife
in a swanky London hotel, where they're sprawled comfortably in squishy armchairs, revealing, with astonishing honesty, the truth about their success - and their true feelings about former band member Brian McFadden - for the first time.
The boys, you see, aren't really boys anymore. They're into their 30s now with wives (Nicky,
Shane and Kian are married), partners (Mark Feehily, who came out as gay five years ago,
lives with his long-term partner Kevin McDaid) and children (Nicky and Shane are parents). Time enough to tell it the way it was.
'We've always had this squeaky clean image,' says Nicky. 'At the start, we were put in these almost feminine white outfits and given cheesy dance routines, but that's not who we were. Eventually you have to say:
"This isn't the way I want to do this. That's not the song I want to sing."
'We know now we can just be men.
That's a lot more honest.
Things like Mark coming out make you realise you have to be. We lost dads.' He gestures to Kian who, like Nicky,
lost his father last year.
'You realise that life is too short. When my dad died, it was time to grow up and be a man. Having kids changes you too.'
Kian continues: 'We used to slag each other off. It became abusive to the point where people were hurt.
Him over there,' he nods at Mark.
'We used to call him fat lips. 'One Direction have got it all to come': The group pose with the X Factor boyband after performng on last week's results show 'Because he was quiet,
we used to pick on him even more. We called him weirdo and used to say: "Go on off to your closet, hang upside down and read your book."
'We went through a huge roll of emotions with each other.
We all got upset.
We were all in arguments over silly things like who sat in that seat first, and then it would snowball into:
"You're fat. You're this or you're that."'
Mark nods: 'Once or twice a week, the public would see us for a few minutes in our perfectly preened and tailored outfits with our perfect hair and make-up, singing this lovely, pure love song that was not urban and not rock. So we'd show this happy, public face, but there's another you when you're in the hotel room.
'Back then, all I wanted to do was go home for a long, long time. It wasn't all bad, but there were a lot of feelings that started to creep into my mind. I didn't want to be there getting picked apart by everyone.
'My weight's always fluctuated from chubby to above normal and I didn't like my bad points being pointed out. I didn't think anyone had the right. There was a time I was very unbalanced.
'I'm involved in charities in Ireland now. One is called Aware and it is based around suicide, particularly in young kids. It's something that's very close to my heart. I'm not saying I ever planned anything, but you go to quite a deep, dark place and there's no one to turn to. 'I'm lucky. I'm living proof it's better to not choose [suicide], and fight your way through it. But it wasn't easy. I buried my feelings of unhappiness deep inside myself.
'We were Westlife, the most famous band in the world, probably, bar America. I couldn't go home. We were the poster children for the big dream coming true.'
Mark was one of the six young lads from Sligo, western Ireland, who dreamed of pop success. For him, he says, it was all about music. He never wanted to be famous. Shane did. 'I wanted the applause, the admiration,' he says.
'I didn't want to just be a pop star. I wanted to be the biggest pop star on the planet.' As did Kian. He was one of seven children and says music was his life. He, Shane and Mark, together with three other local Sligo lads (Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron and Michael Garrett) put a CD together and sent it to Louis. 'We were definitely scared of him': The boys with former manager Louis Walsh Shane explains: 'My mother was from the same town as Louis. They actually knew each other so she rang him and said: "My son's in a boy band. I think you should see them."
And so the boys met him, only to be immediately confronted by the brutal, cut-throat nature of the music industry. Kian says: 'We handed him the CD with pictures of the six of us. He covered one of the guy's heads with his thumb and said: "Looks much better, doesn't it?"'
That guy was Derrick, the first of the Sligo six to be booted out of the band. 'We were supporting the Backstreet Boys and Derrick was jumping around all over the place on stage. Louis called me and said: "I'll manage you, but you'll have to do one thing." I asked: "What's that? We'll do whatever it takes."
'He goes: "Get rid of the big guy." No disrespect to Mark, but I thought he was talking about him. I said: " Louis, you can't get rid of him. His voice is insane." He was like: "No, no, no. Not the singer. The big guy who's jumping around like a lunatic up there. Get rid of him."'
Derrick was Shane's best friend and it fell to him to break the news. 'It was fecking horrendous,' says Shane. 'It was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to tell somebody. It was like I was saying: "We can't be friends any more because I'm going off to do this band with Louis Walsh and you're not invited."'
Are they friends now? 'No,' says Shane. 'I saw him the other day and he waved to me. We've had a couple of conversations, but I'm sure that he despises Westlife. He's still a nice guy but I don't know if he'll ever get over it.'
Kian interrupts: 'Of course he's upset. They're all upset. You're driving around in Bentleys and Ferraris, living in a castle at the top of the hill and he's working in a pub.' Shane considers this: 'It's like winning the lottery and then getting the ticket taken off you.'
Within a matter of weeks, Graham, Kian's best friend, was also dropped from the band. Michael soon followed when Louis auditioned Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden, as he sought to create the perfect, clean-cut boy band.
Shane says: 'We began to think there'll be nobody fecking left. We all thought we'd be next for the chop. It was cut-throat.' Nicky agrees: 'When Michael was let go, Louis was in the room.
'The tour manager called out the names of who was going to be in the band. Michael had his head down and Louis was winking at me going, "You're safe." When Michael lifted his head up, Louis would go deadpan.
'Then the tour manager said the five members are, bang, bang, bang, and not Michael. Michael's phone rang and he threw it across the room. We all stood up, slapped him on the shoulder and walked out of the room.
'Louis walked out, head down. The moment the door closed, Louis was bouncing around: "Did you ring your mother? Here, ring your mother," and gave me his mobile phone.'
Within days, the boys were being spun into a wholesome boy band for the teen market. Louis dressed them in white, sat them on stools and edited Shane's childhood sweetheart, Gillian (now his wife and mother to their three children), out of the mix.
'I had to hide my relationship,' says Shane. 'It was drilled home that girlfriends were not part of the boy-band image. Except for Nicky's.
He was dating Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's daughter, Georgina.' Again, Shane apes Louis: 'Use it. It's a good story.'
The lads all laugh. There is an easy humour and obvious close friendship between them these days, something that was wholly absent in the early years. Kian says: 'We were five 19-year-old guys in a hotel in London.
'What were we going to do with ourselves? We had no money. We were given £15 a day, if that, for food by our record label. We were just doing silly things to pass the time. We used to wrestle each other to the point it would get serious.'
Shane chips in: 'I remember picking up Brian and throwing him across the bed and on to the floor. You start getting aggressive. And with a five-piece band, someone always has to stand in the middle.
'We're glad he left': Former Westlife member Brian McFadden with his fiancee Delta Goodrem 'That was a huge issue for us and it's one that One Direction have ahead of them. Louis had already managed Boyzone, and Ronan Keating was the front man with the other four just standing around him, before he went solo.
'We didn't want that to happen to our band. So they certainly didn't want me and Mark standing in the middle. We did most of the singing. If we were allowed to get too big, that would be dangerous. All of a sudden, one member leaves and the band's f***ed.'
Which is of course what happened when, six years after Westlife was formed, Brian, who had forged a high-profile relationship with Kerry Katona, wanted out. This is the first time the boys have spoken openly about his departure. 'We were at a press conference following a music award,' says Nicky. 'Kerry was in the jungle and every single question was directed to Brian about her. When we left the room, we had an argument.
'We said: "We know you had to answer the question, by why didn't you move things on to why we're actually here?" He didn't like that. We'd had a few drinks and Brian slunk off back to his dressing room saying he was leaving.
'I thought: "OK, yeah," and ignored him. The next day he had a photoshoot. The hairdresser rang me up and said: "He's serious." That frightened me because he'd sobered up. 'The next day we had rehearsals because we were touring in three weeks. He turned up and started to rehearse, not mentioning a thing.
'At the end of rehearsals, we decided to meet to talk that evening. He came in, sat down and said: "I want to hang up my boots. I've given six years to Westlife. Now I've got two kids. I want to be at home and can't devote time to both."
'We begged him to stay, offered to go to counselling. We said we're doing something wrong, let's get to the bottom of it. Don't let this great thing go if it's just about a daft argument. These are silly things we can fix." But he didn't want to know. He left and we called Louis.'
Shane continues: 'Louis said: "There were only four in the Beatles." But that night was the first time the bubble slightly burst. No band had survived one of their members leaving - not the Spice Girls, not Take That.
'We said to Louis: "Do you think it will work?" He said: "Trust me. It'll work."' Which, of course, it did. While Brian met with moderate success as a solo artist, Westlife went from strength to strength, with three more number one albums in the UK and numerous awards.
Shane says: 'All of a sudden, the rows over standing in the middle, the slagging each other off, all went out the window. Suddenly these three people became the most important people to me and my career.'
His fellow band members agree. 'We're glad he left,' says Kian. 'We're a better band without him. I don't think we'd be the band we are today if he was still in it. He understands that.
'Now we don't take anything for granted. We just live every day, every album, every song, because you don't know what's round the corner. Now we don't care what you call us - men or boys. As long as we're successful, that's the only compliment we need.'
And what does Louis think? 'Oh we're all fond of Louis,' says Shane. 'Simon's now doing to him what he did to us, so he's gone and got everything done.
'His hair's browner, his teeth are whiter and he seems to be using moisturiser a bit more too.'
Again, he launches into an impression of Louis and, again, his band mates are in stitches. Me too.
SINGER Brian McFadden is begging Westlife to let him rejoin them - so they can challenge Take That in the charts. Brian, 30, who quit the Irish boyband in 2004, tweeted:
"I had a dream
I was back on stage with Westlife playing some crazy-sized football stadium.
Westlife score tenth number one LP November 2010 Westlife have triumphed in the battle of the boybands in Ireland this week as their eleventh LP debuts at number one.
Graivty is the group's tenth number one album following 2009's Where We Are's peak at number two. Take Take hold the number two spot with JLS scoring a number four debut for their second album.
