Everything you need to know about Westlife
We love Westlife! 🤩
Five unlikely lads from Ireland that took the world of pop music by storm, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden – aka Westlife - released their debut single 'Swear It Again' on 19 April 1999. Almost overnight, the record shot straight to Number 1 and catapulted the boyband to stardom.
Now performing as a foursome, the band have continued to tour since Brian left in 2004 (with a brief hiatus in 2012-18). To celebrate Westlife's incredible success, we thought it would be best to recap of their award-winning career. Here’s everything you need to know about the band 👇
Members of Westlife
Westlife is currently made up of the following members:
Shane Filan - born 5th July 1979 (45-years-old)
Mark Feehily - born 28th May 1980 (44-years-old)
Kian Egan - born 29th April 1980 (44-years-old)
Nicky Byrne - born 9th October 1978 (46-years-old)
How and where did Westlife begin?
Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan bonded over a love of music at school in Sligo. They quickly formed a band with three other school friends, under the name Six As One, before changing it to IOYOU.
Enter Louis Walsh – he was managing fellow Irish band Boyzone at the time, so he helped the guys out and reached out to a few record labels in London.
Simon Cowell showed some interest but asked for half of the band to be replaced and to change their name. They held auditions in Dublin, that’s where Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden joined the now five-piece.
In 1998 the group officially changed their name to Westlife and quickly signed a record deal with RCA.
The group were known as Westside, but they were obliged to change their name from Westside to Westlife early in 1999 when it was discovered that a number of existing bands shared the same name.
Why did Brian McFadden leave Westlife?
In March 2004, Brian McFadden announced he was leaving the group to ‘pursue other projects’ and spend more time with his family.
Rumours that this might be the beginning of the end for the group however proved unfounded, as Westlife continued as a four-piece.
Is Mark Feehily taking a break from touring?
In February 2024, Mark Feehily announced that he has been forced to 'stand down from Westlife touring' due to his health. In a post shared to his Instagram page, Mark explained that he will be unable to join the band on their upcoming tour dates in Canada, the USA, Mexico and Brazil.
Why did Westlife break up?
Back in 2011, Westlife shocked fans with the announcement that they would split for solo projects. The band released a (second) Greatest Hits album in 2012, which was followed by a farewell tour.
All band members agreed that it was amicable, and that the band had run its course.
Highlights from their solo careers
Shane Filan
In 2013, Shane signed a record deal, later going on to release his first solo album 'You and Me' in November 2013. The album included the singles 'Everything to Me', 'About You' and 'Knee Deep in My Heart.' It reached Number 5 in the UK charts and is certified Silver.
Shane later went on to release his second solo album 'Right Here' in September 2015, which topped the Irish Albums Chart and included the single 'Me and the Moon'. His third solo album 'Love Always' was then released in August 2017, charting at Number 5 on the UK charts.
The album featured versions of some of Shane's favourite love songs, including 'Make You Feel My Love' by Bob Dylan and 'Heaven' by Bryan Adams.
Nicky Byrne
Having established a career as a presenter on television and radio, Nicky competed in Strictly Come Dancing back in 2012, where he was partnered with professional dancer Karen Hauer. Nicky released his debut solo album, 'Sunlight', in May 2016, which reached Number 8 on the Irish Albums Chart.
In 2016, Nicky also represented Ireland in the semi-finals of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, with his track 'Sunlight'.
He has hosted a number of shows over the years, including Football's Next Star, the Irish series of Dancing with the Stars and singing competition Last Singer Standing.
In October 2024, Nicky started a new podcast called Nicky Byrne HQ, with the first episode being an open and honest chat with former Westlife bandmate, Brian McFadden. In it, the pair admitted it was the first time they'd sat down and talked about it, since Brian left 20 years beforehand.
Kian Egan
Kian signed a record deal in 2014, going on to release his debut solo album 'Home' in March that year. The album reached Number 2 on the Irish Albums Chart and Number 9 on the UK charts.
He was also a coach on The Voice of Ireland from 2012 to 2016. Kian appeared on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! in 2013, winning the show to be crowned King of the Jungle.
Mark Feehily
Mark has released solo music, with his debut solo single 'Love Is A Drug' released in April 2015. He then released his debut solo album 'Fire' in October 2015. As a solo artist, Mark has also been a support act for Wet Wet Wet and Mariah Carey.
In December 2017, Mark released his second solo album, 'Christmas'. He also competed on The Masked Singer in 2022 as the character Robobunny, where he finished in third place.
When did Westlife get back together?
