@myxxd

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

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 ------------------------------ 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. M1EuBGED_BQ ------------------------------- '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. dqhGPdc4W-0 --------------------------------- 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

Music video: peaked at #1 on 4Music and The Box! ---------------------- #18 on UK radio airplay #37 on worldwide singles chart (based on airplay) #7 on european singles chart #24 on worldwide single sales chart ---------- 'Where We Are' album Track by Track - 'What About Now' cobZqdefiYI Shane: 'What About Now' is like it was written for us and it's so vocally perfect for our voices. It's just got exactly what we've needed from the past few years and it's got a good bit of tempo in it and it's fresh and it's slightly different but it's still very Westlife. Mark: On any song our vocals always bring it back to sounding like Westlife. Nicky: I think what it's done for us as well is the confidence in ourselves performing the song. Even performing the song on TV shows we know we're coming back with something really really strong regardless of how we're gonna perform on that particular night the song itself is big, it's epic, it's catchy and it's a great pop song. It's a song that we recorded with Steve Robson here in the UK. How the song came about was when we first met up with Simon and Louis talking about where we needed to go with this album. We flew out to Los Angeles and met up with Simon in Beverly Hills. He played us that track as a song that he felt in his eyes was the kind of direction that he thought Westlife maybe could go, maybe should go. Shane: We went to his house with the big meeting that we've in the year over what album we're gonna do, what we think and he basically played the song and said to us 'If I had an original song like this for you guys, if I had a song like this for you it would be your first single.' And we were like 'Alright, ok - brilliant.' You know, we were surprised by the song cause it was a bit rocky and very hard too. Kian: 'What About Now' ain't typical Westlife fans would actually love song we recorded for the album, em, simply because it's the only cover - the only song that that is a cover on this album. And it got to the point where it was like 'Look, this song is completely unknown song aside of, you know, America.' Why wouldn't we do it? It's a pop song, we're a pop band, we're singers, let's sing great pop songs. And you know, when we suggested it to Simon he jumped out of the skin. And you know, that was it. All of a sudden we had an album, all of a sudden it was full systems goer, it was like 'Wow', you know, they put the foot on the gas and there we were, we haven't stopped since. Shane: You know, you could call it a ballad, you could call it a mid-tempo but for us it's just better. It's more exciting and it adds an element of edge to Westlife. Nicky: We're very pleased with it, Simon had the finished product, everything is brought forward, you know, The X Factor and we already having had meetings with our international departments. You know, every country is wanting us at the minute which is a great position to be in. 'Where We Are' album Track by Track - 'How To Break A Heart' bgxDzBLjJx8 Kian: The second track in the album is a song called 'How To Break A Heart'. I think, for me anyways, this is my favourite song outside the first single. Simply because I think it's a whole new fresh thing for Westlife, a whole new fresh sound, a completely different feel but still very Westlife. It's a fantastic pop song, I certenly think it would make everybody kinda go 'Woaw!'. In general, you know, it's got a bit more tempo to it, it's got a different feel to it, certenly a new sound for Westlife but for me it's the best song on the album after the first single. other track previews will out on the other days ---------------------- TV Dates 11 Nov 2009 Here are some upcoming Westlife TV dates for your diary: Friday 20th November - Children In Need performance Saturday 21st November - National Lottery performance Wednesday 25th November - BBC Breakfast News Thursday 26th November - Alan Carr Chatty Man interview and video (recording Wednesday 25th November) Friday 27th November - The Late Late Show performance, Dublin Friday 4th December - The Friday Show, Northern Ireland (recording Sunday 22nd November) Friday 4th December - Paul O'Grady (recording Wednesday 2nd December) Credit/Source: www.westlife.com

you should listen to Back Home and this album. the tracks are beautiful. and they have been amazing all the time