The top ten albums this week: 1. (*) Westlife - 'Gravity' 2. (1) Take That - 'Progress' 3. (2) Rihanna - 'Loud' 4. (*) JLS - 'Outta This World' 5. (7) Susan Boyle - 'The Gift' 6. (4) The Script - 'Science & Faith' 7. (3) Bon Jovi - 'Greatest Hits' 8. (4) Bruce Springsteen - 'The Promise' 9. (3) Kings of Leon - 'Come Around Sundown' 10. (8) Pink - 'Greatest Hits... So Far!!!
Westlife star says they nearly split up
Westlife star Mark Feehily has said that the group considered splitting up last year.
Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: "We talked about it long and hard last April. We came close to throwing in the towel."
"Financially we could have retired - we could retire tomorrow. But it wasn't about that."
"The music started to become about how many units we sold rather than about us making something we felt passionate about."
"It was partly why we took a break for a year back in 2008."
Nicky Byrne said: "We talked about why we were doing Westlife and we agreed it was because we loved it."
"We're passionate about the band and so we decided that if we were to come back, we'd come back on our own terms."
X Factor: Westlife star Kian Egan says show stifle other pop acts By Dean Piper 28/11/2010
Westlife star Kian Egan says The X Factor is stifling other pop acts - stopping them enjoying the chart success the deserve.
The outspoken singer says he wishes it was easier for new groups to make their mark without appearing on the talent show.
Kian, 30, says: "There are some great pop acts out there. There's The Saturdays, Professor Green, N-Dubz and The Wanted.
"But they have to work so hard to get into the charts and they're up against the huge machine of The X Factor.
"We should be celebrating this sort of talent, giving new pop acts the credit they deserve. The music industry is hard enough as it is."
Kian says he is a fan of former X Factor contestants Olly Murs, JLS and Diana Vickers - but feels they have had an easier ride from the industry. He said: "If you've been on the show then it's easier to get a hit nowadays. It's not that the acts are rubbish - they're far from it. But the amount of them makes it tough for new acts to break through. It's almost like if you haven't been on the show then you can't have a success these days."
Kian, who has sold 40 million albums with Westlife, also revealed the boyband will never again let ex-bandmate Brian McFadden perform with them.
Earlier this week Brian, who left in March 2004, tweeted his Twitter followers saying he dreamt of rejoining.
But Kian says: "Brian will never come back into Westlife. It's nearly seven years since he left now and we've all moved on.
"Its not in a 'forget you' kind of way. It's in a 'he left us so long ago now' way.
"He called me after his Twitter comments the other day. Did Brian regret walking out on Westlife? Probably, yes.
"Also, to be totally honest he almost cost us what we had worked so hard for when he walked out on us.
"At the end of the day he walked out on my band. We could have easily ended and been over for good because of him.
"We talk nowadays and don't get me wrong there's no bad air between him and us. But we're happy the way we are."
Kian says he is now concentrating on the band's new album and tour DVD, as well as his work as manager of girl group Wonderland.
His wife, Hollyoaks actress Jodi Albert, is a member of the band.
Westlife star dismisses split reports Wednesday 1 December 2010
According to a report in Daily Star, Feehily previously said: "We talked about it long and hard last April. We came close to throwing in the towel."
In a posting on his Twitter page, the singer later said: "Westlife were not close to splitting up in April 2009."
"We reached a Y (fork) in the road&said we MIGHT AS WELL stop unless we did it right! X (sic)".
Westlife: 'We became a tribute act' 02 December 2010
Irish boyband Westlife have revealed that they were unhappy performing covers on their previous albums.
In an interview with a British newspaper, the group discussed their discomfort at being forced to continually release covers of other people's songs. "We were sick of doing covers and didn't want to turn into a tribute act." said Shane Filan.
Westlife claimed that they had to stand up to Simon Cowell, who manages their record label, because they feared that they were becoming a tribute band.
"Simon Cowell might run our record label but we had to put our foot down with him. We didn't want to be that band going on The X Factor then releasing one single and then going on tour. We wanted to make a proper album and to be able to put out three or four singles from it."
He continued: "We're in our 30's now and wanted to go back to the kind of stuff we were making when we first came out: big, original pop songs."
In the interview, band member Mark Feehily also revealed that Cowell was keen on them releasing a movie themes tribute album: "Simon bandied about the idea of a 'Westlife at the movies' album but we said no. It wasn't close to our heart and it felt like we were moving away from what we were all about."
WESTLIFE TOUR WILL WOW FANS
Westlife's UK and Ireland arena tour, planned for March, will be bigger and better than ever Westlife's UK and Ireland arena tour, planned for March, will be bigger and better than ever
10 December 2010 By Kim Dawson WATCH out for an entirely fresh live set for next year Westlife tour.
The manband UK and Ireland arena tour, planned for March, will be bigger and better than ever.
Shane Filan, 31, told me: We have a new musical director, who brought on a new band.
Tonight was our first time playing together, so it was good to do that before we start tour rehearsals in January.
We want to bring together some new ideas. But after Mark Feehily's partner Kevin McDaid, 26, produced the gorgeous photos used in their latest artwork, he is set to stay on.
Mark, 30, said: Kevin and I are such a good partnership, and I'm heavily involved in our artwork selection so it makes sense he will do our tour programme again like last time.
The Irish foursome will push the button on the National Lottery show on Saturday but won't be rushing home to watch The X Factor final. Nicky Byrne, 32, explained: My twin sons Rocco and Jay are performing in their first Christmas nativity on Sunday so I need to get back for that.
As if that wasn't cute enough to make me coo, Nicky admitted he and Shane go on man dates when away from their wives and nippers.
He added: Shane and I go to the cinema and Nandos.
Westlife LP remains at number one Friday, December 10 2010, By Ryan Love, Westlife Rihanna Michael Bublé Music Westlife continue their reign on top of the Irish album chart this week with their LP Gravity.
Despite climbs from both Rihanna and Michael Bublé, the Irish group could not be moved in their third week.
A relatively stagnant top ten saw just one new entry, coming from The Priests at number nine.
The top 20 sees the Glee cast debut at number 12 with Volume 4 of the show's soundtrack.
Meanwhile, Alexandra Burke's repackaged version of Overcome charts at&
Westlife wow fans at Metro Radio Arena gig 15 Mar 2011 Irish boyband Westlife have thrilled thousands of their fans with a concert at the Metro Radio Arena as part of their latest national tour.
Louis Walsh has hit out at the judging panel on this year’s The Voice Of Ireland series, or half of them at least.
The Corrs musician Sharon Corr, Westlife member Kian Egan, British singer Jamelia and The Blizzards’s lead vocalist/guitarist Bressie all judge on the RTE series and Louis thinks that two of the four stars are undeserving of their seats.
In a new interview the long serving X Factor star and Westlife boss revealed that he is unsurprisingly backing his boy Kian Egan but thinks that Bressie is nothing but a ‘pretty face’ while he wants Irish singer Samantha Mumba to take Jamelia’s place.
Walsh confessed that he has never even watched the show which airs in his home country, however he has strong opinions on it’s lineup and has taken Kian’s side in his recent war of words with Niall Breslin, claiming that he is no use as a coach as he has never had a bit record.
Bressie, I mean, he’s never sold a record. How can he judge anybody? If he’s just there for his looks, he should be on Ireland’s Next Top Model,” he told The Herald.
Walsh isn’t a fan of Jamelia either and continued:
I have never heard of her: they should have got Samantha Mumba.
I haven’t seen it at all, but I hear Kian is stealing the show. There are four judges on the show and two of them have been in successful bands – Kian and Sharon. I think they’re really good.”
VOICE coach Jamelia has admitted the greatest shock of the show so far was learning that Kian Egan has singing talent. The chart-topping British babe, 32, who has signed up to become an Irish Sun columnist, will return to Dublin for the live shows at The Helix this weekend.
And Jamelia got a shock when she took to the stage with Kian, Bressie and Sharon Corr to prepare for their first group performance as coaches.
She told the Irish Sun: “I was a bit nervous to be honest, I was up there going, ‘God, I’m singing with Kian from Westlife.
“I thought Kian probably wasn’t going to be able to sing all that well, just because of all the stuff Bressie said during the auditions about sitting on stools and things with Westlife.
“But he has got a really good voice — Kian can sing.”
Former Westlife star Brian McFadden has reacted angrily to claims that he and fiancee Delta Goodrem's relationship is on the rocks.
The Dubliner jetted back to his adopted home of Australia last week to be with his singer girlfriend for the New Year celebrations, having spent Christmas at home in Dublin with his his two daughters, Molly (9) and Lilly Sue (7).
It had been claimed that the couple, who have been together for five years, were on the verge of splitting after Delta missed the Christmas celebrations in Brian's family home in Artane.
Delta was forced to cancel her trip to Ireland when she had to reschedule a performance at the Sydney Opera House for Christmas Eve.
Delta had originally been due to take to the stage for her Christmas Carols and Hits concert on, December 6, but had to cancel due to illness, postponing the performance to December 24.
A family insider today insisted that there is no truth to reports that Brian jetted home for crisis talks with the former Neighbours actress.
"Him and Delta are fine," said the family source. "They're still rock solid. I don't know where these rumours come from.
"Everyone was disappointed she couldn't make it to Dublin for Christmas but these things happen. They had plans for New Year's Eve and that's why he went back. No other reason.
"I think we would have heard about it if they were on the rocks," they added.
Meanwhile Brian was determined to assure fans that all was well, posting the following comment on his Twitter page.
"What would we do without the English press? Just when I thought Delta and I were happy they let me know we're not. Thanks I almost missed it," he wrote.
The couple had been due to marry this Christmas in Bali, however, last May Brian announced that the wedding had been postponed, explaining that they did not want to get married while they were on tour.
The former Westlife singer was quick to insist that their relationship was fine, blaming "increased work commitments" for the delay.
Despite the absence of his other half at Christmas, the dad of two made the most of his time at home, enjoying plenty of quality time with his family.
Brian took his daughters to see their idol Miley Cyrus in concert during his visit home for the holidays.
4 jan 2010, 20:36
Australia ....
