Among the huge crowd at a packed Croke Park were these Westlife fans in the front row who had travelled from Germany to see their idols
Monday June 02 2008
WESTLIFE lived the dream as they wowed 82,000 fans at a sold-out Croke Park last night.
The Westlife lads arrived on stage to the sort of roar normally reserved for a goal by home team Dublin in the All-Ireland Final.
With an explosion of fireworks, and dwarfed by crazed dancers on stilts, they launched into 'Hit You With The Real Thing' then 'World of Our Own'.
The group tore through a selection of hits, including 'What Makes a Man' and 'Uptown Girl', which got the sea of fans, some wearing bunny ears and carrying banners, singing and dancing.
The set was huge, with massive screens beaming the boys' every move to the people below.
Kian Egan told the crowd it was a perfect 10th birthday present for the band.
"To be here in our national stadium in front of over 85,000 people is unbelievable," he said.
WESTLIFE celebrated their triumphant Croke Park concert over the weekend by partying into the early hours with friends and family at an exclusive after-show party.
The bash took place at Floridita on Dublin's Abbey Street. The band was joined by friends and family, including manager Louis Walsh and ex-Ireland soccer international David O'Leary.
Band members Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Mark Feehily made a quick dash to the Four Seasons Hotel after the gig to scrub up before arriving at the after show party.
The nightclub was decked out in Westlife regalia, including an ice sculpture commemorating the band's 10 years at the top of the charts.
Kian Egan arrives at the after-show party in Floridita with Jodi Albert
If you were lucky enough to go to Westlife's 10 year anniversary gig at Croke Park ...
NICOLE LOVES NICKY wrote... OMG Croke park was AMAZING! The atmosphere there was brill! I loved it when Nicky got every1 to scream 4 da camera! N then you got all emotional...... fairplay 2 Mark by the way 4 mentioning Kevin. BEST CONCERT EVER!!!! Love ya lots like jelly tots! xxxxxxxxx TEN MORE YEARS!
P.S Any1 who was at Croke Park, what did the lads sing after When you're lookin like that cause we had 2 run like mad yokes 2 get our train!!!!???
Kariea wrote... Karina love's Markie westlife r the biggest band ever thts y i love u guys u rock my world i've seeing u guys since i was 19yrs old and now i'm 261/2 i've sence u guys 21 times in concert . I love all ur songs right swear it again to the rose. my fav song is i'm alaready there and the easy way. ilove u guys always and forever espc Mark Feehily love u biggest fan eva love Karina. xoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxox o
ClaireLovesWestlife wrote... omg what a concert was class
aww bless ya mark fair play for mentionin kevin bet yuu where surprised by the out-come of the fans
i had a lovely day and the concert was fab heres to another 10 years
ily wl xxxx
Kariea wrote... KARINA LOVE'S MARKIE I WAS NOT AT CORK PARK LAST NITE WESTLIFE R THE BSET BAND IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD BECAUSE THEY R UNBREAKABLE UNTOCHABLE UNBELIVLEABLE AND I WILL ALWAYS LOVE THEM FORVER BECAUSE THEY MIND MY FRIAGEL HARET AND I'M ALREADY THERE LOVE KARINA XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX FROM LUTON XXXXXXXXXXXXX
mc89c wrote... omg, i wasnt able to go...got my leaving cert starting on wed!! cant wait til killarney tho...only 20 days left!!!!! cant beleive its been 10 years already guys!! well done!!!
kianstheman wrote... OMG - Croke was FAB! Great atmoshpere in Dublin from the minute we touched down. Great seats, great view, great guys, great gig. great everything! Well worth it! Can't wait for DVD, hope your families will be in it, cos they got a good reception too! Cheers to all the fellow westlifers we spoke to who had also travelled afar. Love you guys - I hope it's a quick year!
cha_feehily wrote... Actually,,I couldnt watch ur concert.. And june 1st was the terrible day for me. Looking at the clock and thinking bout u all day long..That hurts me.. But thats ookay.. GuyZ, U've been such a long journey.. With or without brian, people still love u.. C0z u can prove it to the world that u are the biggest band and still will be.. GuyZ,,u're so great and awesome.. I never had a feeling like this with one band.. But u can change what im feeling. Westlife made me falling love with their amazing songs and voices.. And also Mark, u made me fallen into ur world.. Love u mark.. Always will..
shexi x wrote... Oh My God Lads !! Last Night You Where AMAZING =O ! The Atmosphere In Croke Park Was The Best You Guys Were Brilliant.You Made Me Cry And EveryThing ! haha =] I cant Believe That 10 Years On You Are Still Here. I hope To God That You Wont Stop At 10 And You Will Come Back To Us in a Year.if You Dont iL Have a Serious Crying Episode !=] I Love You Guys Sooo Much
jordanlvnnicky wrote... AM SO GUTTED A COULDNT MAKE CROKE A BET IT WAS AMAZING BUT HELL BRING ON 2010 LADS CANT WAIT !! LOVE YAZ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX
emsbarry wrote... I was at Croke Park and it was amazing. Ye were brilliant. I came along way and had to leave at 5 o'clock the next morning and we couldn't get a taxi. But it was worth it just to see ye. Enjoy your year off and ye better come back cos i will definitely go to the next concert as i have been to all of the concerts ye have ever done. Looking forward to when ye get back.
*-Westlife-* wrote... Thankyou SHEEPY4444 I must b a bit back dated, ha LOL Gess u went to Croke Park last night bet it was more than AMAZING!! im going to see them in 26 days in devon, plymouth.
Love you forever Mark, Shane, Kian and Nicky YOUR MY MOST LOVABLE BOYBABD EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
grace92xxx wrote... OMG I still can't get over the concert last nite in croker! It was AMAZING and the atmosphere was electric, everyone had a great time and it was the best concert ever! Can't wait to buy d dvd cause it should b real good. Me and my mate were so sad when it was over but we can't wait till 2010...enjoy your year off you guys really deserve it Love Grace xxxxxxxxxx
Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne of Westlife attend a press conference at MasterCard Center ahead of Beijing concert as a part of 2012 World Farewell Tour on February 21, 2012 in Beijing, China.
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."
cant wait til killarney tho...only 20 days left!!!!! cant beleive its been 10 years already guys!! well done!!! 
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