Westlife > Story

This Irish boy band, originally known as Westside, emerged in the late 90s as the highly successful protégés of Ronan Keating of Boyzone. The three founding members, Kian Egan (b. 29 April 1980, Sligo, Eire), Shane Filan (b. 5 July 1979, Sligo, Eire) and Mark Feehily (b. 28 May 1980, Sligo, Eire), came together in a local Sligo production of Grease. They formed IOU with three fellow actors after friends encouraged them to continue singing, and began performing cover versions in local clubs. A demo tape of a track written by Filan and Feehily, "Together Girl Forever", found its way to Boyzone manager Louis Walsh.

Suitably impressed, Walsh hired them to support US boy band Backstreet Boys when they visited Dublin. A change of line-up ensued, with three of the original members making way for ex-soccer player Nicky Byrne (b. 9 October 1978, Dublin, Eire) and Bryan McFadden (b. 12 April 1980, Dublin, Eire). Keating became involved with the band as co-manager in April 1998. After a showcase appearance at London's Café de Paris in February 1999, the band changed their name to Westlife after learning of the existence of several American acts performing as Westside. Groomed as natural successors to Boyzone, the quintet's debut single "Swear It Again", was a highly predictable Irish and UK chart-topper in May.

The follow-up, "If I Let You Go", repeated the feat when it entered the UK singles chart at number 1 in August. "Flying Without Wings" made it three number 1s in a row in October. Their status as the most popular boy band of the moment was underlined when their lame double a-side, featuring cover versions of Abba's "I Have A Dream" and Terry Jacks' "Seasons In The Sun", topped the charts for four weeks over Christmas and the new year. They created UK chart history in April 2000 when "Fool Again" became their fifth number 1 single in a row. Later in the year, the group's duet with Mariah Carey on a cover version of Phil Collins' "Against All Odds", and "My Love", became their sixth and seventh number ones respectively.

Both singles featured on Coast To Coast, a virtual rewrite of their debut album. Their Christmas single "What Makes A Man"/"My Girl" was pipped to the coveted number 1 slot by children television's character Bob The Builder. Westlife bounced back to the top in March 2001 with their cover version of Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl", released for the Comic Relief charity. In November, the anodyne "Queen Of My Heart" earned the group their ninth chart-topper. The quintet notched up their tenth number 1 in February 2002 with "World Of Our Own". The catchy "Bop Bop Baby" was a notable failure, only reaching number 5 in May.

Normal service was resumed in November, when "Unbreakable" debuted at number 1. In November 2003, Westlife topped the UK singles chart for the twelfth time with a remake of Barry Manilow's "Mandy". Turnaround repeated the feat on the album chart. DISCOGRAPHY: Westlife (RCA 1999)***, Coast To Coast (RCA 2000)**, World Of Our Own (RCA 2001)***, Turnaround (RCA 2003)**. COMPILATIONS: Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Vol 1 (RCA 2002)***. VIDEOGRAPHY: The Westlife Story (BMG Video 2000). BIBLIOGRAPHY: Westlife: In Our Own Words, Eugene Masterson. Westlife: Our Story, Rob McGibbon. Westlife: In Real Life, Lisa Hand. Westlife: Backstage Pass, Michael-Anne Johns and Christopher Patrick. Westlife On Tour, Eddie Rowley


TOTP

Awards Won

1998
Smash Hits Best New Tour Act (UK)

1999
Heineken/Hot Press Best New Act (Irland)
Best Love Song 1999 for "Sweat It Again" (South Africa)
TMF - Best Breakthrough Band (Holland)
TV Hits - Best New Act (UK)
Record of the Year - "Flying Without Wings" (UK)

2000
Best World Artists of 2000 (Singapore)
Disney Kids Awards - Best Male Group (UK)
Hit Awards - Best International Band (Norway)
Celebrity - Pop Stars of the Year (UK)
TMF Best International Band (Holland)
Smash Hits Best Album Of 2000 For Coast To Coast (UK)
Smash Hits Best Single Of 2000 For My Love (UK)
Smash Hits Best Non-British Band (UK)
Smash Hits Best Band On Planet Pop (UK)
Smash Hits Best Haircut [Kian] (UK)
Smash Hits Most Fanciable Male [Shane] (UK)
Record Of The Year For My Love (UK)
MTV Best UK And Ireland Act