MCFADDEN TO FRONT BOYBAND SHOWBRIAN MCFADDEN is putting his time in Irish group WESTLIFE to good use - he's fronting a new show chronicling the drama of putting together a boyband. MCFadden shot to fame with the Flying Without Wings hitmakers in 1999, but quit in 2004 to pursue a solo career. Now the 29 year old has teamed up with Australian DJ Kyle Sandilands for a show documenting the creation of a five-piece boyband. Sandilands says, "It follows what happens in a group and how you take a boy band and market them. "It will go through how a song is written, what life is like on the road - because he (MCFadden) has experienced that - and hearing his stories. His journey and all the shenanigans, we thought it would be appealing. It's more a documentary, not a reality show so much and how they go from five guys to a Westlife or 'N Sync." Auditions for the new group kick off in Melbourne, Australia later this month (Feb10).
Brian McFadden, formerly of Irish Boyband Westlife, will sing in the Hennessy Artistry 2009 concert in Hanoi on October 6.
CRISIS TALKS: McFadden 3rd January 2010 By Daily star reporter BRIAN McFadden begged for crisis talks with fiancée Delta Goodrem in a bid to rescue their relationship.
The singer, 29, jetted out to Australia last Wednesday to talk to the stunning former Neighbours star.
The singer told pals he was furious when Delta snubbed an offer to spend Christmas at his Dublin home with his children Molly, nine, and Lilly-Sue. seven.
Delta, 24, cancelled at the last minute, insisting she was still suffering from an allergic reaction to cold medication.
Pals say Brian, her lover of five years, fears their relationship is heading down the billabong.
He flew back to Sydney and arranged to meet Delta on New Year"s Eve to plead for a final chance.
Over the past five years Brian has blown an estimated £3million.
And he confessed his spending on poker and flashy cars has driven a wedge between the once happy couple.
In May the ex-Westlife hunk said they were postponing their wedding which had been due to take place in Bali last month.
He insisted that their relationship was fine and said they didn"t want to marry while he was on his solo tour.
Special day: Brian McFadden took his two daughters to a church in Dublin for their First Holy Communion
Westlife invited to Brian's wedding
Brian said he is planning to invite the other member of Westlife to his wedding with Australian singer Delta Goodrem. No date has yet been set for the big day but it is expected Brian will marry his pop star fiancee in 2009. The father-of-two, who was previously married to Kerry Katona, said: "It's more realistically going to be 2009, due to our massive workload. We don't want our wedding to be squeezed in between Delta doing a gig and me shooting a video. We want to have space and time to enjoy it."
The four remaining Westlife members - Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, Nicky Byrne and Shane Filan - all attended his first wedding to former Atomic Kitten Kerry. But Brian said he was not sure the boys could go this time. "I'll be inviting them. Whether they come or not is a different matter," he said. "It'll be hard enough to plan a wedding around our schedules, let alone theirs."
15th March 2009 - Brian About Westlife On The Late Late Show
Pat Kenny: What about Westlife? I mean, there were so many saying that when you left it would stop. In fact it hasn't, it's got even bigger maybe. Brian: Well I think what was the great thing about Westlife was that not one member was ever bigger than the rest. It was, the five of us together was great but then you'd take one out, it never made a difference. There was many times that one member would be sick and the band was still strong. Then the boys are so hungry as well, you know, they really love what they do and there'll be a long time till they stop.
Pat Kenny: yeah, do you've any regrets though when you look back and you think 'It was a great time ok bit for straiting aways but...'? Brian: No regrets at all. The one regret I've had was when I'd seen the boys playing Croke Park. That was a kick in the ass, I swear to God. I was still in Australia and I was watching it on the news and I was just like 'Woooah!'. Cause the one thing we said from day one was 'One day we wanna play Croke Park. We've seen Gareth Brooks playing there and U2 and we'd said the day we'd made it the day we'd play Croke Park and I never got to. Anyways I played Lansdown Road which was amazing and Markevich Park in Sligo but...
Pat Kenny: But you nearly got to play Croke Park. I mean, there were plans on foot when you were still in the band to play Croke Park and it never happened. Why didn't happen? Brian: I don't know. I think Croke Park kinda put on something like four concerts a year or certain amount and they'd always reached that number by the time we decided to do it, so we had to setle for Lansdown Road which was still a nice place to play.
Pat Kenny: So it never happened though. That's the big regret you have. Brian: But they've done it now and I was watching all the clips on Youtube and it looked amazing. That's the one thing since I've left the band that I'm watching all 'Woah...'. I wish I'd been there for that.
Pat Kenny: What about your solo carrer as a musician / songwritter? Brian: Solo career has been great. Well it was really interesting going over there because it was the first place in the world I've gone to where Westlife we hadn't really had much success there so there nobody really knew. You know, they're not like here where Westlife is a household name. It was pretty unknown when I went over there so people had no idea who I was so I was really starting from scratch again.
Pat Kenny: You go back to the glory days of Westlife and you had tens of thousand people at your fingertips... (talking about how Brian now performs in front of small audiences in contrast to his days in Westlife) Brian: Yeah... But I did that. You know, I did that and now it's nice to start from scratch again cause hopefully one day I'll be back playig the same level again on my own. But it takes a long time and you know, we were, Westlife were a one off thing and that doesn't happen everyday. And the chances to doing that twice are not likely but I really enjoy the hunt of chasing it again. Like you know, every time something happens like when my album went Gold in Australia for me that was massive. In the Westlife days if the album didn't go Platinum we were all upset. But now getting Gold or, you know, just achieving something it just feels so great.
I was an arrogant idiot, admits Brian McFadden
Mar 29 2008 Beverley Lyons And Laura Sutherland
BRIAN McFadden admits he was an arrogant idiot who believed his own hype when he embarked on his first solo deal after quitting Westlife.
He claims his already large ego grew in 2004 following the success of first single Real To Me, which led to an album deal with the record giant Sony BMG.
He said: "You do start to believe your own hype. I was very arrogant. And because of the money they spent and the deal I got there was not enough for them to make a profit.
"I could have not taken the p*** with my deal and sold 800,000 albums and everyone would have money. But I had to be an idiot."
The Irish star's confession comes as he launches a second solo album, Set In Stone, on his own label and amid news that he asked - and was turned down - to rejoin Westlife last year.
Brian, 27, says he insisted on being treated like a proper star and wanted no expense spared.
He said: "I had to have first-class flights for me and my team that I didn't need, but I wanted to take advantage for the things they'd done in the past."
His management negotiated huge royalty points for every album sold and he insisted on his team being given two cars at all time - one for smokers, one for non-smokers. He said: "I even had a hairdresser on a retainer of £100,000 a year. It was ridiculous.
"They'd taken the p*** out of us in Westlife for so long, so many things annoyed me, so I took the p*** out of them in my deal. And it came back to bite me in the a**e."
Brian reckons his first album was doomed due to his split with Kerry Katona and fresh relationship with Delta Goodrem, which left his fans with a bad taste in their mouths.
He said: "I could have taken the 10 biggest-selling songs from around the world that year for my album and I still wouldn't have sold anything. It's frustrating."
Brian believes Sony BMG got their revenge when he was due to make his second solo album, telling Australia's Herald Sun that their A&R man tried to pigeonhole him.
Brian said: "He'd play me the No.1 that week - James Morrison, Paolo Nutini, Scissor Sisters - and say 'You need to sound more like that'. But I don't want to be James Blunt, I want to be Brian McFadden.
"The pigeonhole of the song he wanted me to write kept shrinking - no love lyrics, no hate lyrics, no dark melodies. I lost my rag."
Brian split with Sony BMG and believes funding his own material on his label BMF records was the best move he could make. He said: "From there things took off. Every song I wrote I could decide if it was good enough."
Set In Stone is due for release in the UK in the summer.
McFadden: Westlife fans were 'nuts' Sunday, November 2 2008, 00:22 GMT
By Michael Thornton
Brian McFadden has admitted that he struggled to deal with the enthusiasm of Westlife fans.
The singer left the boyband in 2004 after six years and has since attempted to forge out a solo career. Now he claims to have a more sedate following than in his time with the group.
"Back in the Westlife days I might have thought: 'Not you again'. The fans did get a bit much, but they were very young, of course," he said.
"It's not like that now because a lot of my fans are in their 20s or my age, but yes, back in the Westlife days it was like: 'Oh my God, here they come again - they're nuts!'"
Brian McFadden scores second Aussie No.1 Monday,
Brian McFadden has scored his second No.1 on the Australian singles chart.
'Just Say So' - featuring, co-written and produced by Kevin Rudolf - debuts in the top spot this week, ending Train's month-long reign at the summit with 'Hey, Soul Sister'.
The former Westlife singer previously reached the top with 'Like Only A Woman Can' in 2007.
Train slip to second position this week, while 'I Like That', a dance collaboration between US DJs Richard Vission and Static Revenger, holds steady at three.
Meanwhile, American Idol star Adam Lambert scores his first Aussie top ten hit after climbing from 11 to five with 'Whataya Want From Me'.
Lady GaGa's latest Antipodean release, 'Alejandro', also enters the top ten this week, leaping from 28 to six to become her seventh Aussie top ten hit in less than two years.
1. (-) Brian McFadden ft. Kevin Rudolf: 'Just Say So' 2. (1) Train: 'Hey, Soul Sister' 3. (3) Richard Vission & Static Revenger ft. Luciana: 'I Like That' 4. (2) Jason Derulo: 'In My Head' 5. (11) Adam Lambert: 'Whataya Want From Me' 6. (28) Lady GaGa: 'Alejandro' 7. (8) B.o.B. ft. Bruno Mars: 'Nothin' On You' 8. (7) Kevin Rudolf: 'I Made It' 9. Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris: 'Baby' 10. (15) Usher ft. will.i.am: 'OMG'
Brian McFadden has caused controversy by reportedly having a fiery exchange with a British contestant on 'Australia's Got Talent'.
The former Westlife singer is a judge on the programme, and it is alleged an argument broke out on the set of the talent show after a 50-year-old mother of two, Anne Ferguson-Howe, completed a comedy routine and was being questioned by the panel of judges.