Where We Are, the song is amazing! ------------ Where We Are album Review Pop's most enduring group, Westlife, have finally emerged from the studio after a year-long break to present their brand new album, 'Where We Are'. Spending much of 2009 hidden away in studios across Europe and the US, Westlife have been quietly creating their most exciting album to date. 'Where We Are' features work from pop's finest craftsmen, including grammy nominated Ryan Tedder (Leona Lewis, Beyonce) Steve Robson (James Morrison, Take That) Steve Booker (Duffy) Louis Biancaniello and Sam Watters (Whitney Houston, Anastacia.) and Shaznay Lewis, who co-writes a track with band member Mark Feehily. These stellar production teams have helped the boys create a new and contemporary sound, whilst retaining those classic Westlife soaring melodies and rousing lyrics. Featuring the already massive hit single 'What About Now' it's a collection bound to excite fans and pop enthusiasts alike. Perhaps best showcasing this new sound is 'Shadows', co-written by Backstreet Boy A. J. Mclean. A classic Westlife choral anthem, peppered with a futuristic military drum roll fashioned by urban-pop maestro Ryan Tedder. The song sets the benchmark for the sound which brings Westlife bang up-to-date on the eve of the new decade. Elsewhere 'The Difference' visits rockier terrain, while 'Another World' allows Mark Feehily's exquisite vocal to escalate to gospel territory, a moment sure to thrill live. 'I'll See You Again' laments the passing of a loved one, set to a haunting landscape of piano, synths and acoustic guitar, a moment surely relatable. Shane Filan of the band says "We've been experimenting with a fresh vibe on this record, working with new producers and writing songs for the album ourselves. After eleven years we see this as phase two of the Westlife story." Westlife's new material is the first since 2007's 'Back Home', which became the band's seventh number one album, spending two months in the Top Ten and selling over 1 million copies in the UK alone. No pop band can compare to Westlife's extraordinary success. During their 11 years at the top of pop's hierarchy, the band has sold over 40 million records globally. In the UK alone they have scored nine multi-platinum albums and a record breaking 14 No.1 hits (behind only Elvis and The Beatles). They have also picked up innumerable awards and appeared on hundreds of magazine covers around the world. They are the only recording artists to win the prestigious 'Record Of The Year' an incredible four times (other top awards include two BRITS and an MTV Europe Award). Westlife are also the biggest selling Arena act ever, holding the record for the most concerts held at Wembley Arena, an incredible 23. Source: entertainment.iafrica.com What About Now #8 UK #4 Ireland --------------------- Nicky tweet: condolence.. --------- PORTIONS ONLY Westlife Interview In Heat Magazine 10 Nov 2009 Interview: Jordan Paramor You've just had a whole year off - What the hell have you been doing? Shane: Chilling out and doing sweet f*** all. I was at home hanging out with my family, and my wife had a baby boy, Patrick. I played football, golf, went to the gym... Nicky: We've been able to spend time with our kids and do the things we can't normally do. We got to reflect and learn to miss it all. Mark: It was hard being in the middle of the whole Westlife thing and trying to work out what you want from life. It's like trying to meditate in Leicester Square on New Year's Eve or something. We needed to work out what we wanted. Also, I went travelling with [my partner] Kevin, which was amazing. Kian: I was mainly planning my wedding. Also, my dad passed away so I didn't do all the things I was planning to do because I wanted to be close to home. I also put a girl band together with Louis, who are recording at the minute and releasing next year. Where's the weirdest place you were recognised on your travels? M: In a forest in a remote part of Bali. This little Balinese man was wheeling his trolley along and wearing one of those big straw hats and he looked up, saw me and shouted, "Westlife!" It was so surreal! Did you have to fight your record company for the year off? M: They were actually really understanding. We'd done nine albums in nine years. N: We were actually supposed to take a year off in 2004 when Brian was still in the band, but we couldn't after he left because people were worried that the band wouldn't survive. How much did you see each other during the year off? M: We were chatting every few weeks. We saw each other at Kian's wedding, Nicky's birthday party... N: The biggest gap was about four months. M: But we all needed a break. It's easy to loose yourself in the madness of being in the band. Did any of you not want to come back? S: No. It made me realise how lucky we are. K: I could have handled another year off, but I also really wanted