like 2nd track, but i think us against the world was better and stronger. . .

What About Now

 

#16 UK

#8 Ireland

#6 UK Radio Airplay :eek:

#36 UK TV Airplay

 

---------------

 

Westlife back to promo

16 Nov 2009

The lads are back to working on promoting the new album today. Both Nicky and Mark tweeted about it. smile

 

Nicky:

back to work today..feels strange..thks for all your love and well wishes it means alot.. ,

Mark:

Long ass day rehersing&trying on clothes.Been good though,exciting planning the next week,Album Promo here we come! Home2 Ireland 2moro :)

 

 

I've decided,I want Anna Wintours job.Hmmm how am I gna swing that one,anyone hav any contacts in Vogue? Off for a full blown day of promo x

 

------------------------------

WHAT ABOUT EUR8M?

16 Nov 2009

 

Westlife head for Croker in bumper pay deal tour.

 

Byline: PAUL MARTIN

 

WESTLIFE have signed a huge EUR8million pay deal to tour again next year - and they are even eyeing up a dramatic return to Croke Park.

 

The boys have landed their biggest-ever pay day for a monster 40-date tour that will include shows all over Europe.

 

The stars are in demand again after launching an impressive chart-topping comeback with their new single, What About Now.

 

Promoters have lured them back to the stage with one of the biggest contracts ever offered to a pop act.

 

The tour could finish with a spectacular Croke Park show to 80,000 home fans next summer.

 

The band, who will headline Childline at the 02 next week, sold-out GAA Headquarters last summer. Now they are determined to pull off the feat again as part of the new tour.

 

Singer Shane Filan told the Irish Daily Mirror: "We're really excited about the next few months.

 

"Ultimately the biggest goal is to get back on the road and do a few gigs. We have some really cool surprises up our sleeve."

 

A source close to the band revealed: "The lads are back on top and having a ball and now they are determined to put on their best tour ever.

 

"A contract is on the tablefor EUR8million but it's not the main motivation behind them going on the road again.

 

"The plan is that if everything goes well they will climax the tour with another Croke Park gig."

 

Westlife are also planning a series of big single releases in the coming months as they continue their impressive return to the charts.

 

They will have at least three more releases from their new album and a series of spectacular videos.

 

Credit/Source: The Irish Daily Mirror / Published on 13.11.2009

www.westlife.gr - Villy

 

---------------------------

 

Westlife Chat To I Like Music (Nicky Interview)

13 Nov 2009

Formed in 1998, signed by Simon Cowell and managed by Louis Walsh, Irish boy band Westlife have gone on to become the biggest selling band of the decade (2000-2009). In the UK they tie with The Beatles for the most consecutive number ones, they've sold nearly 50 million records and now, they release their new album Where We Are.

 

I Like Music caught up with Nicky for a chat about their music! We find out the typical boy band process of making an album, how he's coped with super stardom, the best moments of his career so far, and why, after a year off, Westlife are feeling happier and more confident than ever before.

 

"I Like Music because… it's the food for life. It can take you from a dark place to a sunny bright place. Or it can take you from a sunny bright place to a dark place, if that's where you choose to go to. I think it's got everything. It's got body, it's got a pulse. It can make you dance, it makes you happy. Music is extremely special." NICKY, WESTLIFE.

ILM: Hello! How does it feel to be back with a new album?

Nicky: It's great to be back! We had a big break and it's just amazing to be back on the market, doing what we believe we do best! We took our time making this album, we're very proud of it. We believe we've come back with something special. I don't believe we would have come back so soon if we didn't have something like this, we would have waited. We've come back with what we believe to be the best album of our career.

 

ILM: Have you returned feeling refreshed after your time off?

Nicky: We took a year off back in June '08 for lots of different reasons. We'd done ten years straight! We all needed a bit of space, we needed to miss Westlife again. The time off gave us space to reflect on what it was, reflect on those ten years. We needed to work out how to improve. It was important for us to do that. I suppose if we made a list of ten things that needed to change and be re-modelled for our come back, I think we've ticked eight to nine of those boxes already.

 

ILM: What was at the top of that list? What was most important in terms of a Westlife come back?

Nicky: Changing the way our record label worked with Westlife. We wanted to be put in touch with different producers from around the world, we didn't want to just settle for the same old, same old. We really wanted to make it fresh and new again, which is what we've done! Having had those meetings with the label, we told Simon [Cowell] how we felt. We were so excited to hear that he felt the same. All of a sudden he was opening doors for us to work with some of the best producers in the world.

 

ILM: How was that experience? Working with new producers?

Nicky: Working with the guys from America was incredible. Simon opened up all the doors and introduced us to all these great producers and writers. We went out for lunch with them and told them what we wanted. They knew our history, but they needed to know our new vision, where we wanted to go with our music. Then they went away and wrote songs. We were in America for just over a month.

ILM: How did the new album come together?

Nicky: We'd meet three or four producers or writers in a morning. They would then go off and write, which could take a couple of days, a week or maybe just over. Then they'd call us up, we'd meet again and maybe demo something. We really became involved in the process.

 

ILM: Out of all the people you've worked with on the album, which have been some of the most inspiring?

Nicky: We worked with Ryan Tedder, the lead singer from OneRepublic who has written Apologize and Bleeding Love for Leona. Lots of big songs! He's a very talented man! He wrote two songs on this album. One called Where We Are and one called Shadows. He co-wrote one of them with AJ from the Backstreet Boys! There's a lot of variety on there! We feel fulfilled. We've done ourselves proud! Also, knowing that we haven't done it against the wishes of the record company makes a big difference. They actually came on board and are 1000% behind us.

 

ILM: Have there been times when you've felt a lack of control during the making of a record?

Nicky: It's changed over the years. With this album we took it back to basics. On our very first album, we were just getting started and it was far more leisurely. We flew to Sweden as a band, we all went in the studio together. We went back to London together, worked with some more guys. Everything was leisurely and we did it all together. Gradually, with success, things moved a million miles per hour. As a result, we didn't get the time to plan other albums in the same way. Rock bands do. They take the time out. But pop bands usually don't.

 

ILM: Why do you think that is?

Nicky: Because the record company want you to strike while the iron is hot, they don't want you to go off, spend ages making a record and to come back to find people have forgotten about you. You know, a lot of boybands will do three albums in a year, then a Greatest Hits and then they just don't come back!

 

ILM: What's the typical boy band process of making a record?

Nicky: You don't get involved much in the process, bar the vocals. You get the songs, you learn the songs, you go into the studio and you vocal the songs. That had to change. Westlife came in on a great level with songs like I Swear It Again, If I Let You Go and Flying Without Wings. All great songs. But after three or four years of writing, nobody can keep producing songs at that level, year in, year out. When you're in a band with a big label and that happens, they're going to start mentioning cover ideas, which is what happened with us.

 

ILM: How do you feel about cover versions?

Nicky: You know, there's always going to be a great time, and a right time to do a cover. We've never been against it. But to be honest, what we did do was become too cover orientated and dependent. I think that probably went against us. Certainly amongst the media, certainly criticism wise. But you know, one thing that never suffered was our touring!

 

ILM: I suppose some musicians make music for themselves, and if people like it, then great. With a boy band the fans are at the centre of everything. So keeping them happy and on board is perhaps the most important thing, even if it does mean going against your instinct as a musician, performer or member of the band?

Nicky: Absolutely. We have an incredible fan base. The fans loved what we did and have always supported us. Perhaps they knew that maybe we were under-achieving in terms of what we were capable of, but they didn't go away! That all had to be re-adjusted when we came back from the year off. We're now working with a whole new team. We haven't worked with any of them before. We recorded most of it in the United States with guys who know of Westlife, but haven't paid much attention to us. That was pretty cool.

 

ILM: It must be refreshing to take it back to basics?

Nicky: Oh yes, it was, it was. It made us sort of re-learn what we did.

 

ILM: One of your most recent come back appearances was on The X Factor! How was that experience?

Nicky: Performing on the X Factor was incredible! We've been on The X Factor before, quite a few times, but this felt different! The song we were doing. I mean, we weren't cringing! There wasn't any doubt in our minds. We were so up for coming back with a song that we knew was a potential hit. It gave us so much extra confidence.

 

ILM: Westlife have achieved so much, what have been some of the biggest highlights for you?

Nicky: We met the Pope one time! We flew our mothers and fathers into the Vatican, he had asked us to perform for him, and they met him too. Being Irish boys, that was pretty special for our mums and dads. There are so many different things! The first ever number one with Swear It Again back in 1999 was pretty cool! We've won so many awards down the years too, MTV awards, BRIT awards, Irish Music awards! We've travelled the world too! Even though it can become monotonous sometimes, anybody who travels the world for that long with a bunch of guys you genuinely get on with will have great times and funny stories!

 

ILM: Out of all the live shows you've played, which have been some of the most memorable?

Nicky: Over the years we have had so many memorable shows! At the beginning of the year off we finished our 2008 tour at Croke Park in Dublin, which holds 83,000 people. That was a ten year celebration, sold out to the rafters! That was special. There were tears all around. Especially going into our year off not really knowing what was going to happen next, where the year was going to take us both individually and with the band. We all knew we would be back, we just didn't know if it was achievable to get what we wanted in terms of everything I've just spoken about. The DVD of the night just shows what it was like! It was such a momentous occasion!

 

ILM: You mention travelling the world, what's it like being on tour together?

Nicky: It's like you never have to grow up! We're just having a laugh! Most of us are married or whatever, so you kind of cherish it more when you go abroad now because you get a lads night out! Which is a very rare occurrence! We'll do our show, TV appearance or whatever, then we get to have a night out with the boys, which is always so much fun!

 

ILM: You've been on an incredible journey with Westlife. Did you always want to be a singer?

Nicky: Back when I was young I thought I was going to be a footballer! Well, I hoped to be a footballer. I was lucky enough to play for Leeds United from 16-18. I left home at 16. When Leeds didn't happen for me I came back to Ireland. I always knew I could sing, I'd sung a lot at school. But what I never really had was confidence to sing on stage. I was always asked to sing in musicals at school, I was asked to do Grease, but I just turned it all down. When I came back from Leeds I just thought, "I'll give this a bash now I'm back at home." I did a bit of karaoke, got some confidence, heard about an audition on the radio and went for it!

 

ILM: You make it sound so easy! How have you found fame and being in the limelight?

Nicky: I've enjoyed it. Your life just changes. Upside down, inside out, whatever you want to say. People recognise you, girls were calling through my mum's door. People ask for autographs, people point at you. The very beginning of that type of fame is strange. People don't know who you are most of the time, they just know that they've seen you somewhere. Then it gets even more. You become a household name. It is strange. But it opens plenty of doors. It gets you into restaurants if they don't have tables! There are downsides too, of course. If you're having a stressful day people are going to look at you. Chances are you'll end up in Heat magazine having an argument. But all in all I cope with it quite well. I try to embrace it and remember that it's fickle and that it's not real. It's the way people perceive you, not the way you should perceive yourself. At the end of the day we're still the same guys. Well, we're not.....but we are, you know?

 

ILM: A lot of people would love to go on a similar journey, what advice would you give them?

Nicky: The music industry is a strange industry. But life in general, well, just go for it! Have confidence in yourself, whatever it is you chose to try and do. If it does happen for you, embrace it and enjoy it. It can take a lot out of you when things aren't going right. It can be stressfull, depressing and annoying. When the chips are down, the chips are down. It's not like football, if you're losing a game you can do something to change it. With the music industry, you're only involved when you're making the record, once that is done it's out of your hands. It's with the public.

 

ILM: What's the most important thing you've learnt about being a pop star?

Nicky: Confidence for me, went a long way. If I can't do something I try and do it again. I won't be shot down straight away. If someone tells me something is terrible, then fine, it's terrible. I'll try it again and hopefully it'll be a little bit better. Then I'll keep trying until I get it right. That works in all the interviews you start to do at the beginning, also singing in a vocal booth for the first time, hearing your own voice, working on it and making it better all the time. You're not always going to be everybody's cup of tea, so you just need to work on being the best at what you have. Explore your talent and enjoy life.

ILM: What's your music collection like? What do you listen to?

Nicky: I like quite a wide range. I like current artists like Pixie Lott and Lily Allen. Then there's older artists that we were looking up to at the start, like the Backstreet Boys, Take That and Boyzone. Rockier sounds like The Killers, Kings of Leon and U2. The Beach Boys. I like to pick and chose songs from everybody, I'm not necessarily a fan of all of their stuff. I've always been a fan of Phil Collins. The Police. Enrique Iglesias has some great pop tunes. Daniel Beddingfield over the years. Quite a wide range really! Bon Jovi. Michael Jackson was huge! For all of us, Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. But the music I listen to all depends on what mood I'm in really!

 

Westlife's new single What About Now is available now!

Their album Where We Are is out on November 30th 2009.

 

Credit/Source: www.ilikemusic.com

www.westlife.gr - Villy

 

------------------------------

 

'Where We Are' album Track by Track -

 

'Leaving'

 

Shane: Track three is Leaving. This song has again a very typical Westlife sound. It's a song that Simon really wanted us to record and now seeing it on the album we can see why he wanted it so much. You know, it's got great vocals on it, it's a Swedish ballad from Westlife. You know, it's the typical kind of thing you've heard over the years. And we never wanted to alienate exactly the fans that do like that kind of stuff. Even though that this album is slightly different direction there are still three or four really Westlife songs on there.

Nicky: Typical love song. Typical love story.

Shane: Yeah. It's a typical love story. It's kinda got waltz bit to it. It's like a perfect waltz the tempo of it.