Ferguson-Howe reportedly commented on another judge's controversial background at which point it is claimed McFadden "pulled his mike off, climbed on stage and very cleverly, without anyone hearing, said: 'Why don't you just **** off back to England,"
AdvertisementSydney's Daily Telegraph reports Ferguson-Howe as saying: "I'm a thick-skinned woman of 50 who loves a laugh but if it had been a 20-year-old girl the size I am with low self-esteem I think I would have gone home and shot myself."
A spokesperson for Channel 7, which broadcasts the show, said: All contestants who take part in the auditions know what to expect . the exchange was unacceptable and didn't fit with the vibe of the show, so it was deleted."
McFadden was so amazed by the youngster that he ran on stage and kissed him on the cheek.
He said: "You are a superstar I can just go home now. Job done."
singer NICKY BYRNE is aiming to spend the festive period in the comfort of his living room chair - watching an endless stream of classic movies on TV. The Irish star's annual Christmas ritual is to take in film after film - an activity that can only be rivaled by the unwrapping of gifts. He says, "The best thing about Christmas is all the presents and the films that are on the telly. All the movies that are on like Star Wars and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and
Home Alone, Superman, Back To the Future, Superman. I love all
that."
the cranberries & westlife
live-vatican 2001
(funny) last christmas-westlife -
at nolaig shona
mark feehily- oh holy night
Westlife appear in mizz magazine 2007-12-07
Life s a dream, Miss hooked up with Irish charmers
Westlife to get the low-down on their plans for christmas and which celeb lads they find good looking Hey guys, What.s
the best thing about Christmas for you??> Shane: I think for the four of us, because of what we do, were all based out of Ireland, so Christmas is when we get to go back home. I haven.t been home with my friends and family for months." Nicky: "For me this year, Santa Claus is coming to our house for the first time, so that,s going to be pretty special. What do you like to have with your turkey?? Shane: I have egg mayonnaise and vegetable soup. Nicky: Soup as well, and smoked salmon" Mark: Prawn cocktail... Egg mayo-random - Ever found anything strange in your stocking?? Shane: A toenail, I never hang a stocking up - our presents just go under the tree" Mark: We put stocking up as decoration on our fireplace. Shane: I think Christmas stockings might be more of a uk thing. In Ireland, I don,t know anyone who has one.. Interesting. Do you have any unusual traditions in your families./ Nicky : My sisters and I always used to go to over to my nanas place, and our cousins would come too.
Then one of us would be picked to hand out all the presents that year. Shane: The toy show- thats what the uk missed out on big time.. The toy Show.... Shane: It was on three weeks before christmas and it would show you the newest toys coming out, The biggest thing ever when you,re young. Mark: Parents stopped grounding you. Instead they say,
you,r not allowed to watch the toy show.
This lad pushed someone into the mud and he wasn,t allowed to watch it. Did it ruin christmas, Mark: It ruined his life.. Shane: Yeah he,s in jail now cause he wasn,t allowed to watch it. Yeah right, which band member would most like to be your secret Santa. Nicky: Id want kina because has very thoughtful when it comes to presents. Kian: Really?? Nicky: No hahahaha And if you spending limit was just a pound?? M:I had a contest with my friend recently we stopped in a 24 hour supermarket to see who could get the most for a pound. I won by miles. What did you buy then.??? Mark: Toothpicks, music a plug, honestly... But who on earth would want a plug as a secret Santa present?? Shane: True but is still want mark to be my secret Santa. cause he get the most for his money. If you were off to a christmas fancy dress party, what would you go as.. Shane: A christmas tree, with my hands out on either side and my head sticking through the top. Nicky: I guess its inventive, I was going to say an elf, but a tress is better by far. Would you rather be a reindeer or one of Santa,s elves... Mark: A reindeer, cause they an fly. Shane: Id rather be an elf Mark: And elf,s a slave a reindeer gets to fly all over the world. Shane: A reindeer is a slave too, it has to go wherever its told. Mark: You be stuck inside all day making toys Shane: Why don,t I just get in an aeroplane. Boys... changing the subject, are you still in touch with Brian McFadden, and will you be getting him a present. Mark: no present but we still talk to him?? Nicky: We don,t even get each other presents at mass time.. K:I was embarrassed one year, just giving them cards. I thought they all laugh at me. Shane: and we did loll Meanies. If you were single, which celeb would you most want to kiss under the mistletoe? Shane: The best looking woman in the world. In my opinion, Charlize theron - very classy and elegant. Nicky: I think scarlet Johansson is nice Kian: I disagree, I think she,s got a funny nose. I like Gisele Bundchen, the supermodel. Mark: Delta Goodrem, haha not that im going kiss delta. For many reasons. Lets hope Brian doesn,t read this.. With you talking about his girlfriend like that,. Nicky :Who would you kiss then?? Josh Hartnert. Shane: Yeah he,s a good looking guy. Kian: I think he,s a bit weird looking though.>> Nicky :Ryan Phillipe good looking he looks like Justin Shane : Yeah he,s a decent looking lad, he just cool. Kian :He,s got a funny nose too What is it you and noses Kian OK Its quiz time now.. In the 12 days of Christmas. What was sent on the eight day. Shane :I haven got a clue,. Lots of turtle doves and a pear tress. Wrong it was 8 maids a milking, (They all start singing the song)Name all eight of santas reindeer.. Rudolph, Prancer, Dancer, Blitzen, Dasher, thats all I know. Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitsen, Right, next question, complete the verse.. He,s making a list and checking it twice Nicky: That,s too easy Mark: he,s gonna find out who naughty or nice Shane: Santa clause is coming to town And finally. Who got last years Christmas number one.. Nicky: Shayne ward,, no Leona Lewis.
Correct and a Merry Christmas to you all
15.12.2008 Christmas Message 2008 To all our fans...
Well what an amazing year it's been!! The tour, Croke Park, the DVD...it's been another incredible 12 months for Westlife so thanks to you all for making it possible.
Our New Year's resolution is to make our best and most exciting album to date! 2009 will be all about recording new music and getting back to see all our fans again. We hope you've been missing us...it's going to be a very exciting year!!
Hope you all have a great Xmas and an even better New Year. See you in 2009.
Feehily Has Faced Death Threats WESTLIFE star MARK FEEHILY has allegedly received a string of "death threats" since he went public with his sexuality - insisting he has been bombarded with "abuse for being gay". The Irish singer stunned fans in 2005 when he opened up about his homosexuality, having kept his secret since he shot to fame with the band.
Feehily is glad he told the truth about his private life, but admits he has been targeted by homophobes since he 'came out'.
He tells Britain's Daily Star Sunday newspaper, "I'm the one who always gets the death threats and hate mail. It's generally abuse for being gay from a few psychos."
MARK FEEHILY EMBARRASSED BY LPWestlife star Mark Feehily is embarrassed by his band's 'Rat Pack' album 'Allow Us To Be Frank'.
Mark Feehily wants to "forget" about Westlife's 'Rat Pack' album 'Allow Us To Be Frank'.
The 29-year-old singer admits the band didn't want to release the LP - featuring covers of classic swing tracks - but insists their record company thought it would be a good idea after seeing the success of Robbie Williams' 'Swing when You're Winning'.
He said: "That was a weird time in our career, really. I'm not making excuses for it, but Brian McFadden had just left. We kind of didn't know what to do... Everyone was a bit like, 'Well this can't be some kind of mediocre pop album', and you know Robbie had just gone out with his and when we heard the idea first, we were just like, 'Well Robbie's just done this, why don't we just come up with our own little twist instead of doing something like that?' "
Mark said by the time they'd spent six months promoting the album, he was completely sick of it.
He said: "We eventually bought into it... but obviously you have to promote for six months and then you tour and stuff, so by the end of the tour we were ready to put that one behind us."
2009
Westlife's Mark, Nicky, Shane and Kian helping seven-year-old Ishthara Larkin switch on the Christmas lights on Dublin's Grafton Street. Thousands of fans packed the street to see the pop stars do the honours outside Brown Thomas.
Westlife: 'Louis Walsh fired us twice' Westlife have revealed how manager Louis Walsh sacked them twice during their rise to fame.
The Irish boyband said that although the X Factor judge has mentored them since the early '90s, there have been two occasions where Walsh has claimed that he was finished with the group.
"He's fired us twice!" Contactmusic quotes singer Shane Filan as saying. "He thought we were being arrogant little rock stars and said, 'Look I can't deal with you'.
"Two years later the same sort of thing happened again - he just got a vibe that we were a little bit too big for our boots. We were all genuinely devastated. I was crying."
ENTERTAINMENT:New heart to old soul 2009/12/20
After a year hiatus, Westlife which has churned out 10 albums and 14 No.1 hits in the past decade is back. PETRINA JO FERNANDEZ talks to one of its members, Shane Filan, to find out what makes it tick.
THEY rocked with their soulful crooning and it looks like they back with more.
Westlife, whose hits in the past decade include Flying Without Wings, World of Our Own, What Makes a Man and Fool Again, are returning to their pop roots in their latest album.
Featuring hit singles such as Shadows, What About Now and the album title track Where We Are, this latest production promises the band trademark ballads with a whole new rhythm.
Heartthrobs Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne make up the boyband.
With 10 chart-topping albums and 14 No. 1 hits (trailing only Elvis Presley and the Beatles), Where We Are is the band"s testimony of their journey from boyhood to manhood.
All the way at home in Ireland, Shane spills the beans on Westlife"s new album and their incredible adventure so far.
QUESTION: What have you been up to recently? SHANE FILAN: I been home Westlife is returning to its pop roots.
Shane Filan the last couple of days; took a few days off. My wife and I put up the Christmas tree with my kids, and it was a lot of fun.
We put on Santa hats and sang Christmas songs. The kids are so excited. My little boy is just a year old but he can already say Santa even though he doesn"t know what it means. My daughter is four and she keeps asking me when Santa"s coming (laughs).
It"s going to be a great Christmas.
Q: Westlife took a year off before coming out with Where We Are. What did you do? SF: I had a holiday at home; we all did our own thing for the fi rst time in nine years. My wife had a baby so it was a really busy year for me as a family man. Musically, it was great to sit and look back at how far we come since we first started out.