to do a new album. Did any of you think about doing solo projects like Girls Aloud? [All shake their head.] S: Not at all. I don't give a $h!te about being a solo artist. We're in one of the biggest bands in the world and to do it on your own would be very lonely. M: I don't think any of us have it in us to be a solo star. We're not fame hungry. K: We want success, not fame. S: Don't get us wrong, we still have egos, but not so much that we want solo success. Do you argue a lot? S: Of course. But they're more like discussions than arguments. M: We're all very passionate about what we do.. there can be raised voices. Have any of you ever punched each other? S: No, there's never been a punch. M: There have been some shin kicks and bitch kicks, though. S: And the odd locking of heads where you're like, "f*** off. You're really annoying me." Aren't you bored of singing ballads? K: [shrugs.] We are what we are. S: We make songs for our fans and if you don't like it... K: We got comments after our X Factor performance like: "Laser lights and leather aren't going to make you cool, lads." We weren't trying to be cool, we were being us. S: There are f***-all ballads on this new album, they're more mid-tempo tracks. N: Oh, there are ballads. You can't say that. I do get why people would take the p*** when we're on a TV show wearing a suit, sitting on stools and singing Michael Buble's Home. I get it. Do you worry about getting older? Would you ever have surgery? M: I've thought about botox, but it's scary. K: If I look massively different in ten years, I would like to slow things down. Why not? Will you get plugs if you go bald? N: [Nods.] I think that's something I would look at. S: I would never rule it out. M: My dad has, like, zero hair. K: If I wasn't in the public eye, I wouldn't give a toss. But I am, so I'd rather... S: ...have hair to comb? Your fans are older now - do you get filthier banners at concerts? N: [smiles.] They don't say "We love you" or "Wave to us" anymore. S: Some of them are shameless. They'll literally say "f*** me." One said "I want to taste a pint of your Irish cream." M: A pint is a lot, mind. She should start with a half. Would you ever let Brian back? S: No. And I don't think he'd want to come back. Never say never about us all singing together again, but we will never get back together as a five-piece. Has he ever asked to rejoin? He must be a bit gutted you're doing so well. S: No. We were chatting to him last weekend and he was saying how happy he is with his life and Delta, and how he doesn't miss the band at all. M: It's been six years since he left and we've all moved on. He's been out of the band longer than he was in it. Who's the biggest partier in Westlife? K: Probably me and Mark, as the others have kids. S: I like having a drink once a week, or if there's an event. I love getting drunk, but the hungovers are a f***ing nightmare. K: I probably get the most drunk out of everybody. Nicky doesn't get hammered anymore. M: I can't drink any more when I'm recording as it ruins my voice. Although I did record one single on the new album, Shadows, after being out until 5.30am and it sounded great! Tell us about some of your craziest drunken nights out... S: Nicky and I were in Belgium once and I was so drunk I was lying on the floor of this bar and Nicky wouldn't let me get up. He kept putting his foot on my chest to stop me and I was lying there, rolling around and laughing. Then he had a row witht he barman because he was refusing to serve him at 3.30am, so he told him to f*** off and stormed out, leaving me with three very angry men. I was like, "Thanks, Nicky." N: Shane rang me saying he thought these guys were going to kick his head in, so I had to run back and save him. What was your best drunken night out? K: When we were in a chip shop in South Africa years ago, so drunk. I filmed the others abusing the $h!t out of each other. [Laughing] Nicky and Shane were picking up sauce and splatting it all in Mark's face, and he just sat there taking it. Then they started throwing things at each other and their eyes were all over the place. I still p*** myself when I watch the video back. WESTLIFE ARE DITCHING THE STOOLS FOR GOOD. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? So you're ditching the stools! M: Yes, we're coming back with a fresh new sound - the suits and the stools have gone. Did you just use stools because you're lazy? N: [Grins.] Yes. K: It's nice to have a bit of a rest while you're singing. What will you do during key changes now you won't be rising up off stools? N: [Laughs.] Have you ever seen Westlife in concert? We've probably only sat on stools twice in ten years, honestly. We put on a proper show at our gigs. What are your favourite kind of stools? S: The ones that go up and down and swivel. N: I've got some nice bar stools. Have you ever have a stool-related accident? M: I was on Frank Skinner's show and my stool collapsed half way through the interview, and I ended up on the floor. It's on YouTube if you want to laugh at me. Westlife's album 'Where We Are' is released on 30 November. Credit/Source: heat magazine --------------------- Mark & Kevin At The MTV Staying Alive Foundation Party 10 Nov 2009 Mark Feehily and Kevin McDaid attend the MTV Staying Alive Foundation launch party for documentary ‘Travis McCoy’s Unbeaten track’ and single ‘One At A Time’ at Westbury Hotel - 9 November 2009 - London, England. --------------- Westlife album Track by Track 10 Nov 2009 Westlife unanimously agree that Where We Are is one of their very best albums to-date. They've recorded a series of exclusive video clips giving fans the inside track on every song, and we'll be posting one every weekday until the album's released on 30th November. The first one is ‘What About Now' and goes live tomorrow - get ready! Credit/Source: www.westlife.com ------------- A BETTER and different album preview!! http://www.westlife.com/whereweare/ Put Your Questions To Westlife 10 Nov 2009 Got a burning question you’ve been dying to ask the boys? Well we’re giving you the opportunity to do just that. All you have to do is text WESTLIFE followed by your question to 67777 (UK) and then wait to see if yours is one of the ten that the band answer! Check out the special Westlife microsite for full details. And while you’re there, you’ll be able to listen to samples of every single track on the upcoming album Where We Are! There’s also the option to embed the player on your own website or social network profile. Credit/Source: www.westlife.com ---------- I really thought this will gonna be a BORING video but I was wrong! all of the tracks are expected to be AMAZING! They can release any of it except As Love Is My WItness

OFFICIAL http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r153/marfeeh/wherewearealbum.jpg @MarkusFeehily Heres the "Where We Are" album cover! Do u like? No.2 in both UK&Ireland.Thanks so much2all who supported! Luv ya x http://twitpic.com/o00d4 01. What About Now (Writers: Chris Daughtry, Ben Moody, David Hodges, Josh Hartzler) (Producer: Steve Robson) 02. How To Break A Heart 03. Leaving (writers: Carl Falk, Steven Lee Tassone, Bryn Christopher) (producer: Carl Falk) 04. Shadows (writers: Ryan Tedder, AJ McLean, Evan Boggart) (producer: Ryan Tedder) 05. Talk Me Down 06. Where We Are (writer: Ryan Tedder) 07. The Difference 08. As Love Is My Witness (writer: Conner Reeves) 09. Another World 10. No More Heroes (writers: Lindy Robbins, Toby Gad) (producer: Toby Gad) 11. Sound Of A Broken Heart 12. Reach Out (writers: Mark Feehily, Chris Braide, Shaznay Lewis) 13. I'll See You Again album track-by-track preview will be posted here Release Date: November 27 (IE) November 30 (UK) December 2 (Worldwide) ----------------- album preview is UP! http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/recsradio/radio...ef=pd_krex_dp_a RIP Nicky's father. God, so many deaths this year. Life is SHORT. :(

Congratulations! #2! cheers :) westlife's shane filan - Interview 02 Nov 2009 Love them or hate them, you can't dispute Westlife's popularity and success. 14 consecutive number one singles, a dozen number one albums, sell out tours, and they're still going strong after more than ten years. Now they're back, and we caught up with frontman Shane Filan.... How's it going? Are you fed up of doing all these interviews? No, not at all we're officially back on the bandwaggon, we're totally back.. The single's out and the album is out a month from now. We're very excited about talking about this album. It's a slightly different sound, but it's still pop music and it's very exciting for us and the fans. It's a great album and i'm very, very proud of it. I think the first single is a very good indication of what the album is like. What have you been doing for the last 12 months? We have been hanging out with our families, playing golf, chilling out, Nicky set up a girlband (I bet they mean Kian) and his twins are running around the place now, my wife had a baby, some of us travelled, so we've been doing all the things we haven't been able to do properly over the last ten years really. We played a huge gig at Croque park in Dublin, which was one of the highlights of our careers, so we finished on a high there. How are you going to top the Croque Park gig? We've got some big ideas, we want to tour Asia and some of the places we've never been to on a world tour. We're rushing to meet our agents now to thrash out ideas. That is why we're so excited about this album, we know it's going to be a really good album and we are spoilt for choice with singles. We made a