Mark: Would you Kian care to dance? You too (to Nicky)

Shane: So that's it. that's the track. It's a great song for all the Westlife ballad lovers out there. It's the perfect track for you.

 

 

-------------------------------

 

'Where We Are' album Track by Track -

 

'Shadows'

 

Mark: Song number four is called 'Shadows'. We actually heard this song - it was one of the first songs that got played to us from the record company. It's written by Ryan Tedder, he's from OneRepublic, he's done like 'Bleeding Love' for Leona Lewis, 'Halo' for Beyonce - amongst a lot of other songs - 'Apologize', and he wrote it with AJ from the Backstreet Boys but we kind of went and took it, made it our own and we think it's very good, don't we?

Kian: Deffinitely.

Shane: Yeah.

Mark: I think this is one of the songs on the album you could be listening and go 'Wow is that Westlife, really?' you know, it's kind of quite American sound and I suppose vocally we sort of show a bit of versatility in it. You know, we kinda show a style or a sight of our voices that we haven't shown that much before. The production is a production you wouldn't have heard of us, you know, kind of effects on our voices, something we've wanted for a long time really. I think that we're very happy that this song is on the album, it's one of the songs that on first listen a lot of people like.

Shane: Yeah. It gets you straight away. And Mark does a crazy verse. very very good vocals.

 

 

---------------------------------

 

Westlife's scent of success

16 Nov 2009

 

Westlife star Nicky Byrne is set to make a return to the limelight this week, following the death of his father, Nikki Sr (60).

 

The Dublin singer (30) will step out to the Four Seasons hotel in Dublin tomorrow afternoon, alongside bandmates Mark Feehily, Shane Filan and Kian Egan, as the group officially launch their brand new fragrance, Westlife X.

 

The name of the scent relefects the group's ten years in the pop business.

 

The star, who is married to Georgina Ahern, daughter of former Taoiseach, Bertie, hopes to ease himself back into work slowly following the devastating loss of his dad.

 

Sligo native Mark said: "He's coping very well and is as good as you can be so soon after your best friend in the world passes away."

 

The popular foursome will make a return to the stage on Wednesday night when they perform at this year's Cheerio's Childline Concert at the O2.

 

Credit/Source: www.herald.ie

www.westlife.gr

 

 

Talk Me Down, next single?

 

WESTLIFE are to record a very special tribute to the late father of member Nicky Byrne on the B-side of their next single.

 

The band members have decided that a song called "Please Stay" made famous by The Drifters , Elvis Costello and the Bay City Rollers is to be on the band's next single Talk Me Down.

 

During the funeral of his father Nikki Byrne in Baldoyle a week ago, Nicky explained in an emotional tribute to his dad.

 

"The one thing I am sad about is that dad had been asking me to sing this song that he thought would suit Westlife.

 

"Our manager Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell are hard to convince at the best of times and I don't think I even approached Westlife about it.

 

"But this week I finally told them about it and now it turns out, typical dad, he had gone behind my back, and told them about the song himself and they actually liked the idea."

 

Louis Walsh, who attended the service, was so impressed with Westlife's cover he backed the idea of releasing it and it will be the B-side of the band's next single.

 

A source close to the band said: "Nicky was really, really close to his dad so this is a fantastic way of him paying public tribute to him. He was right all along about the song, here's the proof of it."

 

Source: Sunday Mirror/Thanks to SFNL

 

--------------------------

 

Westlife to switch on Christmas lights

Posted on: 11/17/09 at 04:14:00 CST

Westlife, who will switch on the Christmas lights in Grafton Street this evening, have

dedicated their new album to the fathers of Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne who died this year.

 

Egan (29), who lost his father Kevin in July to cancer, said 2009 had been an “extremely

tough year” for the band. His wife Jodi Albert also suffered a bereavement when her

grandfather died.

 

Byrne's father Nicky snr (60) died suddenly of a heart attack earlier this month. The death

of Boyzone's Stephen Gately also affected Westlife as both bands are close.

 

The album sleeve for Where We Are was due to go to the printers on the day that Byrne's

father died.

 

Egan said: “The day Nicky's father died, a girl from the record label rang me and said, 'we

have enough time to put Nicky's father on the dedication if he would like that'.

 

“We rang Nicky reluctantly because it was all so sudden for him. Luckily we had enough

time. It would have felt wrong if the album was only dedicated to my father.”

 

Mr Egan, a father of seven, died in July after a year long battle with cancer. Pictures of him

and Mr Byrne will be on the inside cover the album.

 

“We never had to deal with death ever as young adults. This year it seems that we have to

deal with a lot of it. It makes you question what life is all about,” his son said.

 

“It has been a very strange and difficult year for us. I had not been to a funeral since I was

a child when I think about it. All of a sudden in the last six months we have been to four

funerals, two of them being parents of Westlife.”

 

The new album includes a song about death entitled I'll See You Again .

 

“The first time I heard it, it nearly broke my heart, but then as I kept listening to it, I

thought that it really fits. Anybody in the world who hears this song will see that it really

means something for anybody who was lost somebody. It will really touch them

emotionally,” Egan explained.

 

Egan accepted criticisms Westlife had played it safe in the past by covering well-known

songs such as Bette Midler’s The Rose and Michael Bublé’s Hom e were valid. He said the

new album marks a departure from that with 11 original songs out of 12, mostly written

by American songwriters.

 

It features only one cover, What About Now , a song by the American group Daughtry

which is the first Westlife single from the new album.

 

“Looking back, we had one too many well-known cover songs," Egan said. “If we'd gone

out there singing songs like The Rose and Home for the rest of our career, we would not

enjoy it as much.”

 

The album also features a rare self-penned Westlife track Reach Out , co-written by band

member Mark Feehily.

 

“We went through a phase in the early part of our career where we did want to write our

own songs and we did, but they were crap in comparison with all the other great songs

that we had,” Egan said.

 

“If we wanted to write the album ourselves, we could, but we know we're not naturally

gifted songwriters. We know our strength is in singing the songs and performing them on

stage.”

 

 

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaki.../breaking25.htm

talk me down is a mark's solo album, i believe it would a bad move to release it as a single. . . also its not a song anybody would stuck on it. . .

Source:

www.westlife.gr

 

'Where We Are' album Track by Track -

 

'Talk Me Down'

 

Mark: 'Talk Me Down' is track number five. It's a song that I was writing with a friend of mine called Steve Anderson who was MD to a couple of Westlife tours and this is a song that a friend of his called Simon Peddy had written from America, I really liked it and we just said for a laugh to put a vocal on it. I just felt like I could definitely kind of give that a shot, you know, so I tried it and that was that and then a few weeks later he sent me the finished version and I was like 'Wow I like that!'. And I met Kian on dinner when in London with Jodi and I played it to him and he liked it and then he sent it to someone I haven't even known and they liked it so basically everyone kinda was liking it. I didn't expect anyone to think it was good for a Westlife album cause, you know, it is a bit different but at the same time, you know, why not... It's quite a sad silent song and it's quite a soulful vocal and it's quite heart-felt vocal, it's a bit darker, it's a bit more sort of, you know, deep down inside. I think we've all been through sort of periods of life when it's dark. The song and the lyrics kind of hit a nerve and hopefully that comes across in the vocals, you know.

 

 

-------------------------

 

'Where We Are' album Track by Track -

 

'Where We Are'

 

Shane: Track six in the album is 'Where We Are', it's the title track of the album. Again it's by Ryan Tedder. It's an amazing song, we feel it's... It was the first song he played to us when we went to a studio. Again we wanted to work with him for a long time. He's done a lot of great songs in the last few years this is a very uplifting song, it's great and kinda in a way the title track of the album kinda represents where we are as a band. It just made sense to call the album that and the song itself as well, kinda you can feel that in the song. You know, 'Where we are is where we're supposed to be' it feels like we could've wrote it, you know. It's got bit to it, it's uptempo, it's uplifting and I think it will be a fans' favourite on the album.

 

 

=-------------------------------------

 

Westlife star Nicky gets a real whiff of success off the boys with the quiffs

18 Nov 2009

By Melanie Finn

 

Westlife are the latest celebrities to weigh in behind The X Factor's controversial Grimes twins.

 

Singer Nicky Byrne has revealed that he's 100pc behind the Lucan boys. This week saw the Dublin pin-up step out with fellow chart-toppers Mark Feehily, Kian Egan and Shane Filan for the first time since his beloved dad Nikki suddenly passed away a fortnight ago.

 

But despite his recent loss, it was back to business for the blond crooner after he was asked for his opinion on Jedward.

 

"We hope they win it, we think they're great," he told the Herald.

 

Fragrance

 

Nicky was at the Four Seasons Hotel for the launch of Westlife's new scent, ironically called 'X', where he spoke about his fondness for the quiff-haired twins.

 

After meeting and greeting fans in the Dublin 4 hotel, he and his fellow bandmates headed in to Brown Thomas on Grafton Street to turn on the Christmas lights.

 

Although X is the band's first fragrance, it's especially for their female fans as they test the waters before deciding whether to bring out an aftershave.

 

Nicky, who's married to Bertie Ahern's daughter Georgina, explained how they were prompted into bringing it out after being constantly pestered about which was their favourite fragrance.

 

"We thought it best to start with a perfume and see how it goes. Obviously, we would love to do an aftershave as we would then wear it ourselves but that's further down the line," he explained.

 

And he confirmed that he road-tested the perfume on Georgina, with whom he has two twin boys Rocco and Jay (2). "She loves it, all the girls gave it their seal of approval," he said.

 

This has been one of Westlife's toughest years, given that Kian lost his father Kevin to cancer last July, followed by the recent death of Nicky's dad.

 

It has now emerged that the bandmates will pay a special tribute to their late fathers with pictures of them featuring strongly on the inside cover of their new album.

 

The four lads look set to score another number one with their new single What About Now, and will take to the stage in the O2 arena this evening for the annual Cheerios Childline concert where they'll join fellow performers including Alexandra Burke, JLS, Cascada, The Saturdays and Boulevard.

 

mfinn@herald.ie

 

Credit/Source: herald.ie

 

-----------------------------

 

Westlife's dream to make male scent

18 Nov 2009

Westlife have revealed they plan to create a male fragrance, hot on the heels of their new female scent.

 

The Irish chart-toppers - Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan - launched Westlife X in Dublin, celebrating their ten-year anniversary in the pop business.

 

Despite having to deal with the devastating loss of his dad on November 3, Nicky was happy to promote the fragrance, saying: "We'd love to do an aftershave at some point, obviously - we'd wear it then, wouldn't we, ourselves? So yeah, down the line, we'll start small and see where we go with this."

 

He recalled that they were very hands on in the making of their debut scent.

 

"We had lots of different samples to choose from and this is going back to even before we took a year off, to make the exact scent we wanted," Nicky said.

 

Mark added: "We custom designed all the packaging as well. We like to get involved in our artwork, whether it's for our tour or whether it's for our album so it's something that we kind of took pleasure in doing."

 

Credit/Source: mirror.co.uk

 

================================

 

Shane's New Blog

18 Nov 2009

Hi guys...

 

Album release is so close now..we're so excited about it! We're in Dublin right now, turned on the Christmas lights last night, can't believe it's nearly Christmas already! Tonight we are headlining at the Childline gig at Dublin's o2..our first proper gig since Croke Park, can't wait!

 

Hope you are all well..and hope Ireland beat France tonight..!

 

See you all soon...

 

Love Shane xxx

Credit/Source: www.westlife.com

 

----------------------------

Westlife on Gerry Ryan Today & more from Mark!

18 Nov 2009

 

Wow,busy day in Dublin.Interviews&shoots for RTE guide(cover),Life Magazine(cover) &more.Turned on XMAS lights in town! Tomorrow we are:

 

 

2moro we R with Gerry Ryan,TV Now mag,VIP mag,lots of phone interviews&then back2get ready for:CHILDLINE!!

 

 

Was also nice to catch up with Ruth Scott&Will Leahy on 2fm earlier catch it at http://markevin.fan-sites.org/ x

 

For more of his lovely Tweets visit his page on Twitter!

 

Credit/Source: twitter.com/markusfeehily

 

---------------------------------

 

Jedward shocked as Westlife ask for their autographs

18 Nov 2009

Exclusive by Nicola Methven, TV editor

 

X Factor stars Jedward realised just how famous they are when they met Westlife - and had to give THEM autographs.

 

The 18-year-old twins were flying from London to Dublin for a surprise visit home when they ran into the Irish pop heart-throbs.

 

But it was the boyband who couldn’t believe their luck.

 

An X Factor source said: “John and Edward were shell-shocked when the Westlife boys asked for their autographs on the plane. Talk about a role reversal - they were absolutely gobsmacked.”

 

Credit/Source: www.mirror.co.uk

 

----------------------------------

 

Grieving Westlife star Nicky Byrne back in the spotlight

18 Nov 2009

Dublin’s Grafton Street came to a standstill last night as thousands of people cheered on Westlife as they flicked on the switch to the city’s Christmas lights.

 

It was the band's first public appearance in Dublin since band member Nicky Byrne's father Nicky Byrne Sr died suddenly less than a fortnight ago.

 

While he is still coming to terms with the tragic death of his beloved father, Nicky (seen here with ‘Santa’) paid tribute to the people who have supported him and his family during the ordeal.

 

“It's been a hard time but everybody � the media, the fans � have been brilliant and respectful to our family,” he told the cheering crowd. He added that this Christmas will be especially tough as his father would have turned 61 in a few weeks.