Q: What does Where We Are mean? SF: It"s supposed to be ironic.
We showing our fans where we are as a band, 11 years into our career.
Q: How is this different from your previous albums? SF: I think it"s our best album to date. It"s strong pop music with an original sound that is purely Westlife. It"s powerful.
We stayed away from covers this time we wanted to capture the originality we had in our fi rst couple of albums.
As for the songs, they are written by the best in the industry. We got Ryan Tedder (who written songs for Leona Lewis and Beyonce), Steve Robson (James Morrison), Steve Booker (Duffy) and Sam Watters (Whitney Houston, Anastacia).
They an incredibly talented bunch, and they crafted amazing songs for us.
Q: Tell us about your hit single Shadows.
SF: It was co-written by A.J.
Mclean from the Backstreet Boys. Shadows is a new direction for us, but it"s not too far from the type of sound we do. It"s just a really great love song.
Q: And your favourite track? SF: Defi nitely Shadows. The vocals are the best. We pushed ourselves like never before with this song. You have to listen to it; it"s terrifi c.
Q: How have you grown both musically and as a band in the last 11 years? SF: Well, our music has stayed pretty similar from when we fi rst started out. I think that when you have a terrifi c sound and people like your music, it"s important not to change too much.
So we are staying close to what makes Westlife works.
As a band, we definitely become closer, especially after Bryan (McFadden) left the group.
Q: You once said that Where We Are is phase two of the Westlife"s story. Can you elaborate? SF: It"s our fi rst album of our second decade together. We have to keep looking to the future to stay relevant there will be more originality both in songs and music.
It"s time for us to create new material, and we starting with Where We Are.
As I mentioned earlier, this is the best album we ever made. It reflects our journey this last decade. It"s not good it"s great.
Q: Do you listen to your own songs? SF: Of course! I listen to Where We Are in my car all the time now.
In fact, my daughter loves this album. She"s a big fan of Westlife. She understands I"m in a band and that it"s me, Mark, Kian and Nicky singing on those albums.
Every time she gets in the car now, she says Put on daddy"s song! She"s my biggest fan (laughs).
Westlife is returning to its pop roots.
Q: Lastly, after more than a decade and 10 albums, how would you describe Westlife"s journey so far? SF: It"s been absolutely amazing. We never thought we last this long or enjoy this much success.
I mean, take the time we last toured Malaysia there we were, a million miles away from home, and we had fans who gave us a terrific reception! It was unbelievable.
The good news is, if things work out, we will be here on tour soon!
2009 Interview: Jordan Paramor Portrait: Nicky Johnston
We all know they deal with Westlife - they sit on stools, wear dark suits and sing ballads. But not any more!
In a shock move, the boys reveal exclusively to heat that they're ditching the stools as they prepare to unleash their new album. What will they do during those dramatic key changes? Will they ever sing sitting down again? And what were their favourite kind of stools? These and some even more important questions are answered - right here!
You've just had a whole year off - What the hell have you been doing? Shane: Chilling out and doing sweet fuck all. I was at home hanging out with my family, and my wife had a baby boy, Patrick. I played football, golf, went to the gym... Nicky: We've been able to spend time with our kids and do the things we can't normally do. We got to reflect and learn to miss it all. Mark: It was hard being in the middle of the whole Westlife thing and trying to work out what you want from life. It's like trying to meditate in Leicester Square on New Year's Eve or something. We needed to work out what we wanted. Also, I went travelling with [my partner] Kevin, which was amazing. Kian: I was mainly planning my wedding. Also, my dad passed away so I didn't do all the things I was planning to do because I wanted to be close to home. I also put a girl band together with Louis, who are recording at the minute and releasing next year.
Where's the weirdest place you were recognised on your tavels? M: In a forest in a remote part of Bali. This little Balinese man was wheeling his trolley along and wearing one of those big straw hats and he looked up, saw me and shouted, "Westlife!" It was so surreal!
Did you have to fight your record company for the year off? M: They were actually really understanding. We'd done nine albums in nine years. N: We were actually supposed to take a year off in 2004 when Brian was still in the band, but we couldn't after he left because people were worried that the band wouldn't survive.
How much did you see each other during the year off? M: We were chatting every few weeks. We saw each other at Kian's wedding, Nicky's birthday party... N: The biggest gap was about four months. M: But we all needed a break. It's easy to loose yourself in the madness of being in the band.
Did any of you not want to come back? S: No. It made me realise how lucky we are. K: I could have handled another year off, but I also really wanted to do a new album.
Did any of you think about doing solo projects like Girls Aloud? [All shake their head.] S: Not at all. I don't give a shite about being a solo artist. We're in one of the biggest bands in the world and to do it on your own would be very lonely. M: I don't think any of us have it in us to be a solo star. We're not fame hungry. K: We want success, not fame. S: Don't get us wrong, we still have egos, but not so much that we want solo success.
Do you argue a lot? S: Of course. But they're more like discussions than arguments. M: We're all very passionate about what we do.. there can be raised voices.
Have any of you ever punched each other? S: No, there's never been a punch. M: There have been some shin kicks and bitch kicks, though. S: And the odd locking of heads where you're like, "Fuck off. You're really annoying me."
Aren't you bored of singing ballads? K: [Shrugs.] We are what we are. S: We make songs for our fans and if you don't like it... K: We got comments after our X Factor performance like: "Laser lights and leather aren't going to make you cool, lads." We weren't trying to be cool, we were being us. S: There are fuck-all ballads on this new album, they're more mid-tempo tracks. N: Oh, there are ballads. You can't say that. I do get why people would take the piss when we're on a TV show wearing a suit, sitting on stools and singing Michael Buble's Home. I get it.
Do you worry about getting older? Would you ever have surgery? M: I've thought about botox, but it's scary. K: If I look massively different in ten years, I would like to slow things down. Why not?
Will you get plugs if you go bald? N: [Nods.] I think that's something I would look at. S: I would never rule it out. M: My dad has, like, zero hair. K: If I wasn't in the public eye, I wouldn't give a toss. But I am, so I'd rather... S: ...have hair to comb?
Your fans are older now - do you get filthier banners at concerts? N: [Smiles.] They don't say "We love you" or "Wave to us" anymore. S: Some of them are shameless. They'll literally say "Fuck me." One said "I want to taste a pint of your Irish cream." M: A pint is a lot, mind. She should start with a half.
What age was the oldest fan who's propositioned you? M: Oh God, old. Recently this woman in her late 50s came up to me, held my hand, looked deep into my eyes and said, "Mark, I really, really, really, really love you." She was so intense. S: She was probably trying to hypnotise you into being straight. One woman turned up to a signing in a fucking wedding dress and wanted to marry Mark. You always get the nutters. M: And I've got a boyfriend, for God's sake!
How are things with Kevin? M: [Beaming] Fantastic. We've been together for five years now, and we live together. He's really amazing. He's the missing piece for the jigsaw pazzle for me. It wasn't coming out that completed me, it was finding him. He lights me up. He's the missing part of me.
Would you ever let Brian back? S: No. And I don't think he'd want to come back. Never say never about us all singing together again, but we will never get back together as a five-piece.
Has he ever asked to rejoin? He must be a bit gutted you're doing so well. S: No. We were chatting to him last weekend and he was saying how happy he is with his life and Delta, and how he doesn't miss the band at all. M: It's been six years since he left and we've all moved on. He's been out of the band longer than he was in it.
You knew Kerry Katona really well when she was married to Brian - are you still in touch? M: Kerry's not actually in our lives anymore. N: heat probably know her better than we do now. We haven't seen her in ages. K: It's like she's a foreign person to us. She's not the same person we knew. M: We still love her and we were very close to her and we hope she's OK. We want her to be happy. We're used to hearing mad stories about her, but in the beginning I was shocked and very sad. But she always made her own decisions and did whatever she wanted.
Who's the biggest partier in Westlife? K: Probably me and Mark, as the others have kids. S: I like having a drink once a week, or if there's an event. I love getting drunk, but the hungovers are a fucking nightmare. K: I probably get the most drunk out of everybody. Nicky doesn't get hammered anymore. M: I can't drink any more when I'm recording as it ruins my voice. Although I did record one single on the new album, Shadows, after being out until 5.30am and it sounded great!
Tell us about some of your craziest drunken nights out... S: Nicky and I were in Belgium once and I was so drunk I was lying on the floor of this bar and Nicky wouldn't let me get up. He kept putting his foot on my chest to stop me and I was lying there, rolling around and laughing. Then he had a row witht he barman because he was refusing to serve him at 3.30am, so he told him to fuck off and stormed out, leaving me with three very angry men. I was like, "Thanks, Nicky." N: Shane rang me saying he thought these guys were going to kick his head in, so I had to run back and save him.
What was your best drunken night out? K: When we were in a chip shop in South Africa years ago, so drunk. I filmed the others abusing the shit out of each other. [Laughing] Nicky and Shane were picking up sauce and splatting it all in Mark's face, and he just sat there taking it. Then they started throwing things at each other and their eyes were all over the place. I still piss myself when I watch the video back.
Who do you think is going to win the X Factor? S: I'd like to see Olly win it. N: I'd like to see Lucie win it. K: They'll be in the final without a doubt. I had Danyl pegged as a winer, but people don't seem to like him.
Do you think Jedward could win? S: They're the most entertaining act, without a doubt. I don't know if they'll have a pop career, but they'll have a TV career. If they did the John & Edward Show, I'd probably fucking watching it. M: Look at how well the Cheeky Girls did. S: Jedward will make a lot of money out of just turning up to parties and singing. M: The funniest thing is that when we went to Simon's house in America earlier this year, he took us into the cinema to show us some footage of The X Factor before it had started, and the clip he showed us was of John & Edward's audition. Simon was using them to showcase the series before they'd even been picked. Poeple thought Louise was mad to put them through, but even Simon knew they had something.
WESTLIFE ARE DITCHING THE STOOLS FOR GOOD. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
So you're ditching the stools! M: Yes, we're coming back with a fresh new sound - the suits and the stools have gone.