pact as a band that we wouldn't record a song unless we thought it was good enough to be a single, so it was probably annoying for the record company, but as a band, we've never come together so well on an album. We've really worked closely with Simon Cowell on this album. We never thought he'd still be so in to us, but he is, he's been very involved and he's so proud of this album. When you have Simon behind you, you just feel a good buzz there, and we feel we've done something special. It's a great pop album. You mentioned a different direction, can you expand on that? A different direction might be a bit wrong. I think it's still pop music, but there's a different variation on it. One massive thing is we worked with different producers, who we've never worked with before, and new song writers. There are thirteen songs on the album and twelve of them are originals. There's more tempo, more rocky songs, some more american songs, some darker songs on there with darker lyrics. It's the best production we've had on any other album. The strings, the music is just on another level. Even if you're not a Westlife fan but you're a music fan, you will recognise the quality on this album. You apparently said in the papers that your X Factor appearence would determine the next 18 months of your career. How do you feel now you've done it? I think the next 18 months might be good!! We were very happy with the performance, we felt it went really well, Louis and Simon were delighted and they'll always tell us honestly what they think, even if it's to say we could have done something better. They were literally jumping up and down, they were so pleased with it. How many albums are you contracted to do? How long will Westlife be around for? We only have one studio album left on our current contract, so renegotiations will be happening shortly. As a band, we've done ten albums but we want to do twenty. We don't see ourselves splitting up, ever. We're very proud of this album and I think it's going to be hard to top, but we'll take each album on at a time. We'll give it a good old try. Instead of doing an album every year, we think we'll make one every two albums, and keep making pop music. We will never desert our fans, and fans of what we are, but we will still have a dabble here and there with what we do. We'll experiment, like What About Now - it sounds like a Weslife song, but it has a slightly different sound and it's more uptempo. None of you have done anything solo - will that change? No, I don't think it will. We're not that type of band. We're all individually very happy, we have no hidden agenda's in the band. If someone wants to do something different we'll always encourage it, Nicky might present at an awards show, Mark might want to sing a song on his own and Kian may want to do something I don't know, but as a band, when we're singing we're there as a four. It's always been that way since Brian left and it always will be. They say the grass is always greener, but I don't think it is. You need to have someone with you, it would be a fairly lonely life doing this all on your own. We're successful and happy, why ruin that? We have a great life, we're all great friends. Two or three of us might go for a drink together or go to the cinema, you know, we have a great craic outside of Weslife, we're all great friends, so Westlife will continue as it is. Westlife released new single 'What About Now' on Monday. Their album Where We Are is out on November 30. Credit/Source: www.celebburp.com ----------------------- 01 Nov 2009 Westlife want to mark return with Landsdowne gig Sport-mad Westlife will be in a world of their own when they become the first pop group to play the new Landsdowne Road. The pin-ups, who have returned from a year off, will release their 10th studio album Where We Are next month. 'We will tour more next year and go to places we haven't been much like South Africa," Shane Filan revealed. "That way we can cheer for Ireland at the World Cup." And they will give the Irish team the perfect send off to the football championships when they become the first pop band to play the new Aviva Stadium. Records A band insider revealed: "Westlife have already agreed to do a number of dates in Ireland. "They are definitely going to play a number of dates in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast. "When it comes to Dublin everyone is talking about Croke Park, but they have already done that. "The boys are all about breaking records and being number one so they have their hearts set on Landsdowne Road. There is a good chance they will do a number of dates at the O2 but for now they are in talks to play at the Aviva Stadium." Credit/Source: The Sunday Star ---------------- Westlife story - Nicky Interview 30 Oct 2009 Following his long-awaited