 

Last year he celebrated his father's landmark 60th birthday by buying him a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

 

“I'm holding up, I'm doing my best. It was just so sudden, such a shock,” he added.

 

Credit/Source: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

no leaks! :D

 

a new set of better album preview:

 

---------------------

What About Now

 

UK 19

UK TV Airplay 22

UK Radio Airplay 9

Ireland 11

 

------------------------

 

Shadows, I'll See You Again have their exclusive first live performances.

 

Shadows

 

 

I'll See You Again

 

 

----------------------

 

Mariah joins Westlife

22 Nov 2009

MEGASTAR Mariah Carey is teaming up with WESTLIFE again for an exclusive single.

 

She told me the secret after I was the only journalist to be given an XS All Areas pass when the world's biggest selling female singer arrived in town this week.

 

In our eXSclusive chat she revealed she can't wait to work with KIAN, NICKY, MARK and SHANE again. Mariah said: "They're very exciting artists and I love them."

 

She last worked with the lads in 2000, and Against All Odds topped the charts.

 

But this time the record will ONLY be released in Britain. "I want it to be the next single here and different to the rest of the world," she said. "I can't wait to do it."

 

Mariah, 39, was in London to switch on the Christmas lights at the Westfield Shopping Centre.

 

She invited me backstage for a chat, and I can tell you the 20 white kittens and 100 white doves that she'd been rumoured to have demanded were nowhere to be seen.

 

In fact, the diva's area was quite modest - she even had to use a portaloo while she signed autographs for hours (though it was a luxury one with pink walls and a heater).

 

"This diva tag is never going to go away but it doesn't bother me anymore," Mariah said. And setting the record straight she added: "I didn't ask for anything."

 

Mariah performs new single I Want To Know What Love Is on tonight's X Factor from new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.

 

Hubby NICK CANNON joined her in London, but they're not ready to start a family yet. "Music is still my focus. But that's not to say one day... "

 

Credit/Source: www.newsoftheworld.co.uk

 

--------------------

 

Westlife Interview & Pictures In Fabulous Magazine

 

NAMES: NICKY BYRNE, 31 ; MARK FEEHILY, 29; SHANE FILAN, 3O; KIAN EGAN, 29

 

OCCUPATION: SINGERS

 

Ooooh boys, you're a very arresting sight today! Have you ever had a brush with the law in real life?

Kian: When I was 18 I came out of a nightclub and kicked a beer bottle along the road. I was stopped and thrown in to a police van for it. At the station, I was like: "Yes sir, no sir, three bags full, sir," and was released. Arrested for kicking a bottle? I couldn't believe it.

Mark: Six years ago I went to a Prince concert in Dublin. I got drunk at the after-party, and on the way out I threw a glass against the wall. Three policemen were watching and if my driver hadn't explained that I'm not normally like that, I'd have been arrested.

Shane: I've been stopped for speeding a few times. Every time I see a policeman I get nervous, but I honestly don't drive that fast. In fact, my wife always tells me to speed up!

Nicky: I've got points on my licence for speeding, but I'm a good boy - I've never been arrested.

 

You're just back from a year off, so what have you boys been up to?

Mark: I've been travelling the world with my boyfriend Kevin [McDaid, 25]. We went to loads of places, including India and Bali. Normally I only get to see the inside of hotels and airports, so it was amazing! Now I want to go again.

Shane: I've been having a normal life - going to the gym, playing football and golf, and going to the pub on a Friday night for a few pints. All stuff I never get to do in the band.

Kian: I've had the best year and the worst year, really. I got married to Jodi [former Hollyoaks actress Jodi Albert, 26] in Barbados in May, but it was tough as my dad Kevin was too ill to be there. He had cancer and sadly died in July.

Nicky: I loved being a proper dad, up at 7am and playing all day with my two-year-old twin boys, Rocco and Jay. I cherished it. It's been so hard going back to work.

 

While you've been away, a new singing foursome has emerged in the form of JLS. Do you remember your days as a new band when you were wild and single?

Kian: Oh yes. We got carried away on our second tour in 2002 and got a telling off from our management about the partying we were doing. They thought we were on the razz every night - and we were! We lost the reins a bit, but we got back on track.

Mark: It was a fantastic time, but I was struggling with my sexuality, so I wouldn't want to go back there. I'm much happier since I came out.

The time off has certainly done you good and you're looking hotter than ever. Can we expect some JLS-style torso flashing soon?

Shane: Maybe in the future! I started going to the gym a year ago, so I'm the fittest I've ever been in my life.

Nicky: If the right offer came along for a topless shot, I'd do it.

Mark: It would take a lot for me to do that. It's not in my personality - I'm too conscious of my body!

But Mark, you've lost nearly 2st through healthy eating and exercise - don't you feel more confident now?

I've lost weight but I'm still not 100 per cent confident. I'm moving in the right direction slowly but surely...

 

So who's the vainest?

Nicky: Mark's edging it at the minute. He's making up for lost ground because for years he didn't care.

Mark: When we started out I just wanted to be a singer. I never aspired to be on a magazine cover and I never went to the gym. I was always uncomfortable during photo shoots because I didn't like the way I looked. Now I'm exercising and eating better, I look at pictures of myself and love them.

Kian: Nicky's the fussiest about his look in photographs, Mark about the style of pictures, Shane about his pose and me about the clothes.

Shane: We're worse than women because we're so used to getting our hair and make-up done!

And like us girls, are you in touch with your emotions?

Kian: I cry at every type of movie. Why did anyone even make Marley & Me? I watched it on a plane around the time my dad was sick and cried for half an hour. It was so surreal.

 

From tears to tantrums. When did you last blow a gasket?

Shane: I only argue with my wife when I'm hungry, so if we're going into town and I'm starving, it's dangerous. We have good fun making up though.

Mark: London traffic always makes me mad.

Nicky: When Man United lost to Liverpool recently, I threw my cardboard cup at the telly. I was with my tour manager who's a Liverpool fan and she was rubbing it in. I lose my temper quickly.

 

We noticed! You swore like a trooper during our shoot.

Nicky: I was just acting it out. I enjoyed being arrested by Fabulous. I haven't been handcuffed in a while - and no, I can't remember the last time!

 

Nicky, you're making us blush. So how do you keep things hot with your wife Georgina, 30, after 15 years together?

You've got to keep things spicy and sexy. Dinner dates are exciting. When I see Georgina getting ready, my stomach still flips. It's cool to get dolled up for a night knowing we can cuddle up when we get home. I reckon babysitters should do the morning after, too!

 

And Shane, you've also been with your wife Gillian, 30, since you were teenagers. What's your secret?

Gillian is the perfect woman. It's not hard to keep romance alive when I feel like that. We sit down at night and watch 24 or West Wing and those two hours are so important. We hug and kiss each other a lot. It's just the way I like it.

 

Mark, are you planning to marry your boyfriend, Kevin?

One day. Our old band mate Brian [McFadden, 29] set the wedding ball rolling eight years ago and now everyone in the band is married apart from me. But I won't do it because they all have - I'll do it because I want to.

 

Do girls still proposition you, even though you're gay?

I still get female attention, letters and rude banners at concerts - which we love by the way!

 

Your fans are quite obsessive. What's the weirdest thing they've done?

Nicky: The concert banners started off innocent years ago, but they're now really provocative! One said: "Shane f*** me"; another read: "Nicky you make my knickers xxxxxx." It's too rude to say, too gross!

Kian: A girl in her 20s moved from northern Europe to my hometown. I'd pull up outside my house at midnight and she'd be stood there. I didn't go to the police, but politely told her to get a life.

 

Let's turn the tables for a moment. Who would you stalk if you were invisible?

Nicky: The other three members of the band to see what they're saying behind my back. We're open, but there's always a little bitch to be had.

Shane: Me too. I'd love to be a fly on the wall and listen to their conversation, and also to our manager Louis Walsh talking to Simon Cowell. That would be interesting.

Kian: Eavesdropping on conversations doesn't interest me. I'd go to the darkest deepest holes of the world to see what was going on down there.

Mark: I'd sneak around and freak people out. I love those hidden camera shows where old ladies get screamed at by people hiding in bushes.

 

Who's your dream celebrity dinner-party guest?

Shane: Tiger Woods, I'd love to meet him for a pint.

Kian: The surfer Kelly Slater. He has the lifestyle I dream of - being paid to surf every day. If I have another year off, I'm getting my surfboard and going away.

Mark: Lady GaGa. She's got a voice like Amy Winehouse and the stage presence of Madonna. I understand why people find her weird, but I love things that shock people.

Nicky: Sandra Bullock. She's quite sexy. For years it used to be Liz Hurley for me - that posh, good-looking, elegant, sexy woman thing. It probably still is Liz Hurley, actually. But I must add that I'm very happily married!

 

Westlife's album Where We Are is out November 30.

 

Credit/Source: www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/fabulous

Edited November 23, 200915 yr by zealoveswl

Pre-ordered the album and it arrived today!!!

 

It is absolutely stunning!! EPIC!

 

There is not one song on the album that i dont love already.

 

Shadows is the best song on the album.

Was GREAT on Xfactor

the album is out and it's really good. . . almost every song is great to listen. . . Even if we miss uptempo tracks the songs are amazing, worth to buy it. . . well done guys!!!

the album is also available here in my country. First time to have an early release same with Ireland.

 

album out now!

 

chart updates

 

iTunes Ireland

#3 and 48 What About Now

#29 Shadows

#232 How To Break A Heart

#235 I'll See You Again

#282 World of our Own

#1 Where We Are (album)

 

Ireland

#10 What About Now

 

UK

#21 What About Now

#31 TV airplay

#11 Radio airplay

 

The full versions:

 

THE DIFFERENCE (my favorite)

 

 

HOW TO BREAK A HEART

 

 

LEAVING

 

 

REACH OUT

 

 

SHADOWS

 

 

I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN

 

 

WHERE WE ARE

 

 

SOUND OF A BROKEN HEART

 

 

NO MORE HEROES

 

 

TALK ME DOWN

 

 

ANOTHER WORLD

 

 

AS LOVE IS MY WITNESS (least favorite)

 

 

LATEST: Westlife's personal video message

 

 

Where We Are TVC

 

UK, Ireland

 

Sweden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6RXtFOHXmA

 

----------------

 

OFFICIAL LYRICS:

 

 

WHAT ABOUT NOW

 

Shadows fill an empty heart

As love is fading

From all the things that we are

But are not saying

Can we see beyond the scars

And make it to the dawn?

 

Change the colours of the sky

And open up to

The ways you made me feel alive

The ways I loved you

For all the things that never died

To make it through the night

Love will find you

 

Chorus:

What about now?

What about today?

What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?

What if our love never went away?

What if it's lost behind words we could never find?

Baby before it's too late

What about now?

 

The sun is breaking in your eyes

To start a new day

This broken heart can still survive

With a touch of your grace

Shadows fade into the light

I am by your side

Where love will find you

 

Chorus

 

Baby before it's too late

What about now

Now that we're here

Now that we've come this far

Just hold on

There is nothing to fear

For I am right beside you

For all my life

I am yours

 

Chorus x 2

 

Baby before it's too late

Baby before it's too late

Baby before it's too late

 

HOW TO BREAK A HEART

 

Since you’re not worth my love

I haven’t given up

I’m stronger than that

(I’m stronger than that)

And though my heart will break

I’m takin’ back my faith

Cos right now my world is spinnin’ too fast

But you won’t be the end of me

If you were the one you wouldn’t hurt me so bad

You gave me the world

 

Chorus:

Gave me the world to take it all away

All you left me was yesterday

And this space in my heart

Now it's slowly tearin’ me apart

I'm takin’ all that I learned from you

I'll make it something I’ll never do

I can't be who you are

You taught me how to break a heart x2

 

I’ll make it through this pain

My dreams won’t call your name

I’m stronger than that

(I’m stronger than that)

Cos I still know how to love

Know that will be enough

And this moment will fade into the past

You won’t be the end of me

If you were the one you wouldn’t hurt me so bad

You gave me the world

 

Chorus

 

I'm takin’ all that I learned from you

I'll make it something I’ll never do

I can't be who you are

You taught me how to break a heart x 2

I’m taking back my faith

I’m taking back my life

I don’t care for who you are

 

Cos you taught me how to break a heart

How to break a heart

How to break a heart

 

LEAVING

 

Watching the clock on the wall

Been a while since you called

I can't help but wait

It's late and I can't get no sleep

Something’s different this time

It just doesn't feel right

Have we broken in two?

Am I really gonna lose you tonight?

You come walking in

Tears in your eyes

Pretending like it's alright

 

Chorus:

But I know you’re leaving

I know that smile

I can tell you've been crying

You’re gonna say goodbye

I wish I could stop you

But you've made up your mind

I beg you don't go

But I already know you’re leaving

 

Where does the time go?

Between goodbye and hello

How did we come to this is there something we missed

Along the way

With your bags at the door

I wanna pull you in close

And hold you once more even though

 

Chorus

 

Here come the sleepless nights

Here come the tears I’m gonna cry

Here comes the last goodbye leaving us behind

Oh this can't be right

 

SHADOWS

 

Mornings after

Still lingers

Just waking up

I see a shadow of you

Making breakfast for two

I go driving

Past our place and

I see this girl walk by

I smell her perfume

For a moment I wish it was you

I’m not gonna tell ya

I’m not gonna say that I’m okay, no

I’m tryin’ to get over

I’m tryin’ to get far away from our mistakes

 

Chorus:

But I see shadows

Everywhere that I go

It’s you, reminding me

Of how we were

Of how it was

I see shadows

Everywhere they follow

It’s you and memories

Of how we loved

I’ve had enough of your shadows

Four months gone

I can’t feel you

I don’t understand it

Where did you go?