2001
Capital Awards - Best International Group (UK)
Disney Kids Awards - Best Male Group/Artist
Disney Kids Awards - Group of the Year (UK)
Pepsi Chart People's Choice - Best Breaker Video - "Uptown Girl" (UK)
Bizarre (The Sun) Readers Poll - Sexiest Male [Shane]
Bizarre (The Sun) Readers Poll - Best Band in the World (UK)
RAV Awards Most Column Inches (UK)
RAV Awards You Pretend To Hate Them But Know All Their Songs (UK)
Smash Hits Best Band On Planet Pop (UK)
Smash Hits Best Album Of 2001 For World Of Our Own (UK)
Smash Hits Best Haircut [Nicky] (UK)
Top Of The Pops Best Pop Act (UK)
Clear Top 10 International Hitmaker (Indonesia)
Online Music Awards People's Choice [www.westlife.co.uk]
Record Industry Association Of Singapore Best Top Selling Album (Singapore)
Radio Music Awards Listener's Choice Best Group (Singapore)
VIVA Comet Zuschauercomet
Brit Awards Best Pop Act (UK)

2002
Best Foreign Band - NRJ Radio Awards (Sweden)
Hotpress Irish Music Awards - Outstanding Achievement In Popular Music
Irish Buzz WKD Awards - Best Irish Band
IFPI HK Top Sales Music Award - "World Of Our Own"
Smash Hits Hall Of Fame (UK)
Smash Hits Best Pop Band (UK)
Smash Hits Best International Act (UK)
Smash Hits Cover Of The Year (UK)
Smash Hits Party Mentalist Of The Year [Bryan] (UK)
Inclusion in the Smash Hits Hall of Fame
TMF Best International Pop Act (Holland)
Meteor Ireland Awards - Best Irish Pop Single For Uptown Girl
Meteor Ireland Awards - Best Irish Pop Album For World Of Our Own
Meteor Ireland Awards - Best Irish Pop Act
National Music Awards Favorite UK Band
Brit AwardsBest Pop Act (UK)
MTV Asia Favourite Pop Act (Singapore)

2003
TMF Best Pop Act (Holland)
Capital Awards - Best International Group
Capital Awards - Best Website
Meteor Ireland Awards ? Best Irish Pop Act
The G.A.Y. Sexiest Group On Planet Pop
The G.A.Y. Hottest irish Band
The G.A.Y. Gay friendlies Boyband
The G.A.Y. Sexiest Male On Planet Pop (Kian)
The G.A.Y. Fittest Body among Pop Stars (Kian)
The G.A.Y. Hotest Irish Guy
The G.A.Y. I wanna see him naked-Award
BRAVO ? Bronzener BRAVO Otto (Germany)
Record Of The Year - Mandy

Record Of The Year- You raise me up

Timetable

February 1998
Shane's mum rings Boyzone manager Louis Walsh to tell him about her son's band IOU - which also features Kian and Mark.

March 1998
Louis gets IOU a support slot with the Backstreet Boys in Dublin.

October 1998
Louis recommends IOU ditch three of their members. He drafts in Bryan and Nicky after auditioning them for Reel. He calls the five lads Westside and gets them ?4 million record deal.

December 1998
Westside win the Smash Hits Best New Tour Act.

February 1999
The band change their name to Westlife - not in fear of LA's notorious Westside Crips gang, but in fear of lawyers representing a little-known LA band, Westside.

April 1999
The boys appear with Ronan on their first Smash Hits cover

May 1999
Debut single Swear It Again reaches No1 in the UK charts. The album, Westlife repeats the success.

August 1999
If I Let You Go becomes their second No1.

October 1999
Bryan dumps his girlfriend, Aqua singer Lene, because "she parties too much".
Flying Without Wings makes it a hat-trick of No1s
It's Smash Hits cover No2 - a spooky Hallowe'en special.

November 1999
Manager Louis Walsh makes the boys cry by telling them off for smoking.
Bryan meets Atomic Kitten's Kerry Katona on the Smash Hits Tour and love spreads quicker than warm Flora.
Nicky appears on the cover of Smash Hits, suited and booted alongside Dane Bowers, Lee Steps, Scott Five and Geri Halliwell.