After six years apart from the band, Westlife officially announced their reunion in 2018, with an album the following year.
Westlife's discography
According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Westlife has been certified for 13.1 million albums, 1.3 million video albums, and 10.4 million singles, with a total of more than 24 million combined sales in the UK.
Some of their greatest hits include their cover of Billy Joel’s track 'Uptown Girl', 'Flying Without Wings', 'You Raise Me Up', 'Us Against The World' and 'Hello My Love'.
Westlife's albums
'Westlife' - released in November 1999
'Coast to Coast' - released in November 2000
'World of Our Own' - released in November 2001
'Turnaround' - released in November 2003
'Allow Us To Be Frank' - released in November 2004
'Face to Face' released in October 2005
'The Love Album' - released in November 2006
'Back Home' - released in November 2007
'Where We Are' - released in November 2009
'Gravity' - released in November 2010
'Spectrum' - released in November 2019
'Wild Dreams' - released in November 2021
Westlife's 12th album 'Wild Dreams'
'Wild Dreams' is the 12th studio album from the band and was released on 26 November 2021. The album's first single 'Starlight' was written by the king of pop music himself, Ed Sheeran!
Westlife recorded the album over an 18-month period and were inspired by the challenges of that time - the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the band described the album as "uplifting", explaining that it "captures the mood of the moment" and has "moments of reflection and is about new beginnings, hope and looking to the future".
Westlife's biggest songs
'Flying Without Wings'
'Flying Without Wings' was released in October 1999 and was the third single that was released from Westlife's self-titled debut album. The song reached Number 1 on the UK Chart and is certified Platinum.
'Uptown Girl'
Westlife released a cover of Billy Joel's hit 'Uptown Girl' in March 2001. The song was the lead single from the band's third studio album 'World of Our Own', as well as being the 2001 Comic Relief charity single.
'Uptown Girl' reached Number 1 on the UK Chart and is certified 2x Platinum.
'World Of Our Own'
'World Of Our Own' was released in February 2002, and was the second single to be released from the band's third album of the same name. The song reached Number 1 on the UK Chart and is certified Platinum.
'You Raise Me Up'
Westlife's version of 'You Raise Me Up' was released in October 2005 as the lead single from the band's sixth studio album 'Face to Face.' The song reached Number 1 on the UK Chart and is certified Platinum.
'Hello My Love'
Released in January 2019, 'Hello My Love' was the lead single from Westlife's 11th album 'Spectrum'. The song reached Number 13 on the UK Chart and is certified Gold.
See some of Westlife’s favourite memories from the last 20 years:
Take a look at Westlife's career journey:
1998: Westlife is born
Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan knew each other from school, forming a pop group with fellow students Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron, and Michael Garrett called Six As One in 1997, soon changing their name to IOYOU. When Mark's mum Mae Filan got in touch with Louis Walsh, who managed Boyzone, and he took them on - but when they got shot down by Simon Cowell, Louis fired Derrick, Graham and Michael, and held auditions to replace them.
They recruited Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden, and officially became Westside in July 1998 - quickly changing to Westlife when they discovered a band already called Westside.
They signed a £4 million deal with RCA Records, and they were the opening act for both Boyzone and Backstreet Boys, with Ronan Keating of Boyzone co-managing the group with Louis. They recorded their first EP, 'Swear It Again', in 1999, which went to Number 1 in the UK
1999: Debut album and follow-up
The band's self-titled debut album 'Westlife' was released in November 1999, containing singles 'Flying Without Wings', 'Seasons in the Sun' and 'More Than Words', topping the charts in Ireland and going to Number 2 in the UK.
The band released their second album 'Coast to Coast' a year later, spawning singles 'Against All Odds', 'What Makes a Man' and 'When You're Looking Like That'. It went to Number 1 in the UK and Ireland, beating Spice Girls' 'Forever', and the boys embarked on their 'Where Dreams Come True Tour' in 2001.
2001: Third album and BRIT Awards
Westlife's third album 'World of Our Own' was released just one year later, containing singles 'Uptown Girl', 'Evergreen' and the album's titular song. It went to Number 1 in the UK and Ireland, and they sold over 12 million records in just three years. Westlife won Best Pop Act at the BRIT Awards in both 2001 and 2002.
Their 'Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1' was released in 2002, also going to Number 1 in both the UK and Ireland and Westlife then went on 'The Greatest Hits Tour' in 2003. They released their fourth album 'Turnaround' later that year, spawning singles 'Hey Whatever', 'Mandy' and 'Obvious' - it went to Number 1 in the UK and Ireland.