I hate that you’re all that I know

I’m not gonna tell ya

I’m not gonna say that I’m okay, no

I’m tryin to get over

I’m tryin’ to get far away from our mistakes

 

Chorus

 

You couldn’t love me

So why won’t you leave me

Shadows

Alone is the only place I want to be

I see shadows

Everywhere that I go

It’s you, reminding me

Of how to love

I’ve had enough

I see shadows

Everywhere they follow

It’s you, the memories

Of how we loved

I’ve had enough

Your shadows

It’s you, the memories

Of how we loved

I’ve had enough of your shadows

 

TALK ME DOWN

 

I'm too tired to go to bed

I'm too wired for anything except

The crossfire in my head

It's been a long night

'Cos I took all I can take

’Til the walls shook and the windows break

I want to phone you but it's far too late

It's been a long night

 

Chorus:

So talk me down

Talk me down

Talk me down

Talk me down

'Cos we fought an endless war

’Til we forgot what we were fighting for

Now we can't stop

But we can withdraw

In the long night

 

Chorus

 

The light flashed and I thought I'd died

My life passed before my eyes

It went too fast for the love I feel

Inside

 

Chorus

 

Down, down, down

Lay your head near mine

Tell me that it's all fine

Love me while there's still time

 

WHERE WE ARE

 

Stay, stay where you are

Don’t let me go, don’t let me go

We made it this far

Oh baby stop, stop right there

Don’t walk away, don’t walk away

Into thin air

We survived a crash

Made it through the wreckage

Standing here at last

So perfectly written

 

Chorus:

Now where we are

Is where we’re suppose to be

Where we are

Keeps the breath in me

Where we’ve been

We’ve risen from the deep

Where we’re now no one can tear us apart

That’s where we are

Don’t, don’t turn around

We gotta let, we got to let

Go of the past now

Feel me by your side

We’re out of danger

No reason to hide

We survived the storm

Made it through the hurricane

Standing here at last

Dry despite the rain

 

Chorus

 

That’s where we are

Stay, stay where you are

 

Chorus

 

That’s where we are

 

THE DIFFERENCE

 

 

I wake my faith shaken inside

Images of you race to mind

Did I forget I meant to tell you something?

Only half 'til you have to fall

Only whole when you’re seeing it all

Oh you saved for something me

 

Chorus:

Between lost and found

You showed me the difference

Between safe and sound

You showed me the distance

Oh I was sliding, safe but I was hiding out

Oh I fell I’m not down

You showed me the difference

Everything was slipping right through my hands

Hard to find any place to land

Clouds don’t cover me where I stand anymore

Only half 'til you think you lost

Only whole when you’re reaching across

You saved something for me

 

Chorus

 

You resurrected me

Eyes wide open to dream

In scattered pieces when you found me

 

Chorus

 

You showed me the difference 2x

 

AS LOVE IS MY WITNESS

 

Once in a lifetime

You look in someone's eyes

And it feels like the world stops

Turning at once

Well that's what it felt like for me

I knew right away this day would be

Standing together

Believing forever is there in our reach

 

Chorus:

 

As love is my witness

I swear

I'll be with you 'til the end

Nothing can tear this love apart

I’ll put my hand upon my heart

This is the promise I make to you

Whatever comes we'll see it through

Nothing can break it

The feeling's too strong

As love is my witness

 

We've both known sorrow

We have known heartache

When our dreams for tomorrow

Seemed so far away

But that brought us closer, yeah

It brought us together

So that we'd know the real thing

That's why I can say

 

Chorus

 

I know whatever comes to be

Together we'll face the mystery

Here in my heart

Deep in my soul

Somehow I know, I know

 

Chorus

 

Nothing can break it

This feeling's too strong

As love is my witness

 

ANOTHER WORLD

 

In another life

Maybe we see everything

In a different light

Like an endless summer

And in the years from now

We'll all be living

The same old certain dream

That we imagined would be

 

Chorus:

Somewhere high

Somewhere high above the clouds

We could live there safe and sound

Far away from where we are

Yeah we'll find our star

But maybe that's another world

In another life

We would fall in love you see

And the sun would shine

For you and me yeah

Chasing the storm from the sky

Altogether love would come and save us

And we would let it take us

 

Chorus

 

Far away from where we are

Yeah we'll find our star

But maybe that's another world

 

NO MORE HEROES

 

When the waves are crashing down

Pulling you to sorrow

I will sail you back to shore

When there are no more heroes

Over under, near or far

I’ll be right beside you

Standing here with open arms

When there are no more heroes

 

Chorus:

And through it all

And through it all

When you’re tired and you stumble I will carry you

When starlight falls, my love will guide you home

You’ll never be alone

When there are no more heroes

It was you who showed me how

Brought me back to glory

Through hopelessness and darkest days

It was breath you gave me

 

Chorus x 3

 

When there are no more heroes

 

SOUND OF A BROKEN HEART

 

In so many ways I tried to reach you

And I don’t know why I couldn’t get through

When I tried so hard to break your guard

Didn’t know it would leave this scar

Leave this scar

Now I’ve made it this far

And the pain isn’t over

But the sun keeps on risin’

And I keep getting stronger

 

Chorus:

I never thought that I’d survive you

But I will be free

And there’ll be so many nights I gotta get through

But now I see

You’ll never be the end of me (no)

Cos when my world fell apart

And I didn’t know where to start

I heard the sound of a broken heart

(I still feel the pain)

I heard the sound of a broken heart

(It still beats the same)

When will the world start spinnin’

And what happened to my happy ending

Learning what it takes, to turn this page

Didn’t know how to walk away

Walk away

Now I’ve made it this far

And the pain isn’t over

But the sun keeps on risin’

And I keep getting stronger

 

Chorus

 

And I won’t stay down; I know my heart’s still beating

Cos I hear the sound, tellin’ me I’m alright

Tellin’ me to move on

 

Chorus

 

Still feel the pain for you

Still beats the same x 2

 

REACH OUT

 

When everything is war

You’re living in a battle zone

When everything is torn

And the world is cold as stone

Don’t lock all the doors

Close your heart

Shut me out of your life

And throw all the keys

 

Chorus:

Will you reach out?

Will you reach out for me?

When life holds you down

Like you’re drowning at sea

I’m the hand that you need

‘Til you land at your own destiny

Reach out for me

When everything is wrong

Distant cries still reach my ears

When ever you’re alone

Doesn’t mean that love’s not here

Unlock all the doors

And decide in your mind

This is not how you want it to be

 

Chorus \

 

Reach out

Will you reach out for me?

So don’t hide

I’m right here

By your side

Shelter you

From your fears

From your fears

Oh your fears

Oh your fears

I won’t be

Far away

I will pull you in

Out of the rain

 

Chorus

 

Reach out

Will you reach out for me?

Reach out for me

I’m the hand that you need

‘Til you land at your own destiny

Reach out

Reach out for me

 

I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN

 

Always you will be part of me

And I will forever feel your strength

When I need it most

You’re gone now, gone but not forgotten

I can’t say this to your face

But I know you hear

 

Chorus:

I’ll see you again

You never really left

I feel you walk beside me

I know I’ll see you again

When I’m lost, when I’m missing you like crazy

I tell myself I’m so blessed

To have had you in my life, my life

 

Chorus

 

When I had the time to tell you

Never thought I’d live to see the day

When the words I should have said

Would come to haunt me

In my darkest hour I tell myself

I’ll see you again

 

Chorus x 2

 

I will see you again

I’ll see you again

I miss you like crazy

You’re gone but not forgotten

I’ll never forget you

Someday I’ll see you again

I feel you walk beside me

Never leave you, yeah

Gone but not forgotten

I feel you by my side

No this is not goodbye x 3

1. "What About Now" Ben Moody, David Hodges, Josh Hartzler 4:10

2. "How To Break A Heart" Sam Watters, James Scheffer, Louis Biancaniello 4:04

3. "Leaving" Steven Lee Olsen, Bryn Christopher, Carl Falk 3:57

4. "Shadows" Ryan Tedder, AJ McLean 4:01

5. "Talk Me Down" Simon Petty 4:01

6. "Where We Are" Ryan Tedder, Savan Kotecha 3:57

7. "The Difference" Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Brian Kennedy Seals 3:30

8. "As Love Is My Witness" Connor Reeves, Jonathan Shorten 4:07

9. "Another World" Steve Booker, Sophie Delila 3:16

10. "No More Heroes" Lindy Robbins, Savan Kotecha, Emanuel Kiriakou 3:58

11. "Sound Of A Broken Heart" Sam Watters, John Reid, Wayne Wilkins, Louis Biancaniello 3:51

12. "Reach Out" Mark Feehily, Shaznay Lewis, Chris Braide 3:56

13. "I'll See You Again" Shelly Poole, Andy Hill 5:17

14. "You Raise Me Up (Live at Croke Park)" (Japan Bonus Track) Brendan Graham, Rolf Løvland 5:00

 

---------------------------------

 

Track by track

 

The Difference

 

 

Kian: 'The Difference'! This is a song that we all absolutely love. You know, again, it was one of them songs that kinda came out of nowhere. We went to a studio in LA to meet these two song writers called Scott and Ann who did 'Listen' for Beyonce and stuff like that.

Mark/Kian: 'Torn' for Natalie Imbruglia.

Kian: And they penned us two songs. 'The Difference' just like kind of automatically like jumped at us. When it gets to the second verse and there's a thumbing beat that comes in underneat it, it just lifts you up straight away and it has that real kinda up lifting feel to it. And then by the time it gets to the chorus it's just this big massive song. It almost feels like something you'd hear U2 do in a sense witht he drum feel on it. You know, I'm not comparing Westlife to U2 but it certenly has a bit of that kind of feel to it.

Mark: A bit of country / rocky sort of feel to it.

Kian: Yeah, and it's also got this weird kinda chant in it as well. It's kinda like an African chant. It's just, overall I think it's definitely one of them songs that when we're performing on tour it's gonna be massive.

Shane: We will be singing that on tour yeah, without a doubt.

Kian: It's going to be a massive song on tour. Again, you know, like the rest of the songs in this album, unless we've seen it as a single potential we weren't gonna record it. This song definitely has single potential and it's just another great song on our album.

 

As Love Is My Witness

 

 

Nicky: The next track we're gonna speak about is 'As Love Is My Witness' and this actually was the first song that we recorded back after our year off as a band. It was written by Connor Reeves...

Mark/Nicky: And Jonathan Shorten.

Kian: Connor Reeves who for those who don't know sung a very famous song called 'Earthbound'.

Mark: And 'My Fathers Son'.

Nicky: There is great harmonies on the song. It's kind of slightly RnB I suppose but brought more, obviously Westlife singing, it's more, you know, brought to pop domain. We recorded it with Martin Terefe who is a producer from Sweden who did... James Morrison?

Mark: He does a lot of James Morrison tunes.

Nicky: But as I said we were starting the new album we didn't know whether it was gonna be the first single, whether it was gonna be even on the album when we were recording it. So, anyway, this is 'As Love Is My Witness'.

 

Another World

 

 

No More Heroes

 

 

Sound of a Broken Heart'

 

 

Reach Out

 

Westlife - 'Where We Are' BBC Review

28 Nov 2009

Album. Released 30 November 2009

 

The boyband’s seventh album of originals sets its sights on the US market.

 

Mike Diver

 

Despite their amazing UK sales, Westlife have never conquered the American market. So what, you might think. Who cares about flogging a few more albums in the States? Clearly the powers that be behind the Irish quartet do.

 

Where We Are sees Louis Walsh’s charges working with a host of writers with plenty of experience in the US charts. Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, who also contributed to Leona Lewis’ Echo, delivers Shadows. It’s a blustery ballad, and a much edgier arrangement than many of Westlife’s previous hits. That it still features a trademark key change, aka The Moment They Get Off Their Stools, rather lessens its effectiveness, but you’ve got to give the fans what they want.

 

Which, mostly, Where We Are does. Nobody buys Westlife records for the radical progressions contained within; their albums disappear from the shelves because they’re a safe bet. In 11 years their style has barely changed, and it’s this consistency, more than anything else, that’s been the cornerstone of their success. Gently swaying numbers like Talk Me Down and As Love is My Witness, the latter penned by 1990s flash-in-the-pan Conner Reeves, are aural potpourri, pleasant at a distance but distinctly unpalatable up close. And that’s fine, it’s to be expected.

 

But there are surprises on this disc. US producer Scott Cutler generates a little heat with The Difference, where the percussion rises like an arena-filling Coldplay anthem. Lead single What About Now – originally released by Daughtry and written by Ben Moody, formerly of Evanescence – is similarly indie-influenced, with guitar high in the mix. It’s every bit as immediate as Take That’s comeback material, and will have fingers tapping on steering wheels in earnest during drive time plays. Steve Booker, who recorded alongside George Clinton in the 1970s, contributes Another World, which is this album’s soulful highlight.

 

Yet the songs never stray too far from safety. Closer I’ll See You Again is typical torch song fare, executed with the efficiency fans have come to expect, and several others stick to a formula that’s served Westlife well, but does now sound dated. The best tracks could see them stir interest in the US like never before, but they’ll need to go for broke stylistically next time if attentions are to be retained. And it can’t hurt to try – if it’s got Westlife written on it, it’ll sell splendidly across these isles whatever the product.

 

Credit/Source: bbc.co.uk

Mark Feehily opens up on Westlife

27 Nov 2009

 

As part of one of the most successful Irish boy bands of all time, Mark Feehily has always vocally been at the forefront of Westlife. They're the third biggest selling pop group worldwide, have had 14 number one singles in the UK, and show no signs of stopping yet.

