13 Surprising Facts About Westlife
How many of these did you know already?
Westlife have been in our lives for over 20 years which means, during that time, they've revealed some pretty thrilling secrets. Find out the 13 most surprising facts about Westlife that we bet you didn't know! Call yourself a fan? Put yourself to the test with this list.
Westlife went through a number of name changes
Before they were called Westlife, they'd settled on Westside but another band had that name so they were forced to change. But that's not the only time they've switched things around. When performing together before Nicky and Brian joined, the rest of the band called themselves IOYOU. Even further back, Kian, Shane and Mark were in a pop band with three other local lads and named themselves Six Of One.
Westlife won a total of 14 Smash Hits awards
Don't pretend you don't remember the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party! The highlight of any pop fan's calendar, awards were dished out for Best Song, Best Group and Most Fanciable Male. An interesting Westlife fact is that they won 14 Smash Hits awards, sadly not all for Most Fanciable though.
Awards won by Westlife include:
1998.
Best New Tour Act
Best Album for Coast to Coast
Best Single for My Love
2000.
Best Band (Non-British)
Best Band on Planet Pop
Best Boyband in the Universe
2001.
Best Album for World of our Own
Best Band on Planet Pop
WATCH: Westlife - Flying Without Wings Official Video
2002.
Best Pop Band
Best International Act
Best Cover of the Year
Hall of Fame
2003.
Best International Act
2004.
Best Download for Flying Without Wings
Westlife had their own chocolate bar
One of our favourite Westlife facts and a full on throwback - they teamed up with Cadbury to release their own chocolate bar. Released in 2001, the Wispa bar was transformed to feature the name of each member carved into it. What more could anyone want?
Westlife's three biggest selling singles are cover versions
If you can guess which ones then you're a die-hard Westlife fan, for sure. If not, let us tell you. Westlife's best selling singles are: "Uptown Girl", "I Have A Dream/Seasons In The Sun" and "You Raise Me Up".
Shane has six siblings
Shane is the youngest of seven children, so perhaps his singing ability was as a result of needing to be heard over all the noise at home. Dad Peter and mum Mae owned a diner in Sligo where Shane worked during the summer holidays and before becoming a full time boyband member, Shane was training to be an accountant. Singing defiantly seems more exciting!
WATCH: Westlife- Seasons In The Sun Official Video
Brian McFadden changed his name to be in the band
If you've ever seen Brian McFadden's name spent with a "y" and felt confused, you're not the only one. Brian's was born with an "I" is his name but when he joined Westlife, he found it easier to sign autographs with a "y" in his name instead. Odd, right? After he left Westlife, Brian changed his name back to the original spelling. Strange but true!
Brian was a contestant on Dancing On Ice
Speaking of Brian, he's gone on to do many things since leaving Westlife including performing on Dancing On Ice. Despite leaving the band days before they were about to embark on a. world tour, many Westlife fans still hold Brian dear to their hearts and were delighting to see him partaking in the hit TV show.
Brian put on his skates for the show in 2019 and was paired with Alex Murphy. Brian came fourth in the series behind Saara Aalto, Love Island's Wes Nelson and ultimate winner James Jordan.
Mark is quite the foodie!
Mark famously owns a catering van! When he was speaking about his slight change in career, he called it a "side project" and said "it's a street food van. We bought an old Citroen H working van. We refurbished it and catered it out with all the stuff you need inside it, so we're available to do bar mitzvahs and weddings."
Mark was selling crepes and coffee- an ideal combination! "It's my business and I love it!" he said back in 2015.
Kian used to be a kissogram!
Can you imagine? Before he found fame with Westlife, one of Kian's jobs was as a kissogrom in Ireland for birthday parties, girls nights out and hen-dos.
Speaking about it, Kian said "I was 16 at the time... I had quite a good body. The routine was, you'd go in at 10 o'clock and they'd all be drunk. The whole thing only took a few minutes. It was just a matter of peeling off, reading a poem and giving the girl a peck on the cheek"
Apparently he only wore a pair of see-through trousers, a tiny pair of boxers and a bow tie!
Kian's wife was also a pop star
After he left the world of stripping behind and joined Westlife, it wasn't long before Kian met his future wife. But did you know Jodie Albert was a poster in her own right? Like all true pop loves, boyband member meets girlband member and they live happily ever after. Jodie was in two bands, the most successful being GirlThing- check out their music video below and see if you can spot the future Mrs Egan.
WATCH: Girl Thing - Last One Standing
Nicky was a professional footballer before Westlife
Nicky Bryne played for Home Farm and St Kevin's Boys, both in North Dublin. Nicky then signed for Leeds United as a goalkeeper in 1995 and played as part of their FA Youth Cup winning team two years later. Nicky later returned to Dublin to play for Shelbourne, Cobh Rangers and St Francis FC.
How many of these Westlife facts did you know already?
All members of Westlife have children
All the members of Westlife are married or with a partner and they all have children. Shane has three children wife his wife with Nicky also being a dad to three. Brian has two daughters with Kerry Katona. Kian has three sons and Mark and his partner had baby Layla with a surrogate in 2019.
Westlife released their own perfume range
Not content with selling millions of records, performing to crowds all around the world and having their own chocolate bar, Westlife have released their own fragrance range. Like any celebrity worth their salt in the 00s, Westlife came out with two perfumes called "With Love" and the simply named "Westlife".