2004: Bryan McFadden's departure
Bryan announced that he was leaving the group in March 2004 to spend more time with his family, as he had two young daughters with then-wife Kerry Katona (pictured). He also reverted back to using the spelling Brian. His departure came three weeks before the band went on their 'Turnaround Tour', with Brian watching in the audience.
The remaining members carried on without him, releasing fifth album '...Allow Us To Be Frank' in 2004 which was a Rat Pack tribute album and contained many covers by Frank Sinatra, going to Number 3 in the UK. They released sixth album 'Face to Face' in 2005, containing 'You Raise Me Up', seventh album 'The Love Album' in 2006, which contained covers of famous love songs and eighth album 'Back Home' in 2007.
2008: 10th anniversary of Westlife and hiatus
To celebrate their 10-year anniversary, Westlife put on a show called '10 Years of Westlife' at Croke Park in Dublin in June 2008. In July, Louis announced that the group would be taking a hiatus for one year until July 2009.
They released 10th album 'Where We Are' in November 2009, and they won a Guinness World Record as the top selling album group of the 21st century. Westlife took part in the 2010 charity single 'Everybody Hurts' to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake, along with Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Take That and Kylie Minogue among many others. Their eleventh album 'Gravity' was released in November 2010, going to Number 1 in Ireland and Number 3 in the UK.
2011: Split and 'The Farewell Tour'
In March 2011, Westlife split from Simon Cowell's label Syco, and released their album 'Greatest Hits' in November 2011, and despite rumours that Brian could reunite with the band for an interview, this never happened. Westlife announced their 'The Greatest Hits Tour' or 'The Farewell Tour' on 18th October 2011, and announced their split a day later.
The statement read, 'The decision is entirely amicable and after spending all of our adult life together so far, we want to have a well-earned break and look at new ventures. We would like to thank our fans who have been with us on this amazing journey and are part of our family too. We never imagined when we started out in 1998 that 14 years later we would still be recording, touring and having hits together. It has been a dream come true for all of us. Kian, Mark, Nicky and Shane.'
2012 - 2017: Solo ventures and reunion rumours
After the group's split, all four went onto solo endeavours. Shane released three solo albums: 'You and Me' (2013), 'Right Here' (2015) and 'Love Always' (2017). Mark released his debut solo album 'Fire' in October 2015, performing as an opening act for Mariah Carey and Wet Wet Wet. He released his second solo album 'Christmas' in December 2017.
Kian released debut solo album 'Home' (2014), became a coach on The Voice of Ireland and won I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2013. Nicky released his solo album 'Sunlight' in 2016 and represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in the same year, sadly failing to advance to the final. He also took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.
Throughout the years between 2011 and 2017, there were many rumours about Westlife reuniting, and whilst they initially said they would never get back together, each member started to hint that they'd like to reunite as the years went on.
2018: Reunion at last
Westlife announced that they were getting back together in October 2018, revealing that they were going on tour and bringing out new music. Brian confirmed in an interview with Closer magazine that he would not be taking part.
The band released their first single as 'Westlife 2.0' in January 2019 - 'Hello My Love', which was co-written by Ed Sheeran. They performed it at the National Television Awards in 2019, and released the album 'Spectrum' in November 2019, which went to Number 1 in the UK and Ireland. Ed also co-wrote four other tracks on the album including 'Better Man'. They went on 'The Twenty Tour' in 2019.
2020: Stadiums in the Summer Tour
Westlife were set to embark on their 'Stadiums in the Summer Tour' in June 2020, visiting 21 venues around Europe including Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Cardiff City Stadium and Wembley Stadium among others. Sadly, it was cancelled due to Government advice around the Coronavirus pandemic.
2021: New record label and Wembley shows
Westlife broke the news on St Patrick's Day that they had signed a deal with Warner Music UK label East West Records, having left EMI Records earlier in the year.
They also added a second Wembley show date - going on to perform at the venue on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd August 2021.
2022: 'The Wild Dreams Tour'
The band released their 'Wild Dreams' album on 26th November 2021, going on to hit the road on a sell-out UK and Ireland tour. The lads performed all of their greatest hits 'Swear It Again', 'Flying Without Wings' and 'World of our Own' as well as tracks from 'Wild Dreams'. They performed gigs in Dublin's Aviva Stadium and two shows in Belfast's SSE Arena.
2024: North and South American tour dates
Westlife performed a series of tour dates in March 2024, visiting Canada, the United States, Mexico and Brazil.
Mark Feehily didn't join the band on tour, having been forced to 'stand down' from Westlife touring due to health issues.
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