 

Before Westlife formed, Mark, Shane Filan and Kian Egan were three of six members of a group called (IOYOU and they released a single called "Together Girl Forever". It wasn't until Shane's mum alerted Louis Walsh, the manager of Boyzone, that the group began taking the steps towards success. Instantly calling for a line-up change, auditions were then held where Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden were recruited to work with Mark, Kian and Shane. The first big break for Westlife came in 1998 when they opened for the Boyzone and Backstreet Boys' concerts in Dublin. From them on they took off, achieving international success with their catchy and melodic ballads.

 

Despite living the dream, Mark was harbouring a huge secret. Unlike his other band mates, he refused to discuss his private life in interviews and was shown with girlfriends in the press in order to avoid speculation. As the only gay member of the group his sexuality was kept a secret for years. It wasn't until 2005 that Mark felt publicly ready to come out and announced his relationship with Kevin McDaid, a member of another boy band called V. The public reacted positively and Mark has since said it was the best thing he'd ever done.

 

Now, having spent a year off working on their 10th studio album, Westlife are back and Mark has rebuffed claims the group were ever going to split. Despite their success, the group have so far not been able to break into the US market but in a recent interview Louis Walsh said this would be an aim of their comeback.

 

In this interview Mark speaks reveals his true feelings on Louis and Simon Cowell, speaks openly about his commitment for Kevin and thanks the late Stephen Gately for all he's done in breaking negative gay stereotypes.

 

Q: So Westlife are back. Why did you have the break?

A: It felt like things were going too far with just getting an album out every year and that being the priority, with the song quality coming second to that. We had nine albums in nine years and I think it was only healthy we get away from it. Things were getting a bit stale. How can I say that when we had the biggest records, but it's true. You can have millions coming to see you but that isn't the be all and end all.

 

Q: Did you think about splitting up?

A: All that speculation is just nonsense. Everyone's always going to ask us if we're splitting up, especially when we haven't been around for a year but I suppose its part and parcel of us being a band that's been around for a long time.

 

Q: How is Louis Walsh coping with the death of Stephen Gately?

A: We all talk to Louis on the phone, we keep in touch. That's the same with Boyzone. We came along ten years ago; Boyzone came along twenty years ago. We're close but he's even closer to them because he's known them longer. At the end of the day someone has passed away and that was someone who he was a very close friend of... anybody in the world would be devastated.

 

Q: How are you dealing with your grief?

A: Nobody has got to terms with it yet. Luckily Louis's got us, he's got Boyzone... Boyzone have each other and Stephen had a great family.

 

Q: When did you last see him?

A: We've bumped into them umpteen times over the years, we've supported them and we've had Smash hits tours. I knew him well but the last time I saw him was about a year ago, when we performed on 'The X Factor' last Christmas. We were on the same night on the final. We were doing the duet with JLS.

 

Q: Has it made you think about your own life?

A: After the news broke, I spoke to Louis and one of the first things he said was 'You have to get out there and live your life, don't take anything for granted.' You can't sit around putting things off; you have to get out there, nobody knows what's round the corner.

 

Q: You're still with your long-term partner Kevin McDaid, any weddings on the cards?

A: We literally got on from when we met five years ago, we're very happy. We live together; he is literally the other half of me. Finding Kevin really completed me. When I look back at interviews all I see is the big hole, like there's something missing, that I needed to find somebody. He's made me very happy and I feel lucky to have him but marriage is not something we've considered.

 

Q: Stephen must have done a lot, coming out before you did?

A: When someone in the public eye who is admired by millions comes out, it's one kind of blow to the negative stereotype and one more block built for the reality, which is that gay people are no different to straight people. When I came out I got a lot of letters saying 'oh when you come out my mum was a big fan and it kind of broke her image of gay people down.' It helped me when Stephen came out, it helped when I came out; I think it helped when Will Young came out.

 

Q: You must have found it difficult hiding your feelings for so long?

A: I just put it all aside. I didn't have any boyfriends. It's the main thing in my life I put off, but it's behind me now.

 

Q: If you were going to get married would Louis be your best man?

A: No! I think my best friend would be my best man. But Louis would definitely be at the wedding, with the rest of the Westlife boys and everyone else I work with.

 

Q: Do you think shows such as the 'X Factor' or 'American Idol' are good for the music industry?

A: The 'X Factor' can't always be about the next Whitney or Mariah, it's about entertainment. There's the pantomime element of it so characters like John and Edward have just as much reason to be there. It's about finding entertainers.

 

Q: Do you find it frustrating that they can do so well through reality TV?

A: We got our break through luck and trying hard, but other people get theirs in different ways. We can't complain because it gave us a chance to get the whole country hearing our new song. Money cannot buy that sort of exposure.

 

Q: Do you think they'll find another star?

A: They're very lucky they found Leona; she came at a crucial time because it was starting to get to the point where credibility was starting to diminish. Leona comes along and 'The X Factor' has found the newest, biggest star in the world, so it's respected again.

 

Q: You performed on 'X Factor' recently. Were you nervous?

A: We know we're all fine and that none of us act scatty and none of us are not going to speak to Dermot O'Leary. The worst thing that could have happened was that we would be a little nervous! But that's what you get when 15 million people are watching you.

 

Q: Do you think some people were waiting for you to fail?

A: I wasn't going to let that get to me. I wasn't thinking, oh look what happened to Whitney last weekend. I was thinking I want this to go well. Seeing the contestants every week, they don't look nervous, they don't realise how many people are watching.

 

Q: Did you get star struck?

A: Yes, because I watch it at home and it's like jumping into the TV. I think with Robbie Williams, and then me when I was nervous, is I watch the 'X Factor' every week and it's really strange, a bit like jumping into the TV. That's why he looked so nervous.

 

Q: Do you feel Westlife get unfairly criticisied for releasing so many covers?

A: We're a little bit misunderstood because we're not only doing covers. Our record company don't want to take risks so they'd be happy to do covers. If you listen to our album, I would say to anyone who criticises what we do, it kind of proves we don't just do covers. We do a lot of pop songs and a lot of our number one singles are actually pop songs.

 

Q: You've still had a lot of number ones...

A: We definitely did go too far, we did too many covers. That's something we allowed to happen and shouldn't have. There's a place for covers, some of the best songs in pop are covers, and it's just that we allowed ourselves to go a bit too far.

 

Q: What's Simon Cowell like? Does he really wear his trousers that high?

A: We met Simon in 1998. He came to Ireland to audition us and basically has the same outfit now. He's got the same trousers, up to his moobs, but he goes to the gym now so he doesn't have the moobs anymore...and he has the haircut. He had the same black top. I think he's kind of loosened up a bit and his style sense has changed. He wears jeans now; he doesn't wear the high-wasted trousers.

 

Q: He wears grey t-shirts too...

A: He likes to mix it up. To be honest, that's what he's like in real life. He's a very charming man and very interesting. I think the level of success, it's amazing, you can't deny that he has something very special. He's obviously an intelligent man.

 

Q: What don't the public know about Simon?

A: He's got a big side of him that's interested in psychology. Honestly, you go into his office and there are books on psychology and stuff. He's a business man and business men need to know all of that sort of stuff but he's a very nice man and there's a lot more to him than what the public see. I think he's also a very private man, as famous as he is, and he doesn't show that side of him.

 

By Laura Hinton

 

Credit/Source: FemaleFirst.co.uk

 

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Westlife Interview In Hello! Magazine

27 Nov 2009

They have ruled the pop world for more than a decade with a string of worldwide top ten hits that has cemented their place as one of the most popular and sucessful bands in history.

 

And Irish heartthrobs Westlife are back with a bang as they release their new album Where We Are, featuring their recent single that reached No.2 in the charts after the boys performed it on X Factor last month. The Foursome - Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan - were understandably in high spirits when HELLO! met them last week.

 

In this exclusive interview, the bandmate, who have racked up 14 No.1 singles in the UK since they were formed in 1998, tell us what they think of The X Factor, fellow Irish sensations John and Edward Grimes - better known to fans as Jedward (who like them are mentored by Louis Walsh) - and their sadness ate the death last month of their friend, Boyzone singer Stephen Gately…

 

Everyone's talking about The X Factor, What do you think about the talent on this year's show?

Mark: "Danyl's the best voice on there for me, but I am getting caught up in the public's admiration for Jedward and I'd love them to win it. I don't think they're great singers by any means, but they're funny and the press have built them into something mega. But having met them, they're oblivious to the whole thing. I think Jedward winning would be great for X Factor. You look back to see who's still in the public eye, and I don't think Leon Jackson is doing anything at the minute."

 

Nicky, do you want Jedward to win?

Nicky: "I like them a lot. Just to shake up the show a little bit."

 

Is it because they're Irish?

Mark: "No, honestly that's nothing to do with it. It really isn't. I like who I like, year by year, and I don't like them just because it's Louis or they're Irish."

 

Sting described the show as "Karaoke TV", saying the contestants have no real talent or any chance of longevity in the industry. Do you share those views?

Mark: "I would never have expected someone like Sting to say that, I thought he was a very gathered, collected, intelligent, mature person; to say such a random statement… I don't know."

Kian: "To me, The X Factor is an amzing TV show. Me, Shane and Mark come from the west coast of Ireland and we were very, very, very blessed to have the opportunity to meet someone such as Louis Walsh and then for Louis to take us on is another whole different thing. That statement od Sting's is pretty wrong, because look at the acts that have come out of The X Factor - JLS are huge, Alexandra Burke is huge. They're all decents acts with longevity, and Leona Lewis is a whole different thing all together. So Sting should probably keep his opinions to himself if he's going to be negative about things like that."

Mark: "I'd be interested to know what Sting's opinion of Leona Lewis is!"

 

What do you think about how reality show winners seem to have the monopoly on the charts these days? The winner is almost guaranteed to get the Christmas No.1. Does that give them and unfair advantage, in your opinion?

Mark: "That's like saying befor The X Factor was on TV, does someone who got to perform one the Lottery have an unfair advantage because they're on a TV show? A big TV show is a big TV show, it's always going to be a vehicle to promote some acts, and some are luckier than others and they get on the bigger TV shows."

 

Your new album, Where We Are, is out at the end of the month. It's a very different sound for you. How has your style changed?

Shane: "I think it's better - there's more variety on there, and every producer or songwriter we worked with on this album is brand new to us. We've made most of it in America, which we've never done before, and we've worked with a lot of new people to create a better sound.

We feel the last two or three albums were cover-heavy. We went through a phase were we did different types of album and they were all successful. But it got to a stage where we weren't happy and we wanted to go back and make a great pop album.

"Our first single from the album, What About Now, is a great song. It's very different for a Westlife sound, but it's interesting and it's had the biggest airplay we've had in eight years. We're very proud of this album. Usually we do an album every year, but with this one we're going to spend the next two years promoting it. We feel it's got the legs for it, it's got a lot of great singles to come."

 

Kian, congratulations on tying the knot earlier this year with former Hollyoaks actress Jodi Albert. Now we hear Jodi is singing in a new girlband…

Kian: "Yes, she is. The group have just signed a recording deal with Mercury records. Hopefully, they'll be releasing a record next year.

 

Are they going to go on tour with you?

Kian: "We hope so, but it's all going to depend on whether they're ready or not. I think there's a platform there for them."

 

A few sad things have happend this year. Nicky and Kian have both lost their fathers, and there was also the death of your friend Stephen Gately. How has that affected you?

Mark: "On one hand, we've got the life that we've lived on stage and in the past that's so far removed from the reality that most people identify with, it's the stuff of dreams - glamorous parties in Los Angeles, travelling the world, performing in front of massive crowds, working with big names in the music business… All that stuff is fantastic. And then, on the other hand, you've got these last six months or a year that have been very real for us, and reality has been right in front of our faces, things that you can't escape, like losing Nicky's dad and Stephen.

"It happens to everyone and it affects everyone - it's something that everyone in the world has in common and it's a very grounding, real experience. It reminds you that we've got no power over these things and you get caught up on the treadmill of life and should really make the most of things while you have the opportunity. Nobody ever knows what's going to happen"

 

Credit/Source: Hello! magazine / Thanks Jane for typing it up

 

Westlife - Where We Are review

27 Nov 2009Tracklisting: 1. What About Now 2. How To Break A Heart 3. Leaving 4. Shadows 5. Talk Me Down 6. Where We Are 7. The Difference 8. As Love Is My Witness 9. Another World 10. No More Heroes 11. Sound Of A Broken Heart 12. Reach Out 13. I'll See You Again

Record Company: Sony Music

Release Date: Monday 30th November 2009

Buy it now:

 

Westlife they have been around for quite a while now haven’t they? Impressively they managed to become one of the biggest selling boybands around (there being a lack of boybands lately) with their first seven singles going straight to number 1 there is no disputing that these guys are not just posers but also talented. After a well deserved break Westlife are back with their brand new album Where We Are. What did we think?

 

First track is current single What About Now one of the best tracks on the album we have to say. With its dramatic piano opening and Filan’s angelic voice serenading us it is clear why Westlife chose this as their lead single. Perfect for the festive season What About Now has some of that optimism that we all need after a long year.

 

How To Break A Heart is our little guilty pleasure. It’s cheesy yes but it has one of the catchiest chorus’ ever and we can’t stop singing those haha’s every time we reach the chorus.

 

All of sudden we realise that there is a pattern with most Westlife songs they always start off humbly and finish off in the most grandiose way. Harmonies now that is something these guys know how to do. Looks like ten years of practice has perfected their talent.