Did you just use stools because you're lazy? N: [Grins.] Yes. K: It's nice to have a bit of a rest while you're singing.
What will you do during key changes now you won't be rising up off stools? N: [Laughs.] Have you ever seen Westlife in concert? We've probably only sat on stools twice in ten years, honestly. We put on a proper show at our gigs.
What are your favourite kind of stools? S: The ones that go up and down and swivel. N: I've got some nice bar stools.
Have you ever have a stool-related accident? M: I was on Frank Skinner's show and my stool collapsed half way through the interview, and I ended up on the floor. It's on YouTube if you want to laugh at me.
Has Gillian McKeith ever tried to get her hands on your stools? S: Ewww, no. M: But she can have them. We don't need them anymore.
Westlife's album 'Where We Are' is released on 30 November.
Have you ever have a stool-related accident? M: I was on Frank Skinner's show and my stool collapsed half way through the interview, and I ended up on the floor. It's on YouTube if you want to laugh at me.
ENTERTAINMENT:New heart to old soul 2009/12/20
After a year hiatus, Westlife which has churned out 10 albums and 14 No.1 hits in the past decade is back. PETRINA JO FERNANDEZ talks to one of its members, Shane Filan, to find out what makes it tick.
THEY rocked with their soulful crooning and it looks like they back with more.
Westlife, whose hits in the past decade include Flying Without Wings, World of Our Own, What Makes a Man and Fool Again, are returning to their pop roots in their latest album.
Featuring hit singles such as Shadows, What About Now and the album title track Where We Are, this latest production promises the band trademark ballads with a whole new rhythm.
Heartthrobs Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne make up the boyband.
With 10 chart-topping albums and 14 No. 1 hits (trailing only Elvis Presley and the Beatles), Where We Are is the band"s testimony of their journey from boyhood to manhood.
All the way at home in Ireland, Shane spills the beans on Westlife"s new album and their incredible adventure so far.
QUESTION: What have you been up to recently? SHANE FILAN: I been home Westlife is returning to its pop roots.
Shane Filan the last couple of days; took a few days off. My wife and I put up the Christmas tree with my kids, and it was a lot of fun.
We put on Santa hats and sang Christmas songs. The kids are so excited. My little boy is just a year old but he can already say Santa even though he doesn"t know what it means. My daughter is four and she keeps asking me when Santa"s coming (laughs).
It"s going to be a great Christmas.
Q: Westlife took a year off before coming out with Where We Are. What did you do? SF: I had a holiday at home; we all did our own thing for the fi rst time in nine years. My wife had a baby so it was a really busy year for me as a family man. Musically, it was great to sit and look back at how far we come since we first started out.
Q: What does Where We Are mean? SF: It"s supposed to be ironic.
We showing our fans where we are as a band, 11 years into our career.
Q: How is this different from your previous albums? SF: I think it"s our best album to date. It"s strong pop music with an original sound that is purely Westlife. It"s powerful.
We stayed away from covers this time we wanted to capture the originality we had in our fi rst couple of albums.
As for the songs, they are written by the best in the industry. We got Ryan Tedder (who written songs for Leona Lewis and Beyonce), Steve Robson (James Morrison), Steve Booker (Duffy) and Sam Watters (Whitney Houston, Anastacia).
They an incredibly talented bunch, and they crafted amazing songs for us.
Q: Tell us about your hit single Shadows.
SF: It was co-written by A.J.
Mclean from the Backstreet Boys. Shadows is a new direction for us, but it"s not too far from the type of sound we do. It"s just a really great love song.
Q: And your favourite track? SF: Defi nitely Shadows. The vocals are the best. We pushed ourselves like never before with this song. You have to listen to it; it"s terrifi c.
Q: How have you grown both musically and as a band in the last 11 years? SF: Well, our music has stayed pretty similar from when we fi rst started out. I think that when you have a terrifi c sound and people like your music, it"s important not to change too much.
So we are staying close to what makes Westlife works.
As a band, we definitely become closer, especially after Bryan (McFadden) left the group.
Q: You once said that Where We Are is phase two of the Westlife"s story. Can you elaborate? SF: It"s our fi rst album of our second decade together. We have to keep looking to the future to stay relevant there will be more originality both in songs and music.
It"s time for us to create new material, and we starting with Where We Are.
As I mentioned earlier, this is the best album we ever made. It reflects our journey this last decade. It"s not good it"s great.
Q: Do you listen to your own songs? SF: Of course! I listen to Where We Are in my car all the time now.
In fact, my daughter loves this album. She"s a big fan of Westlife. She understands I"m in a band and that it"s me, Mark, Kian and Nicky singing on those albums.
Every time she gets in the car now, she says Put on daddy"s song! She"s my biggest fan (laughs).
Westlife is returning to its pop roots.
Q: Lastly, after more than a decade and 10 albums, how would you describe Westlife"s journey so far? SF: It"s been absolutely amazing. We never thought we last this long or enjoy this much success.
I mean, take the time we last toured Malaysia there we were, a million miles away from home, and we had fans who gave us a terrific reception! It was unbelievable.
The good news is, if things work out, we will be here on tour soon!
Pregnant singer and actress Jodi Albert is pictured stroking her baby-bump on London's South Bank as she records a cookery article with fellow Wonderland members Kasey Smith and Corrina Durran for the This Morning show. - Simon Earl / Splash News
Pregnant singer Jodi Albert said she's had cravings for crunching ice and chocolate so far.
The 28-year-old star is expecting her first baby with husband and Westlife singer Kian Egan and recently attended Pixie Lott's launch of her new clothing line for Lipsy at Public nightclub in London.
Speaking about her pregnancy, she said to UK's MailOnline: 'I'm six and a half months and I love it. Kian is being really doting over me and doing things like rubbing my back and we can't wait for the new arrival.
'I've been really lucky. I haven't suffered and the only cravings I have had have been for chocolate, which I eat anyway, and for crunchy ice, which is a bit weird.'
WESTLIFE star Mark Feehily has called for gay marriage to be made legal.
The singer said he wishes he could marry boyfriend Kevin McDaid without any restrictions and be afforded the same rights as his bandmates.
Mark, 30, added: "Like anyone else I want equality. I want to have the choice to get married wherever I want, just like everybody else.
"I am still reading up on different legislation matters about getting married, I'm still learning loads about it.
"But at the end of the day I would just like to be like any of my friends and the other members of the band and have the choice to get married whenever, wherever I want, be it Ireland or anywhere."
The star said he can't escape all the wedding talk as everyone wants to hear what the boys plan to do on their big day.
He added: "Everyone's asking me did we set a date, we haven't as yet because we haven't been engaged that long really.
"It's only been since January so it's not that long at all really. We are still enjoying the moment.
"We are always talking about it and thinking of dates, places and times.
"Everyday we are getting closer to the date and time. We are looking into a lot of different options for now." The star also revealed Westlife are gearing up to release their new album in November.
He said: "It's going to be great - we got a great response to our new single after they played clips of it on the X Factor last week.
"It's an original song and we think that our fans will love it. It's very Westlife."
Mark revealed that the muchloved foursome are desperate to appear on this year's talent show and perform their new track.
He added: "We have appeared on it every year so far but we would never take it for granted and expect that we would automatically be on it.
"We won't be jumping up and down though until we get the call.
"But I have to say that we would love to go on it this year again."
We still think about Stephen every day, says Westlife Mark
Monday October 2010
WESTLIFE'S Mark Feehily admits that he is still haunted by the death of Boyzone's Stephen Gately one year after his tragic passing.
The Sligo-born singer explained how he and his fellow bandmates; Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan and Kian Egan could not attend an anniversary service in memory of the singer, which took place at the St Laurence O'Toole church on Sheriff Street, as they were in London for a photoshoot.
"We still think about Stephen and talk about him, it's not that the situation has left our minds at all," he said, adding he was also hit by Gerry Ryan's death.
ASHES
"I mean even on Wednesday morning I was at home in Sligo and I almost went to go and turn on the radio to listen to Gerry Ryan. You know it's tough and you do think about them a lot," he added.
The star added that he knew nothing about the alleged falling out between the family of Stephen Gately and the late pop star's husband Andrew Cowles over the scattering of his ashes earlier this month.
"I suppose it's a very sensitive subject, only the family and him [Cowles] will ever know what really happened.
"It's like politics."
Mark, who got engaged to his longtime partner Kevin McDaid last January, says they are planning their nuptials.
The star says they have yet to decide on a date or venue, but feels strongly that they should have the right to hold their civil partnership in Ireland if they so choose. "I would love to have the choice to marry in Ireland, it's just a matter of being equal to everyone else," Mark explained.
outlets
"I think I should have the choice. Ireland has come a long way but there's still a long way to go. Right now we're an engaged couple. We're brainstorming at the moment. It's probably going to be the best day of our lives so we want to make it really special," he added.
Mark also spoke of his excitement ahead of Westlife's first official concert at the O2 which takes place on April 2.
Tickets for the gig went on sale last Friday at 9am from all usual outlets and are expected to sell out fast. "We've never actually played the O2 to full capacity before.
"The acoustic gig was more of an intimate, small performance so we're all very excited," Mark explained.
"We're just meeting our creative team at the moment to make all the plans."
lnolan@herald.ie
2011 Nicky Byrne, 32, is one quarter of Irish boy band Westlife, who have just released their 11th album, Gravity, and are about to start their ninth British tour.
Does being in Westlife ever get monotonous? It does, to be honest. We're 12 years in. It's all we've ever done since we were teenagers. Every job does become monotonous at times but it's a fantastic one.
Have you got fed up with singing cover versions? We were spoilt by the amount of quality original songs we had when we first started. Things such as Flying Without Wings, Swear It Again and Fool Again were amazing pop songs. To keep your career going when you don't have those quality songs coming in abundance, you've got to do something. In the latter part of our career, every time we went in to do an album it was about what cover we could do. It was frustrating because we're better than that.
Are you happy with the current album? Delighted. We put our foot down a bit and worked with John Shanks, and did it in his house in LA. It was the first time we've worked with just one producer. We were more involved in the songwriting.