December 1999
I Have A Dream/Seasons In The Sun hits No1 on Christmas Day, making Westlife the first UK-based act to have four No1s in a year.

January 2000
Shane opens his heart to Smash Hits with his first solo cover.

March 2000
Westlife are awarded the freedom of Sligo - Mark, Shane and Kian's home city.

April 2000
The boys hear Fool Again has become their fifth consecutive No1 while on board a flight to New York. They embark on a bender that ends 14 hours later and racks up a drinks bill of £ 10,000.

May 2000
Westlife record the duet Against All Odds with Mariah Carey on the island of Capri. "Her yacht was bigger than some hotels we've stayed in," lies Mark.

July 2000
Christina Aguilera has Mark removed from a chair at London's Met Bar.

September 2000
Against All Odds reaches No1.

October 2000
J Five brands Westlife "boring" so Bryan squares up to him at an awards show in Belgium. The pair are pulled apart by bouncers.

November 2000
My Love gives them a seventh No1
Their second album, Coast To Coast beats the Spice Girls' Forever to the No1 spot.

December 2000
Westlife pick up a staggering six awards at the Smash Hits Poll Winners' party.
Disaster! Well, relatively. What Makes A Man only reaches No2.

January 2001
The band win their first BRIT - for Best New Pop Act.

February 2001
The boys begin their 'No Stools Tour'. Named after their plan to dance not sit on stools, not because they weren't allowed to go to the loo for a number two.
The Vengaboys are ordered to remove a piece of unauthorised footage of Westlife from their Forever As One video.

March 2001
Uptown Girl, a cover of the Billy Joel classic for Comic relief strolls to No1 thanks to a video starring supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

May 2001
Shane ends up in a wheelchair for a couple of days after some he falls on his back.
Newspapers report that Westlife and new mates Five have been banned from a top Tel Aviv hotel after causing £ 10,000's-worth of damage on a boozy, male-bonding rampage.

March 2001
Kian needs hospital treatment after being ambushed outside a branch of kebab giants Abrakebabra in Dublin.

April 2001
Bryan's 21st birthday bash turns sour when Kerry, then three-months pregnant, is accidentally hit in the face by a bouncer.
The band are told by their US label that they will have to cut down on their drinking if they want to crack America.

September 2001
Kerry gives birth to Bryan's first child Molly.

November 2001
Queen Of My Heart is the band's ninth No1 single and World Of Our Own hits top spot in the album charts.

January 2002
Constant newspaper stories that Westlife will split by the end of 2001 turn out to be cobblers.
The boys retain their Best Pop Act crown at the BRITs. Brian bravely celebrates by throwing a bottle at the So Solid Crew.

April 2002
World Of Our Own hits No1.
The Boys are back on tour with their In The Round Tour

May 2002
Bop Bop Baby reaches No5 -their lowest ever chart position.

August 2002
Westlife cross the Atlantic for another crack at the US.

October 2002 They're back with their Greatest Hits album which gets to number 1

November 2002

Unbreakable is their next number 1

December 2002
Nicky and Georgina as well as Shane and Gillian announce their Engagements

February 2003
Bryan and Kerry's second daughter Lilly Sue is born

March 2003
Tonight hits the top of the charts again

April 2003
The huge Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Tour starts

August 2003
Nicky and Georgina celebrate their big wedding in France.
This wedding is the first occasion where Kian and Jodi officially appear as a couple

September 2003
The first single of the New Album Turnaround is released. Hey Whatever only gets to number 5 of the british charts

November 2003
The New Album Turnaround is released and makes their fifth album number 1

December 2003
Tickets for their Turnaround Tour go onsale
Their next single Mandy is released and goes straight to number 1
Shane and Gillian celebrate their wedding in Ireland's Ashford Castle

February 2004
Kerry becomes first Queen of the Jungle and wins the second season of "I'm A Celebrity..."
While surfing in Australia, Bryan looses his wedding ring.

March 2004
A shock for all Fans and the Lads themselves: Bryan leaves Westlife
The 70 date Turn Around Tour kicks off in Belfast.

November 2004
Westlife release their 6th Album. It's an album totally dedicated to the Ratpack Theme.

February 2005
The No 1's Tour kicks off in Belfast