 

Sound Of A Broken Heart has that Westlife trademark sound think If I let You Go. It’s not great (as in we’ve heard this song before) but it will probably appeal to all the Westlifers out there.

 

Reach Out is another classic Westlife. This one is all about the harmonies and the chorus is extremely catchy and will probably get stuck in your head for a few hours once you are done listening to it. It’s good and especially when we reach the peak of the song.

 

Highlights on the album include Talk Me Down the only tame song on the album and it’s actually quite refreshing. Feehily is accompanied by piano and sounds painfully sad. Its simple stuff and we love it especially when it reaches its peak. The title track of the album Where We Are is by far the best track on the album and is without a shadow of a doubt a hit waiting to be unleashed. Most infectious melodies and harmonies we have heard in long time.

 

Westlife have almost accomplished the impossible by overcoming the death of boyband era and losing one of their members and yet getting bigger and bigger over the years. It seems that as long as you can sing and you have stage presence (and look good) there is nothing there to stop you. The album boasts some excellent pop songs/ballads and it’s only a shame that the last few tracks aren’t as catchy. Where We Are is the best we have heard from Westlife in years granted we are not the biggest connoisseurs in the matter but that’s our opinion.

 

Credit/Source: www.entertainment-focus.com / Thanks Jessy for finding

 

 

 

Westlife are 'hopeful' of Sligo concert next summer

27 Nov 2009

By JIM GRAY EXCLUSIVE

 

As they roar back into action following a year long break, Westlife have confirmed that they're hopeful o f staging a concert in Sligo nex t summer.

 

In an exclusive interview with THE SL IGO CHAMPION, Shane Filan confirmed that talks have already opened with their agents about the possibility of including Sligo in their touring itinerary for 2010, and while "nothing is yet set in stone", he was hopeful that the hometown concert could become a reality.

 

"It's six years since we did our only Sligo concert, so we'd love to get back on stage on home territory next year. We have told our agents to do all they can to make it happen, and while nothing is set in stone, I would be hopeful that it will happen next summer," Shane said.

 

A Westlife concert would provide a massive badly needed boost for the local economy. When the band played here in 2003, in the final performance of a sellout world tour, more than 20,000 people flocked to Markievicz Park, many of whom had travelled from all over Europe for the event.

 

The success of that show effectively removed any doubts about Sligo's capability to host a major concert which should make it easier to surmount any obstacles which might emerge in the planning of a return visit.

 

The band

 

members themselves were extremely happy with both the way the concert was organised and the reaction from the Sligo public, regarding it as one of the highlights of their career.

 

"Certainly for the Sligo lads it would be right up there with the top h i g h l i g h t s, " Shane said. "It went very well, and Markievicz P a rk proved to be an ideal venue. Hopefully, the success of that event will make it easier to put things in place for another concert."

 

He stressed, however, that the planning for next summer's tour, which will more than likely include concerts at some of the world's biggest stadia, is still at a preliminary stage.

 

"Absolutely no dates have been set yet. But we are definitely going out on the road, and we've made it clear we would like to include Sligo. There has been no talk of dates or venues as of yet, but our agents are aware of our desire to play in our home town, and they will work towards that," Shane added.

 

Westlife's comeback album, 'Where We Are', will be released this Friday, with Shane describing it as "the best ever".

 

" We want to sell this album on its quality, rather than merely on our reputation. We deliberately set out to make a top quality record, and I honestly believe we've achieved that. I would definitely say it's our best ever album, and I'm confident when people hear it they'll agree with that assessment," Shane says.

 

Credit/Source: www.sligochampion.ie

Shane Interview Translated from Swedish

26 Nov 2009

 

 

Westlife are back after two years away from the limelight, 2 December is the release date for the Irish boyband's tenth album "Where We Are". First single "What About Now" was released last month and reached the second place in the British charts giving promise of a welcome comeback. Today the guys are in Stockholm to promote the new album. Yesterday I had a chat on the phone with Shane Filan, one of the band members.

 

Hey Shane! I saw your performance at X-Factor the other week, how does it feel to be back on stage?

It feels really good and we are very pleased to be back on track again after a hard year. It's fun to be back with a good track and our album is really strong, we are very proud!

 

What have you been doing during your free time?

I have spent lots of time at home, my wife and I had our second child in September last year, so we have spent much time at home with the kids. In addition, I played much golf and started going to the gym to be fit, otherwise I have only been on leave and chillax, which was really nice because I've almost constantly been on tour since 1999.

 

Tell us about your new album coming out next week

It's very good! It is better both musically and lyrically, it is a bit of a new sound of Westlife, I think it is more mature, has more tempo in the music and generally this album is more interesting and edgy than before. It is a great step forward for us!

 

Yes, it's definitely a new sound, how would you compare it with your previous expressions?

Yes there is a new sound, but it is still very Westlife. I think the style is different. There is a lot better and more interesting production than before. We have been working with new songwriters and producers. So it is quite new in that sense, we look forward to hearing feedback from fans when the album comes out!

 

Have you used any of your Swedish songwriters for this album?

Yes there is always a piece of Sweden with a Westlife album, haha! Among others, Savan Kotecha (Note: previously wrote Westlife's Us Against The World and Obvious) has been involved in a couple of songs and Carl Falk has been involved in writing Leaving.

 

You always say that your new album is the best so far.

Yes, of course, you always think that the new album is good, but this time get the album speak for itself. When our fans hear it, they will probably agree with everything I say. It is probably the best album we've done so far and we must listen to it to enjoy it. If you do not want to listen - do not buy it!

 

You have just toured the UK / Ireland during your last two tours. Are you going to Sweden next tours?

We want to tour in Europe, why we do not bust out of the continent is that our fan base has declined a bit, our music has not received much radio and tv exponering past two or three years. But I think the new album will be a major success throughout Europe and in this case, we will be more touring next summer. So simple it works.

 

What will you do during your visit Sweden?

We will give interviews, there will be a short visit but we will return to Sweden on 4 December - when we perform on Idol!

 

That's right, it's actually the day of the BSB concert in Stockholm, boyband fans are facing a hard choice ...

Well I did not know! Then they go to the Backstreet Boys concert and record our performance on Idol, haha!

 

You have spent lots of time here in all these years, what is your relationship to Sweden?

We have a good relationship with Sweden, it is the third country we visited the most next to Britain - and Ireland of course. We have spent much time in Sweden, mainly because of all the songs we recorded. We have a large fan base here, they have always been loyal and very supportive. They are always at the airport and the hotels - it's always fun to get there!

 

Speaking of fans, will you remember some of them in particular, what is the craziest fans in Sweden made?

I remember one girl who had a large outbreak every time she saw us. She began to shake the whole lot and cry uncontrollably, she literally freaks out every time. We never knew if she was serious or if she just faking it. She must be the craziest fan we've seen in Sweden anyway!

 

Westlife released the album "What About Now", December 2, December 4 band appears at the semi-finals of Idol, which takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden, TV4 at 20.00

 

Westlife Interview in Woman Magazine

25 Nov 2009

'This time we're not playing it safe!'

 

 

The Westlife boys chat to us about their new album and family Christmas plans...

 

Their recent appearance on The X Factor marked the return of Westlife - Shane Filan, 30, Nicky Byrne, 31, Mark Feehily, 29, and Kian Egan, 29 - after a year off. So when we meet them in a London studio they're ready for a good gossip and are happy to fill us in on their family lives and their concerns for manager Louis Walsh...

 

Are you hoping your new album goes to number one?

Shane: Well, we've never had a Christmas number one album, but Simon Cowell says he's more into this album than the last seven ones - he's ringing us the whole time about it.

Mark: We've played it safe with our music in the past, so this time we wanted to do our own songs rather than just covers.

 

What have you all been up to on your year off?

Nicky: I lived in Portugal with my wife, Georgina and twins Rocco and Jay, two, which was cool, and I also did a lot of kickboxing.

Shane: I spent a lot of time making and having babies! Nicole is four, Patrick is one and we've got one due in February.

Kian: My dad unfortunately passed away, which was a big ordeal for everybody. BUt I also married my wife Jodi Albert. It was a bit of rollercoaster, a bittersweet year.

Mark: I travelled round Asia and Europe with my boyfriend Kevin.

 

And how is Louis?

Shane: Still very upset about Stephen Gately's death. They were very close, it's tragic, he was the nicest guy. Louis will block things out and get back to work, but back home at Christmas it will hit him hard.

 

You had a reunion with your ex bandmate Brian McFadden at Stephen's funeral...

Nicky: It was the first time in a while. He's gone through his own torment at the moment with his kids and the whole Kerry thing, but he's keeping well.He's very happy in Australia, I don't think he'll ever be back in the band, but there may be a moment down the line when we'll all feel it's right to do a song together.

 

Who are you backing to win on The X Factor?

Shane: I'd say Joe or Olly

Kian: Danyl!

Mark: well whether you love or hate the twins, you're still going to watch them. The contestants all seem very young this year, or maybe we're getting older?

 

What are your Christmas plans?

Mark: We've finally bitten the bullet and invited Kevin's family over, so I'm going to have to deliver a good day for them.

Shane: He's got a new Kitchen!

Nicky: Mine and Georgina's family are coming to ours and both our sisters are pregnant at the moment. Georgina's sister Cecelia (Ahern, the novelist) is due around Christmas day so that could be dramatic!

 

What's your favourite Christmas memory?

Kian: I got a drum kit when I was 10. By midnight my parents has to take it off me. I went bersek!

Shane: One Christmas I had a fiver to buy all my presents. I bought everyone a toothbrush and wrapped them individually. It was a horrendous present. They all went, 'Thanks Shane' I can't wait to brush my teeth'.

 

Credit/Source: Woman Magazine / Thanks Rachel for scanning and Nat for typing it up

 

Westlife Itreview & Pictures In More Magazine

25 Nov 2009

The Alan Carr Interview - WESTLIFE

 

This week, our celeb reporter gets a few diet tips, suggests Brian rejoin Westlife and regrets asking about the weirdest fan gift the boys have reveived...

 

 

They are the boy band princes of pop, so I was very excited indeed to get the chance to interrogate Westlife about their new album, Where We Are, their crazy fans and getting fat. And those Irish lads did make me laugh a lot... Although if you think I'm a bitch, wait until you hear what they had to say!

 

Alan: Hello Westlife! How are you all?

Shane: Good. It's good to be back.

 

A: Now I saw you on The X Factor the other week - I loved the lasers, very nice touch - but why did you ditch sitting on the stools?

Kian: It's not that we've ditched the stools. It's the typical thing we do, but don't worry, Westlife have got a very big name for stools.

 

A: Now I was there the week before you, and I think Danyl was loosing votes because of the old microphone tossing, don't you?

Kian: [All laugh] Somebody said he was a bit of a tosser in front of us, but I didn't believe them. I actually had him tipped to win after his first ever performance. Then you hear all the negative stuff that's in the press about him...

 

A: That's not fair really, is it?

Kian: It's not fair because it definitely does alter votes.

Mark: I feel more sorry about John and Edward. They're nice and naive. Danyl came across as somebody who's able to deal with the press. whereas I feel more sorry for the other ones, the younger ones.

 

A: It is just a game show at the end of the day. Who do you think will win?

Nicky: I was hoping Lucie would win before she was voted off. I think she was really good in the auditions and she was great when we met her.

Mark: I said Olly would be a good bet.

Shane: I thought Joe - for the Geordies.

 

A: Aww little Joe! Did you see how fat he was when he was a kid?

Shane: Yeah, it's like, 'What the f***'!

 

A: I know, I thought, 'Well there's hope for me!' I don't want to talk to him about the X Factor I want to say, 'How did you loose the weight?'

Shane: Gastric band eh?

 

A: [Cracking up] Gastric band, oh God...

Now, enough about The X Factor, you must have some mad fans. What's the weirdest thing your fans have done?

Shane: I think being given a used Tampax is the worst thing that's happened.

 

A: That's disgusting!

Shane: We were once sent a turnip, but that's not as bad as a used, bloody tampon. It turned up in an envelope, we got given it at a signing.

 

A: [Gagging] A used... that is disgusting. What did you put on it? Did you sign it in the end? A bloody biro wouldn't work...

Shane: A red pen! A Sharpie!

 

A: Sharpies, they're the ones David Beckham promotes aren't they? They write on anything - you could sign a turd.

Shane: They never smudge either.

 

A: Now how many of you are married?

Kian: Three of us are married.

Mark: They're all married.

 

A: [Looking at Mark] Aww, are you not? All alone, never found the right girl?

Mark: [Laughs] I'll never find the right girl.

 

A: He's looking.

Mark: [sarcastically] One day.

 

A: One day she'll come along... with a cock. [All laugh hysterically]

So what's it like being married? Do you stay in more? Do you read at home?

Kian: [Laughs] Yes, we're all so boring we stay in and read at home!

 

A: No, I'm sorry. I mean how's it changed for you? Are you loving it?

Kian: Yeah, completely. I'm the one that's newly married - I got married in May - but the two boys have been married a few years. I think you get a lot closer to the person. It doesn't feel any different in your everyday life, but it definitely feels different in your relationship.

 

A: You guys seem quite grounded - do you ever have those days where you're stumbling out of clubs?

Shane: Yeah, we just stumble out the back door [laughs]. We still stumble out of clubs, the paps just don't follow us around.

 

A: You know Robbie's hinted he'll re-join Take That - do you reckon Brian will ever come back?

Kian: Well, we'll never allow him, I don't think. I mean, he left the band for a reason and that's the end of that! [All laugh]

 

A: I only asked!