What do you listen to yourself? A lot of chart music but a bit of everything. I love the Black Eyed Peas and you can't get away from Rihanna. The Script are very good. I like some 1980s stuff. Just one-off songs such as Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship.
Do you have any musical pet hates? I was never a big Finley Quaye fan and I don't like really heavy metal.
What's the worst gig you've done? We did a promotional tour of the US in 2000. We did a local radio station roadshow in a big football stadium. There were ten acts on and about five people standing at the front barrier, and the rest of the place was empty. I just remember thinking: This is a ball of s***e.
Are you disappointed you never cracked the US? We all would have liked to. You never admit defeat. Pop had been so prominent in the US with Britney, Christina, Backstreet Boys and Sync they had three or four years before we got there. The boy band thing worked against us there because people were fed up with it. Our US label sent World Of Our Own to radio stations in LA and New York without our name on it. It got a good response but when they found out who it was they wouldn't playlist it as they weren't supporting boy bands.
What lesson has the music industry taught you? It's not a nice industry. Until I was 19, I had a footballing background. That's a very upfront world; the music industry is the opposite. Problems are sorted out in the press he's said this about this person, someone else has said XYZ, you hear things from producers or record company people back through the grapevine months later. It's not nice but I've got no regrets. I've met a million nice people and nothing beats performing to a crowd.
Louis Walsh used to place ridiculous stories in the press about you. What was the worst? He did it in the early days with Boyzone too. Before I was in Westlife, I read a story about Boyzone being in a plane crash in Australia; it wasn't true but it gets the name out there, I suppose. He's come up with some quirky, mad stories. There was one about Shane falling off the stage and leaving in a wheelchair; we were walking through an airport in Germany at the time when we read about it and there was nothing wrong with him. The thing is, Louis never tells you he's done it.
What's been your most extravagant purchase? When Westlife first kicked off, we all got into cars and watches. We all had Ferraris at one point. Anybody who doesnt come from money who earns a lot of cash very quickly will do crazy things. I would't do the same thing now.
"NO REPRO FEE"16/8/2011.Westlife s Nicky Byrne launches new IHF heart attack campaign.It was a family affair for Nicky Byrne from Westlife as he urged Irish men to Listen to your heart, not your head at the launch of the Irish Heart Foundation s new heart attack awareness campaign sponsored by AstraZeneca, to encourage more men to call 999 at the first sign of heart attack. Inspired by the personal loss of a loving father and husband Nikki Byrne Senior in November 2009, the singer joined his wife Georgina,his mother Yvonne, sister Gillian and brother Adam,Nicky urged men to call 999 before it s too late.A driving force behind the scenes, the Byrne family raised significant funding for the campaign which features the famous singer as a voiceover on the adverts due to air on Sunday, 21st August 2011. Don t die of embarrassment is the hard-hitting message from the Irish Heart Foundation using unforgettable animated characters heart and head created by Rothco. In addition, to mark Heart Month this September
FM104 has offered Nicky Byrne a DJ job following Westlife's split. The Flying Without Wings singer previously declared that he would love a career in radio if the band ever broke up.
The station's programme director Dave Kelly revealed that Nicky would be the perfect fit on its breakfast show, Strawberry Alarm Clock.
Boyish charm: He may be in his thirties, but Nicky Bryne is still a hit with the ladies after a girl throws her bra onstage
Wednesday December 07 2011
WESTLIFE star Nicky Byrne yesterday spoke of his sorrow at the death of Wales football player and manager Gary Speed, with whom he trained at Leeds United when he was a schoolboy.
"I'm stunned because I knew Gary when I was at Leeds. It was only last May myself and my wife Georgina sat next to Gary and his wife at Shay Given's charity ball in Manchester," he recalled.
Shock
"There's terrible shock that someone so young and healthy could be dead. He was a lovely fellow to me and to everyone else and I'll be thinking of his family this Christmas," said Nicky, who was a goalkeeper, and won the FA Youth Cup during his time at Leeds.
Mr Speed was found dead at his mansion near Chester 10 days ago.
But last night Nicky Byrne was putting his best foot forward as a solo attraction. He and his bandmates might have called time on their million-selling boyband but there were still hordes of screaming girls to greet the 33-year-old when he opened the new Lifestyle Sports flagship store on Dublin's Mary Street.
With hundreds of fans held back by barriers and a small army of security men, it was business as usual for the Malahide-based popstar, who revealed he was still "shell-shocked" by the band's decision to call it a day last October.
"There's no point in denying it, we are all still simply devastated over the split. But after 13 years it was inevitable this was going to happen some day," Mr Byrne told the Irish Independent.
As ever the four members have turned to manager and creator Louis Walsh, who as well as his 'X Factor' duties, was offering career advice.
"We've been meeting with Louis, collectively and individually. Who else could we turn to? After all he knows better than anyone else how to spin a story, and has contacts throughout the entertainment business which are coming in really useful now," Mr Byrne said.
The father of two has been relying on Mr Walsh's network to plot his move into a new media career, but doesn't have anything to announce yet.
"It's scary in ways because the security blanket of Westlife is gone. But at the same time, I don't want to jump into anything so I'm exploring all my options, talking to broadcasters in TV and radio as well as talent agencies. The last few weeks have been about seeing what is out there for Nicky Byrne post-Westlife," he said.
But despite this new beginning, as the new year approaches Mr Byrne said his thoughts once again were of his late father, Nicky Byrne senior, who passed away in November 2009.
With this in mind, he asked mystified manage-ment at the new Lifestyle Sports Flagship store he opened yesterday for a pair of trainers inscribed with the words 'Nucal'.
Joke
"I think the crew here thought it was a South African football team but it's actually a little private joke with my dad. I remember one New Year's Eve he came home really drunk. Being just 15, I said: 'Dad you're drunk.' But he denied it, saying: 'I could walk to Nucal and back.' He meant Lucan, but he was so drunk, Nucal is what came out," Mr Byrne said.
With his diary now empty until April, when rehearsals begin for Westlife's farewell tour, which includes three monster shows in Croke Park, Mr Byrne said he believed that throughout their career the band had made a lot of people happy.
Last week the Irish Independent reported comments from rival Irish group, The Script, who said Westlife's lack of original material could mean this will be the last anyone hears of them.
But Nicky Byrne said: "The Script look up to U2 so they should remember that U2 never, ever knocked any pop bands and especially any Irish pop bands."
Westlife’s Nicky Byrne has officially opened the new Life Style Sports flagship store on Mary St in Dublin City Centre, which is 10,000 sq ft spread out over two floors.
....Nicky Byrne may have found fame with Westlife but he's a stand out act in his own right and mainly because of his hotness.
And omg! aren't alone in our adoration as Nicky Byrne's fans nominated him to be today's Friday Fittie. When it went to a vote he won, beating off competition from Ryan Gosling, David Beckham and Olly Murs.
omg! asked our Twitter fans to nominate their fave male celeb before we launched a poll to see which of the shortlist were voted the sexiest.
Nicky Byrne won hands down and his super fans tweeted us why they think he won...
1. It's all about the looks for @Scrivey who told us: "It has to be Good ole Nicky Byrne. Have you seen those eyes, hair, smile? #HA"
2. His soft lips are what sealed the deal for @SyaFeehily who choose Nicky Byrne because; "He kissed my lips backstage #Winks!"
3. @adefadilla tweeted us: "I love Nicky because he has a beautiful smile, sexy voice and good taste in fashion .. "
4. For @lesley1976 there was no other choice for the Friday Fittie : "Woohooo @nickybyrneoffic for #fridayfittie gets my vote every time hmmmm x"
5. And as @gonzobyrne puts it, Nicky Byrne is a regular tweeter unlike some celebs which means we can have round-the-clock access to him!
Nicky Byrne and Georgina Ahern met when they were twelve years old and Nicky told his Mum he'd met the girl he was going to marry. Nicky plucked up the courage to ask her out and took her to a friend's party. Georgina was Nicky's date for his 21st birthday party and had her first taste of the paparazzi. The couple have been together for over six years. Georgina's says, "Nicky is totally, completely my life." They live together in Dublin. Nicky proposed to Georgina on Christmas Day 2002 and she said yes!... Well, they married now. Nicky and Gina byrne slideshow The story of love
It was a family affair, this most of Irish of weddings in France when Nicky Byrne of legendary boy band Westlife, married the Irish Prime Minister daughter Georgina Ahern. The 410 plus guests were all almost all family and friends but only the closest of friends, some of whom who also happened to be rock stars or play football professionally. There was not one politician in sight except for the father of the bride Irish Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern. It was a proper family affair and they had all come to celebrate in true Irish style.
Today is the 5th Wedding Anniversary of Nicky and Georgina.
Westlife's Nicky Byrne and Wife Georgina Are 'Living the Dream' For many parents, welcoming a new baby -- whether it's the first born or the fourth -- can be a somewhat daunting task, but when there are twins involved, the work can become overwhelming! After being together for more than fifteen years, Westlife singer Nicky Byrne and his wife Georgina welcomed twin boys and realized their close relationship had become a "different thing altogether." Admitting that "it was tough in the beginning," Georgina -- in a new interview with Hello -- shares that things are looking up for the happy family. "Now it's chaos, as Nicky says, but good chaos!" While the couple do not hide the fact that their fraternal twins -- Rocco Bertie and Jay Nicky, 17 months -- are definitely "harder," they say that the added responsibility is equally balanced by the double blessing. Although the boys have reached an age where they are able to "chat to each other and have a real little friendship," Georgina reveals that the built-in playmate has only recently been in their favor.
"There came a time when a few of our friends who had babies at the same time as us, said, 'It's getting easier now, isn't it?' And we looked at each other doubtfully [and said], 'Hmmm, is it really?'"