Kian: [Laughs] I only answered!

Nicky: Brian's still a friend, we don't see him often but realistically he'll never be in the band again. But we'll not rule out singing a song with him. You can't rule out stuff like that because you never know.

Kian: If we got paid enough we'd probably do something with him.

Shane: [Laughing] Kian, you're such a bitch!

 

A: Meow! Now, you know when Whitney Houston was on the X Factor and her flaps popped open?

Shane: We were actually in Iceland at the time so we didn't see it.

 

A: The supermarket?

Shane: No, the country! We went to actual Iceland supermarket for Kerry's birthday.

 

A: Oh dear, what would Brian say?

So you never had a wardrobe mulfanction? Breasts falling out?

Kian: No, we just tie our bra straps tight.

Shane: Did someone's trousers not fall down one day? We got to a gig and we had no boxer shorts on, do you remember?

Nicky: In Italy? That was awful! Yeah, we just wore no boxers! We had white trousers on.

 

A: What, you could see through them?

Nicky: You could see through them if you really looked and we just wanted to see if anyone would notice - nobody noticed.

 

A: Oh dear! Ok, if you weren't in Westlife what would you be doing?

Shane: f*** all.

 

A: I've got no skills in anything! I'd be stacking shelves, doing data entry...

Shane: I'd be doing the same - data entry.

Kian: [To Nicky] A copper, you would have been a copper!

Nicky: Well I was a footballer for a while and then that didn't work and then Westlife happened when I was studying for exams to get in the Irish police. So yeah, I would have been that or a stripper.

Shane: As a copper.

Mark: A kissogram. Kissogram or stripogram?

 

A: Stripograms are a bit more manual work aren't they?

Mark: How much are you paying?

 

A: Beggars can't be choosers, love! Just take the money and strip. What would you be doing? Have you got what it takes to be a kissogram?

Shane: I could have been one of those novelty ones with a big fat belly hanging out or something like that.

 

A: Do you think you'll still be releasing music in 20 years? Like the Stones?

Shane: I don't know...

 

A: How long do you reckon it'll go on for? Are you still enjoying it?

Shane: Couple of months maybe. Ten years is a possibility, but 20 years - that's a f***ing long way away. We'll be 50.

 

A: You'll need those stools. What's the worst part of your body?

Kian: My belly - it's getting hairy!

Nicky: I've got a weird shaped head.

 

A: You haven't got a weird shaped head. I shaved my head once and you remember that man from The Goonies? [All laugh] Now Kian, you said that you don't like your stomach, do you like go on diets and keep fit in the gym?

Kian: I go through phases of exercising. Before my wedding I got quite fit and I do watch what I eat more.

Shane: What? You watch what you eat? You used to close your f***ing eyes when you were eating?

Kian: No, I just care more about what I'm eating. When you start going to the gym, it's pointless unelss you want to achieve... say you're going to the gym and then getting a Big Mac...

Nicky: What is it the say? Take the 'C' off the chips and what do you get?

 

A: Hips!

Nicky: Yeah man!

 

A: That's good!

Shane: Chicken pickers wear bigger knickers.

 

A: More! I want to know more! Oh, you're done? Lovely then, thank you ever so much for that. It was nice to meet you, boys!

Mark: Thank you, that was fun.

 

Westlife's album, Where We Are is out on Monday.

 

Alan Carr: Chatty Man is on Thursdays, 10pm, C4, and he's on Radio 2 on Saturdays, 6pm-8pm. His book, Look Who It Is, is out now

 

Credit/Source: More magazine / Thanks Rachel for the scans

 

Mark Interview On Popjustice

25 Nov 2009

"I'm very safety conscious and all that..."

 

 

Westlife's Mark Feehily on comebacks, covers and cries for help...

 

Hello, Mark. This must be the end of a day of various interviews.

Yeah, we’ve just been doing group interviews where everyone butts in front of everyone and all that kind of stuff, so it’s nice to have a quiet room by myself now. Everyone’s off doing solo interviews and I got stuck with Popjustice… Oh, I mean Popjustice got stuck with me. (Awkward laugh)

 

It must be quite exciting to come back with a new album to talk about in interviews but there must also be a point, probably about two interviews into your first major day of press, when you think, ‘f***ing hell, have I got to do this all over again?’

Um… Yeah. To be honest, I think I’ve got something exciting to talk about now, and that in the past hasn’t always been the case. Before that you knew it all already before you even got to the interview, but now it’s kind of, well, it really is a fresh sort of start for us. I mean I’m excited in these interviews more than I would have been because I’ve just got more to talk about.

 

That’s a very Noel Gallagher-esque approach to the ‘new album’ interview: “the last album was $h!t, the new one’s amazing though”.

Hahaha, yeah. Our new album is genuinely a move in a certain direction. I mean, it’s definitely not the predictable same old thing, covers or whatever. You know, I’m talking to Popjustice, I might as well be real. You know I’m not here to kind of fluff the s or whatever, you know.

 

Obviously the first single is a cover, which you’ve had a bit of flack for…

You know, it is a cover and… Would we have preferred a brand new original song to be our first single that Simon [Cowell] loved and thought he could launch an album off? Yes. Um… That wasn’t exactly the case you know. We love this single, we genuinely do, and if you heard some of the suggestions that were put to us before this, well, you’d kind of understand why we’ve done this and why this is kind of a relief. There were many songs which I would be even scared to mention, you know, that were suggested to us which we turned down. There were many cover versions and many original songs that were either terrible or we would’ve been sort of trying to do a cover version of one of the best songs of all time that you’d just never touch.

 

What was the worst cover idea that was put to you?

There was loads of stuff through the years, like ‘You Are Not Alone’ by Michael Jackson…

 

And now of course that’s the X Factor finalists’ single.

Yeah, so Simon’s basically convinced somebody to do it, and it wasn’t us! Put it this way: there’s been times over the years where they’ve suggested stuff and we literally have gone ‘right, okay, don’t even go there…’ But then there’s other times when we have to find a reason. With Simon we don’t want to just go ‘no’ or whatever, we try and give him a reason, and sometimes it is a bit harder to give a reason why not to do it. And sometimes there’s a song where there is no reason not to cover them, you know.

 

Of course in the time you’ve been around, cover versions have become very cool. Jo Whiley built a very credible radio feature around cover versions and now you can’t move for people covering each others’ tunes, usually quite badly. Westlife set the trend Mark.

(Laughs) I think it’s just become the thing to talk about with Westlife, you know, ‘cover, whatever, blah blah blah’. I think, hopefully, if anyone actually genuinely wants to have an opinion, they’ll just give us the benefit and listen to our album before they make their minds up on it. So people can just listen to it and then after that, then if they wanna say “oh boring old predictable Westlife,” fine, but I’d just ask them to listen to the album first, because we’re just starting fresh.

 

If you had infinite time, a different record label and a different sort of ‘machine’ around you , what would be the album that you’d ideally make? If you didn’t have a fanbase to please, what would you want to do?

Well right now, honestly, we’ve gone through the full circle of what we feel. Sometimes we’ve felt more rebellious and gone, you know, ‘f*** you, label, we’re not doing that, we’ll do whatever we want’. I think we’ve realised after ten or eleven years that the most important thing is that everybody in the equation is on the same page, because if that doesn’t happen, then one of the kind of triangle of ourselves, management and the label loses interest, and without three people behind it, it never kind of reaches its full potential, so this time around, it’s the first time ever apart from probably our first album that everybody has felt the exact same about the album. Simon texted me when I was driving my car through Central London, and of course I pulled over to read the text because I’m very safety conscious and all that. But I literally nearly died, because Simon texted me and said ‘oh my god, guys, I have to tell you – hats off, your album is amazing. Your instincts were right, you’ve followed your instincts and you’ve really come out on top and this is the best album that we’ve ever made together’. And I practically shed a tear I was so happy, because I already knew I was happy with it and the rest of the boys were, and Louis was – but to find out that Simon was happy with it was like the final piece of the jigsaw. And it meant that, you know what, if this album flops then we’ve given it our best shot and everyone’s been fully behind it, so we can’t use the excuse of ‘the label weren’t really behind it fully’ or whatever.

 

What’s on the album then?

There’s a song that I’m really proud of myself which I wrote with Shaznay Lewis and Chris Braide called ‘Reach Out’ that I’m very, very proud of because I’ve always strived to write but I’ve always been a bit scared because it can be quite frowned upon sometimes, especially in the past for us to even mention the word ‘write’. I kind of went off and did it in my own time and then once I had a good demo, I brought it to the label and they liked it… I did it that way instead of going in and meeting them and saying ‘do you mind if I write and could you put me in with someone?’.

 

What’s the song about?

Um…well it’s kind of… I wrote it about something personal actually and I don’t really want to say what it is. But it’s just that kind of thing when someone’s in trouble and they’re not really saying anything about it. It’s quite a straightforward sentiment really. There’s also a song called ‘Shadows’ that we’ve done with Ryan Tedder that was written by him and AJ from the Backstreet Boys which is quite R&B vocally…

 

Does the chorus go “shadows, shadows, shadows” in a Ryan Tedder-esque kind of way.

I’m actually trying to think what the chorus is like for a second. (Incomprehensible humming) Actually it’s only got ‘shadows’ once, it’s not like ‘Halo’ or anything like that. We have another song called ‘Where We Are’ that we’ve done with Ryan that is a bit more like that ‘Halo’ kind of beat and everything.

 

You said at the start of this interview that you’re more into this album than you’ve been with past albums.

Absolutely. Basically the kind of final piece of the jigsaw is when you’re on the stage, and it’s the whole thing about believing in what you’re singing – I don’t mean like you’ve written the lyrics and it’s about a personal experience, but I mean believing that it’s good and standing there being proud of it, like performing ‘What About Us’ on The X Factor in front of 15 million people I was proud of that song. I was able to sing properly because I was proud and happy with it.

 

When were you last proud of an album? Let’s not forget your masterpiece, the rat pack covers album ‘Allow Us To Be Frank’.

Let’s forget that actually. (Laughs) That was a weird time in our career, really. I’m not making excuses for it, but Brian had just left. We kind of didn’t know what to do… Even when Brian was still in the band, people didn’t know what to do with us! But Brian had just left, everyone was a bit like ‘well this can’t be some kind of mediocre pop album’, and you know Robbie [Williams] 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?’ We eventually bought into it and I have to say as a singer I enjoyed the experience of recording the album, 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.

 

Alright, so that one was $h!t. ‘Back Home’, was that quite a good one? I’ve lost track.

I think ‘Back Home’ was kind of the beginning of this new album in a way. We’d been quite wary because Simon was starting to have huge success in America and we didn’t want Simon to turn around and go ‘they’re crazy, I don’t really know what they’re doing, they’re all mad in the head. They’re trying to be something they’re not.’ So it was a case of gradually, slowly but surely… It was the first time in a while that we’d done something that wasn’t predictable.

 

And how do you move forward from this, because even if this has given you a bit of renewed energy and excitement and you enjoy promoting it, you must be a bit bored of this now. But it is too late to do anything else? Are you stuck in Westlife forever?

Well I’ll always be a member of Westlife. Something that I learned in the time off was that I really do love Westlife and I need it in my life to be happy because it’s very much part of who I am and ten years later, it’s like… You know, as you said, you’re so far into it that it’s always going to be a part of me. And I am very proud of it. But part of the motivation to make the best pop album ever was: if we’re going to do this, if we’re going to do even one more album, let’s do it right, let’s not just wheel them out every year. We’re moving forwards, hopefully the next album will be even better, do you know what I mean? It’s just step by step, you can’t get there straight away, you have to take things one step at a time. I don’t believe in black and white like you have to be solo or you have to be in the band. On the year off, I’d done a lot of writing… I’d done a song with a guy called Steve Anderson who works with Kylie a lot - I’m quite good friends with him because he MD’d our live tour a few times and stuff like that. I did a song with him literally for the laugh, we said ‘let’s try it for the laugh,’ it’s called ‘Talk Me Down’ and I just put a vocal on it – and it ended up on the album. My point is… Well actually, I can’t remember what my point was now. (Laughs)

 

What’s the worst song on the new album?

The worst song? Um… I’m just trying to think of what I think would be the worst song… (Extended silence) It would be a lot easier for me to answer this from previous albums. Um, I think the song that would be least likely to be a single would be a song called ‘Sound Of A Broken Heart’ but that’s just because I think the other ones are just better than it. When you’re this connected to something it’s hard – you’d need a stranger to say, ‘alright, that’s $h!t, that’s $h!t, and that’s $h!t’…

 

You need to be at a distance, don’t you, sometimes, to see how $h!t something actually is.

Yeah, I don’t believe anything on the album is $h!t, but I’ve just put all my heart and soul into it. But I don’t know. Maybe that’s for someone else to decide. I’m not going to say it’s the best album of all time, I’m just saying that we’ve tried to make the best album we could, and we haven’t done a lot of covers and it’s not all predictable, so if this doesn’t make people happy then maybe we just never will.

 

You know what you should say to the haters? Just say to them, ‘hey, whatever.’

(Laughs) Well maybe not, Simon Cowell wouldn’t say that. He wouldn’t like us to say that. We’re supposed to say ‘Mandy’.

 

Let’s be fair, he did have a point - ‘Hey, Whatever’ was something of a low point.

Yeah, it was us trying to um, sort of, we didn’t know how to fight back and we just kind of went ‘bleaaaagh’. Now we’re kind of a bit more mature about things and we’ve learnt a bit more, but back then it was almost like a cry for help.