Nicky and Georgina are more than happy to take both the serene peaceful moments and the chaotic ones with their sons as they recall the twins' unexpected arrival. Born early and spending a month in the hospital, the couple were expecting premature babies, but admit that the eight-week early delivery date "caught us off guard." Once the twins were born, the parents were always "reassured that they were healthy," but were an emotional wreck after their babies were taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. "As a father, I found it very hard to see what Georgina was going through with the babies being taken away to a different part of the hospital. There were a lot of tears," shares Nicky. Between premature twins and watching "such tiny babies wired up in an incubator," the couple -- who view the situation as a positive, saying "we gained extra time with them because we had them sooner" -- made a mutual decision to forego a nanny in order to make up for their hospital stay. Georgina explains,
"By the time we took them home we just wanted them to ourselves. We seriously wanted all the nice cuddles for ourselves. It's lucky that we've had so much family around us. Both our parents and our sisters, all offering to sit for us and help us out."
Despite Georgina's dislike of "labeling [the boys] because they change so much every week," the couple admit that their sons certainly have some budding personalities. Jay, who tends to have a "calm character," is "slightly bigger" than his brother, but knows how to be a "little monkey too, with a real sense of humor." On the other hand, Rocco -- who was the smaller of the babies at birth and received his name because "from the start, he was our little fighter" -- definitely has spunk and likes to stay close to his parents, "wanting to hold your hand a lot."
Although the boys were born to a father who is a member of a hit pop group, according to Nicky, there will be no pressure on his end for his children to continue on his legacy in the music world. In fact, Nicky -- who once played for Leeds United -- says that if Rocco and Jay prefer the soccer field to the stage, he will offer his complete support. While the proud papa may not instill his love of music in his boys, he shares that they will be brought up with a sense of tradition, similar to his own childhood. Growing up with a strict mother and a lenient father, Nicky "was always taught that nobody is any better or worse than you. Others might have more money, but they are no better." Following his parents' example and wanting his own boys to "grow up honest and trustworthy," Nicky believes that the best advice he received as a child was from his father.
"My dad just said, 'Enjoy yourself and do what you do. But never bring the police to our door.' It was good counsel!"
Since welcoming their boys, both Nicky and Georgina have realized that quiet time for themselves is more and more infrequent, but with a positive attitude toward their relationship, the pair make an effort to "make time for each other." Hopeful to "take our first short break alone together just before Christmas," the couple are looking forward to adding more children to their family after they get "a lot more sleep first." Says Nicky, "We should not be shying away from adding to the family with two little boys around the house and no girls. I think we need a girl, but whatever God sends us..." In the meantime, the family of four is completely content with their lives together as they are "living the dream." Explains Georgina,
"We just enjoy the simple things in life with lots of extra bonuses. But best of all is having kids. I know people have them every day, but when you have them for yourself, you look at them and can't believe it."
NICKY BYRNE'S IN THE SUN...
Westlife Nicky Byrne and his wife Georgina have been enjoying staying at their new holiday home in Portugal, complete with gym and swimming pool, now that the two-year build has been completed. The house was ready for us only this summer. We been turning it into a proper little home since then and we had glorious sunshine from the moment we arrived, says Nicky, 30, whose main family home with Georgina and their 17-month-old twins Rocco and Jay is in Dublin
Nicky Byrne and Family Step Out for Book Launch
Tags: Babies , Dads , Westlife's Nicky Byrne and wife Georgina Ahern Byrne pose with their 17-month-old fraternal twin sons, Rocco Bertie and Jay Nicky , at the launch of aunt Cecelia Ahern's book The Gift. The party was held at The Mansion House in Dublin on Wednesday evening.
I'd love five children, says Nicky Byrne
Wednesday December 17 2008
Georgina Ahern is in for a busy time in 2009 -- her Westlife hubbie Nicky Byrne wants to have five children.
The celebrity couple are now immersed in domestic bliss after becoming first-time parents 20 months ago, to twins Rocco and Jay.
Yet doting dad Nicky, who has taken a year off from the chart-topping band to spend time with his family, has revealed how he still wants to have three more tots.
"Hopefully we're not done yet -- we would love to have more kids. I have always said I would have five.
"I don't know if I can convince Georgina on that, but we'll see!" he laughed.
Nicky's now gearing up to spend the Yuletide season at home with his glamorous wife, their two boys and the rest of the Ahern family.
Secret
And he also revealed the secret of his success when it comes to his rock-solid relationship with the daughter of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
"Without sounding cheesy and corny, if you love someone, you do make it work," he added.
Nicky had a brief reunion with his Westlife bandmates to perform at the thrilling final of the X Factor.
And he was gutted that manager Louis Walsh was pipped at the post when it came to nabbing victory with his JLS boyband.
"I don't think Louis has won it yet so it would have been good for him," he said.
"We were obviously disappointed for JLS after helping them to do a great performance to help them win it. When the decision was made, we thought we could have really helped them win. But with hindsight, I think that Alexandra really deserved it."
Nicky took centre stage at the new O2 Arena last night as he presided over the star-packed Cheerios Childline Concert.
All the biggest stars of the moment were out strutting their stuff on stage at the northside venue last night, as some 8,500 screaming fans cheered them on.
Fresh from presenting Childline at the o2, Westlife's Nicky Byrne popped-out to the late party with wife Georgina. For a band on a year's sabbatical, the Westlife boys sure are very busy lately. X Factor, Childline, and creating a new girlband do the lads ever have a day off?
GLAMOROUS mum Georgina Byrne says having her Westlife husband back under her feet at home hasn't gotten old yet.
The couple are spending more time than ever together now that the band are winding down.
And with Nicky Byrne landing his own TV show on RTE, he's going to be at home for twins Rocco and Jay a lot more.
Even though the pair have been together during Westlife's longest running tours, Georgina says she can't ever get used to him being away from home.
Speaking to the Diary, the daughter of Bertie Ahern revealed she hates it when Nicky is on the road and she is thankful that they only spend a few weeks apart now, compared with months.
"I do really miss him when he's gone. When we were younger he used to be gone for really long periods of time on tour and that was hard. While lately I'm lucky because he only goes away for like a week or two. But when they went to China that was quite long again so that wasn't nice. But it's work at the end of the day and you have to take things as they come," she explained.
football
And thankfully Nicky's new career path is keeping him close to home. The Westlife star has signed up to be the host of RTE's new show Football's Next Star which sees him travel around Dublin, Limerick and Glasgow for filming. Georgina says the new job is a perfect fit for Nicky, who played for Leeds United when he was 16.
"He is absolutely loving it. He was a footballer so for him the whole experience is fun. They have started filming now and he will be going all around Ireland watching people play. It's for a place on the Celtic team so he has to go over to Glasgow as well. It's like exactly what he did so it's mad.
"He was playing football since he was one. He always played with his dad, his dad was a goalkeeper and he was teaching him. When he was 16 he went over (to Glasgow) so this whole show means a lot to him, it is a perfect fit for him," she said.
Georgina made the comments while promoting the Life Style Sports Trainer Scrappage Scheme. Now in it's third year, the scheme will allow people to trade in their old trainers and get 25pc off any full price ASICS trainers.
The Dubliner, who is taking part in the Great Ireland Run this year, said although she's not hugely athletic she loves being motivated.
"I'm not very athletic to be honest but it's a nice thing to do, it keeps me motivated. I did it in an hour and seven minutes last year so I'd really love to get under the hour this year, for me that would be a great improvement.
"I want to try and get faster and faster each time. It's nice to have a goal.
"The Trainer Scrappage Scheme is a great way to recycle your old trainers. Wearing the right footwear when you're running is very important," she explained.
GEORGINA LAUNCHING THE LIFE STYLE SPORTS TRAINER SCRAPPAGE SCHEME IN DUBLIN 2012
Well-heeled Georgina steps out in ¤23 bargain boots
Wednesday April 04 2012
SHE'S one of the most stylish women in Irish social circles -- but even Georgina Ahern can't resist a Penneys bargain.
The glamorous mum-of-two, who is married to Westlife singer and aspiring TV presenter Nicky Byrne, was happy to leave the designer heels at home and opt for more affordable boots during a recent stroll on Sutton beach.
Chart-topper Nicky (33) shared a picture of his stunning wife on his social networking page and fans were quick to react to Bertie's daughter's choice of ankle boots, which cost her only €23 at the popular high street retailer.
"Mrs [Byrne] out jogging on Sutton Beach today -- where's your Asics trainers!!" Nicky wrote online.
Georgina, who recently celebrated her twin boys' Jay and Rocco's fifth birthday, delighted fans when she revealed she still shops on the high street, despite being half of one of Ireland's most glamorous couples.
The duo, who did not attend this year's VIP Style Awards, are spending more time than ever together now that Nicky's chart-topping band is winding down.
Lucky
Georgina recently admitted that she hates it when her hubby, who has signed up to host RTE series Football's Next Star, is on the road and is looking forward to having him at home more.
"I do really miss him when he's gone. When we were younger he used to be gone for really long periods of time on tour and that was hard, while lately I'm lucky because he only goes away for like a week or two," she said.
While the couple are staying practical with their wardrobe lately, Dubliner Nicky still likes to splash out on occasion.
He was spotted in February sporting a lavish Breitling Emergency watch worth a hefty €4,760, which is fitted with micro-transmitters designed to save the wearer if he or she is abducted.
Yvette Walsh, sales consultant from Weirs & Sons jewellers, told the Herald: "There is no other watch like it on the market, it's a very manly watch."
labutler@herald.ie
HER husband’s Westlife career may be coming to an end, but Bertie’s eldest daughter Georgina Ahern is about to step into the limelight.
The mum of twin boys had had a very low key launch to her own blog, by tweeting a link to her 23,817 followers inviting them to check it out - fitnesswannabe-choclover.tumblr.com.
Georgina (33), is married to pop star Nicky Byrne and they have five-year-old boys Rocco and Jay. She has long been a fan of fitness and is a qualified personal trainer.
On her new blog Georgina offers an insight into her life as a pop star wife, but she has her own feet firmly on the ground.
Today she writes, not about their VIP lifestyle but about the benefits of broccoli.
She admits that her family enjoy private caterers when on tour with Westlife, but back home in Malahide, Co Dublin, she prefers to prepare simple healthy meals with plenty of green veg.
“When we go back home to reality, it’s back to me!….my menus are not quite as exciting but at least when I’m feeding my boys heal
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