 

It seems Westlife have now got to a point where it’s not really worth people using their energy disliking you, in the same way that it’s not really worth your energy trying to please them. After over a decade you’re not going to suddenly become Vampire Weekend just because people complain about you doing nice ballads quite a lot, and nor do you really want to.

I know, it’s strange! Twelve years later and people still have a problem, and I’m like, well, you’re never going to like us. You know, you’re a f***ing electronica fan or a house fan. You know what I mean? It’s like, you’re never going to like Westlife, you know, so…

 

So f*** off.

Yeah, so whatever! Stop annoying me about it, go and tell someone who gives a $h!t.

 

Westlife.com is a website where you are able to find more information about Mark and his bandmates and their comings and goings.

 

Credit/Source: popjustice.com

 

Grieving Westlife bare their souls

28 Nov 2009

By Claire Murphy

 

WESTLIFE say recent tragedies including the death of Stephen Gately have forced them to re-evaluate their lives.

 

Just seven weeks after Boyzone star Gately (33) died in Mallorca the showbiz world will hold an extravaganza in his memory at the Palace Theatre in London's West End tomorrow.

 

Comedians Graham Norton, Matt Lucas, Alan Carr and Paul O'Grady are expected to attend, though it's believed Boyzone will not perform.

 

Meanwhile, Westlife singer Nicky Byrne has revealed how he desperately misses his father, Nikki Byrne snr (60), who died so suddenly just three weeks ago.

 

"The finality of it is just incomprehensible," he said.

 

Fellow band-mate Kian Egan (29) lost his father, Kevin, after a long battle with cancer in July of this year.

 

"When I lost my dad the idea of it was just heartbreaking and I said to the boys to make sure and take care of your dads," Kian said.

 

"And here we are and another of the band's dad is gone as well. It's obviously a very, very difficult thing.

 

"I don't think you ever get over it. You just accept it a little bit more as time goes on, rather than getting over it," he added.

 

Dad-of-two Nikki (31) said he doesn't fear death and was grateful that his dad wasn't in pain before he passed away.

 

Sick

 

"I'm not afraid to die. I'm too young to die," he said. "My dad always said he never wanted to be sick.

 

"At any funeral we were at he would say to enjoy life because as quick as you are here, you are gone. The fans have been so good with the letters and the cards," Nicky added.

 

The group revealed that the song I'll See You Again, which appears on their new album Where We Are, has a special significance to them.

 

"It's a really moving track but uplifting," Nicky said. "Even though it is about death and someone going, it's about seeing them again and them always walking beside you. It is a message of hope."

 

clairemurphy@herald.ie

 

Credit/Source: www.herald.ie

 

 

-------------

After a year's break, Shane is itching to get back to 'work'

30 Nov 2009

 

Out of the mouths of children! After a year of uninterrupted domestic bliss, Shane Filan wanted to break it gently to his four years old daughter, Nicole, that daddy would soon have to go back to work.

 

By JIM GRAY

 

'What work?', the little darling innocently enquired.

 

"You know, singing with Westlife", dad gently prodded.

 

"That's not work!" she exclaimed with a dismissive shrug of her slender shoulders.

 

And so, not for the first time, Shane Filan reflected that what he calls work is something he would gladly do for nothing.

 

"At the end of the day, it's a job. It is work, and it can be very hard some times. But we've never regarded it as a chore. We've never lost sight of how lucky we are to have this as our job. Nicole's comment just reminded me of how lucky I am," he says.

 

After a year long sabbatical, Shane and his Westlife colleagues are clearly itching to get back on the road. Bubbling with the same enthusiasm which provided the infectious trademark of the band's earliest days, he talks excitedly about the new Westlife single and album, the exhaustive promotional work which will take them across the globe over the next four months, and the performance tours being lined up for the summer months, which will hopefully include a Sligo concert.

 

Listening to him, it's hard to believe eleven years have passed since three fresh-faced Sligo teenagers, barely out of their Summerhill College uniforms, embarked on a magical journey which was to bring them unimagined fame and fortune on a global basis.

 

Along with Dubliners Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden, the latter since gone his separate way, Shane, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily have rewritten the music industry record books.

 

The staggering statistics graphically underline their phenomenal success -the only act in UK history to have their first seven singles go straight to number one; over 43 million records sold worldwide; the biggest selling pop band in the world over the past decade; their achievement of 14 number one singles bettered only by Elvis Presley and The Beatles; and sell out concerts in some of the world's biggest stadia.

 

But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of that breathtaking success is that it has hardly changed them. Older, wiser, more settled surely --but their personalities remain utterly uncontaminated by the egotistical excesses which engulf much of the music industry.

 

"I don't think any of us has changed too much. I'd hate to think we ever would," Shane offers. "Obviously, we're much more mature about things, about life generally and about the industry. Being married and having young children gives life a different dimension. So while our lives have changed, I don't think we have."

 

Life-changing indeed has been the Westlife experience, but Shane's personal life has evolved too. Now the father of two young children, Nicole (4) and Patrick (1), the family is set to be further extended with Gillian expecting the couple's third child in February.

 

"Next year will certainly be busy, both on the professional and family fronts, with the new baby due and Nicole starting school. Things will certainly be different," he reflects.

 

Despite the fame and perceived glamour of the pop star life, Shane insists his children will have a normal family life.

 

"I can't help the fact that I'm in Westlife and that I'm well known. But I don't see that interfering with my family life at all. Both Gillian and myself are grounded people, and like all parents, we want the best for our children.

 

"They will have a normal life. That's why we decided to set up home in Sligo. It's where we grew up, where our families are, and where our children will be reared. I don't see it being a problem", he maintains.

 

The affection for his home town and his attachment to the family values which shaped his life are still seared into his psyche.

 

For instance, while away on tour, he hankers after his mother's bacon and cabbage, a longing that's satisfied almost as soon as he puts his foot across the family threshold.

 

"My parents have been terrific, always totally supportive. Whenever I come home I'm spoiled. Mum will have the bacon and cabbage on the dinner table and dad will be bringing me down to the horses and the farm. And they're always willing babysitters. In a way, I suppose I will always be their baby", he grins.

 

Thoughts of his parents bring to mind the one dark cloud which has hovered over the Westlife camp in recent months --the untimely deaths of Kevin Egan and Nicky Byrne Snr.

 

"It's been a very tough year in that respect. We have shared so much happiness over the past 11 years so we share each other's pain as well.

 

"It's very tough on Kian and Nicky getting back to work with the loss of their respective dads still so recent for them.

 

"We performed 'You Raise Me Up' at the respective funerals, so I know that whenever we do that song on stage it will bring back memories for the lads. But the song is a celebration of their dad's lives, and we will all pull together to get them through.

 

"If anything, the bereavements have made us even closer. We're like four brothers now," Shane reveals. Back on the family front, little Nicole is already a huge Westlife fan and is showing signs of having inherited her father's singing ability. "She's already a bit of singer, a little performer. She knows all about Westlife, loves the songs."

 

In common with all Westlife fans, Nicole will soon have more new songs to listen to as the eagerly-awaited comeback album, "Where We Are", is released this Friday.

 

Shane describes it as "the best ever Westlife album" and can't remember a recording on which the band has worked so hard or had as much direct involvement.

 

Marking as it does the second phase of the band's career, they wanted it to be fresh and dynamic, to define what they have become and where they intend to go.

 

The challenge was to retain the Westlife brand sound, and yet appeal to a generation of fans who have grown up with the band and others who they want to attract to the more mature style.

 

"It would be easy to be lazy, because we got to the stage where any Westlife album would be guaranteed to sell three million copies. But we didn't want to rest on that. We didn't want to become complacent.

 

"We want to sell this album on its quality, rather than merely on our reputation. We deliberately set out to make a top quality record, and I honestly believe we've achieved that. I would definitely say it's our best ever album, and I'm confident when people hear it they'll agree with that assessment," Shane says.

 

Because of Westlife's reputation, the best songwriters in the world now clamber to have their work included on an album, meaning the boys literally had hundreds of strong songs from which to choose the thirteen tracks.

 

And they chose carefully, painstakingly sifting through the vast volume of submissions over several months before recording began in America last summer. The clear-headed democracy which they brought to the selection process is reflected in the fact that at least half a dozen of their own compositions were rejected, although a Mark Feehily penned song did make the cut.

 

"We wanted the album to be so good that all of the tracks would be strong enough to be singles, so there are no fillers, no throwaways. We're delighted to have a song by Mark on the album, and we'd like to have had more of our own stuff, but the quality of the other tracks was so strong that we had to concede that our own songs were not good enough. That's how determined we were to get this right," Shane

 

explains.

 

As this will be the only Westlife album until Christmas 2011, Shane expects there will be at least five singles taken from it, the next of which will probably be released next March.

 

That means there will be a continuous round of promotional trips from one end of the world to the other in the coming months, as well as a concert tour next summer. It's a hectic schedule, but one which Shane and his mates are relishing.

 

"We absolutely love what we do, and we've never taken it for granted. We know how lucky we are, but we also know that none of this could have happened without hard work. I think we appreciate it more as we get older. We love the challenge of trying to improve rather than resting on what we've already achieved," he confides. And how long will it all last? Eleven years on, Shane sees no end in sight. "Just look at 'Take That' --they've come back stronger than ever, and they're older than us! You never know what's around the corner, but we'd love to do five quality albums over the next ten years, rather than rushing anything. So we plan to be around for quite a while yet."

 

Credit/Source: www.sligochampion.ie / Thanks Caz for finding

 

 

also mine's favourite is The Difference. . . Very happy and song sone. . . love it!!!

Westlife 'rejected Jackson cover'

Monday, November 30 2009, 15:25 GMT

 

By Mayer Nissim, Entertainment Reporter

Source: digitalspy

 

Mark Feehily has claimed that Westlife turned down a request to perform Michael Jackson's 'You Are Not Alone'.

 

The singer told Popjustice that the idea of covering the song, recently released by the X Factor finalists, was one of the worst they had received over the years.

 

Feehily said: "There was loads of stuff through the years, like 'You Are Not Alone' by Michael Jackson. Yeah, so Simon [Cowell]'s basically convinced somebody to do it, and it wasn't us!

 

"Put it this way, there's been times over the years where they've suggested stuff and we literally have gone 'Right, okay, don't even go there'. But then there's other times when we have to find a reason."

 

He added: "With Simon we don't want to just go 'No' or whatever, we try and give him a reason, and sometimes it is a bit harder to give a reason why not to do it.

 

"And sometimes there's a song where there is no reason not to cover them, you know."

 

Feehily also said that the band's forthcoming album is a "fresh sort of start" and that all of the band, Cowell and Louis Walsh are happy with the finished record.

 

Westlife 'rejected Jackson cover'

Monday, November 30 2009, 15:25 GMT

 

By Mayer Nissim, Entertainment Reporter

Source: digitalspy

 

Mark Feehily has claimed that Westlife turned down a request to perform Michael Jackson's 'You Are Not Alone'.

 

The singer told Popjustice that the idea of covering the song, recently released by the X Factor finalists, was one of the worst they had received over the years.

 

Feehily said: "There was loads of stuff through the years, like 'You Are Not Alone' by Michael Jackson. Yeah, so Simon [Cowell]'s basically convinced somebody to do it, and it wasn't us!

 

"Put it this way, there's been times over the years where they've suggested stuff and we literally have gone 'Right, okay, don't even go there'. But then there's other times when we have to find a reason."

 

He added: "With Simon we don't want to just go 'No' or whatever, we try and give him a reason, and sometimes it is a bit harder to give a reason why not to do it.

 

"And sometimes there's a song where there is no reason not to cover them, you know."

 

Feehily also said that the band's forthcoming album is a "fresh sort of start" and that all of the band, Cowell and Louis Walsh are happy with the finished record.

 

glad they didn't accept that :)

Edited December 4, 200915 yr by zealoveswl

My god, do you guys literally post EVERY SINGLE THING on teh web about this album? :|

I love this album !! Shadow is my favourite !!!!!

 

Where we Are # 2 Uk # 2 Ireland Album Chart !!

 

 

NEW WESTLIFE SINGLE 'OUT SOON'

13 jan 2010

According to what Nicky said on his Twitter page Westlife's next single will be 'out soon'! Hopefully we'll get to know soon which song from the album is the new single and more info about its release! Also, Nicky wants to know which tour medley has been our favourite!

 

yeah second single out soon and also we getting ready for the new tour which i really feel i gonna be amazing..whts ur fave medley been?

 

 

HMV.com has listed Westlife's next single with release date 8 February 2010 but this is not confirmed so all we can do is wait until we have a confirmed date!

 

Credit/Source: TWITTER.COM/NICKYBYRNEOFFIC / hmv.com

 

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A BLOG FROM WESTLIFE

12 jan 2010 by VILLY

The boys have written a message to let you know what's been going on with them recently.

 

Hey everyone,

 

Just wanted to wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope you all had great time and are now enjoying the snow. It was nice for all of us to get some rest over xmas and new year and recharge ourselves for a busy year ahead. We all got to go home and spend some time with our families which was great being back in Ireland. We also have a new addition joining the Westlife clan very soon. Shane is about to become a daddy for the 3rd time so all very exciting!

 

For those of you that have bought the album, we hope you like it! Thanks again for all the support last year and were really looking forward to what this year brings. Can’t wait to see you all at the tour in May!

 

Look out for BIG changes coming for westlife.com too! It's all kicking off again and we are getting very excited!

 

Will write again soon

 

Lots of love

 

Mark, Shane, Nicky and Kian

 

xx

 

 

Credit/Source: www.westlife.com