comeback with the lads of Westlife, we had a candid chat with Nicky on the new album, their exciting year ahead and, of course, his stance on the twins that are the talk of the nation... Congratulations on your incredible laser laden performance last weekend… How was it for you? It was great for us actually. We felt really, really confident going into the performance. Probably because we really feel and believe in the song. We’re proud of that song and the whole album. We’ve been on The X Factor a few times before but with this song we just felt it was right for us and it was the best song to come back with and people would like it… and we were confident to nail it vocally. So, yeah, we loved the performance! It’s always great to get up there and sing on stage… and with that many viewers, you don’t get that every day. It was a win win situation. It was your first performance after a year off. How is it to be back? Yep, we’ve definitely had enough time off now! We’re back with our brand new album our brand new single and it feels good, it feels better than it has a for a long, long time. So we’ll see what happens! Your new album is out in November. What can your fans expect? Our fans have been great, you know, we’ve got such a bond with them and they’ve supported us through everything. I think with this album they’re going to love what we’re offering… I’ll have a shock if they don’t because there are no fillers. We set out to make the best pop album we could and we feel we have done. If The X Factor had been about when you were trying to make it do you think you would have entered and how do you think you would have fared? I definitely would have gone for it, because if you’re at that age and you want something that badly, as soon as you build up the courage to do it, you just got for it. How I would have fared? God knows! I’d like to think I would have done ok, but you never know. It depends what year you get… I could have been up against Leona Lewis! As a successful international pop star, do you have any top tips for our Finalists? Firstly, thank you for calling me an international pop star! I think just enjoy it. Embrace it. It doesn’t matter if it lasts 10 years or five minutes… I think you’ve got to enjoy it! During my year off, I look back and I was watching The X Factor thinking I’m usually involved in this kind of stuff. But because we were off we were out of the loop and it felt very strange. So I would say to everybody, it doesn’t always last very long. Thankfully it has for us, but I know lots of bands that it didn’t last for… so just enjoy it and take everyday and love it and work hard. Don’t waste this opportunity… give it your all and if you win it or you come close to winning it you never know what’s around the corner for you. You guys have been around for over ten years now… you’re now more of a man band than a boy band! What’s the secret to your success? Truthfully I don’t know. There’s lots of ways you can look at it. We’ve had a great manager behind us. You can say we’ve got a great label behind us. Obviously with Simon he’s probably one of the most powerful men in music at the moment. So, all those factors are huge. But I think as well as that, you have to get on. You have to like each other as a band. You have to not want to be a solo star because that could be the beginning of the end. I would hate to do this on my own. We were recently shooting a video in Iceland and we were in the middle of nowhere freezing our… legs off and I’m thinking to myself it’s great fun because I’m having a laugh with the lads. I’d hate to be doing it on my own! I’d like to think that vocally we sound good together as well and we’re hard workers. All those factors come together. What’s on the cards for Westlife over the next year? Will you be touring? We’ve got a meeting this week with our agent to see when the tour begins, and there should be one from Westlife next year. Maybe May, June or July. The reason it’s later in the year is because we feel that this album is the strongest we’ve ever had and we want to make sure that the singles get the light of day. We’ve never been spoiled for choice for singles before… and with this album we are! So, we have to ask, do you have any favourites from our finalists?! Obviously it’s a strong year but I do believe Lucie, from the very first audition I saw her in, has an amazing talent. Danyl’s obviously really good, everyone’s talking about him. Jedward? Well, they’ve got something that nobody else has got! They’re quirky, they’re young, they’re enjoying it and Louis seems to know what he’s doing because the whole country is talking about them! Yeah, so I think they’re really cool and I hope they go far. Westlife released their new single What About Now on Monday 26th October and the album Where We Are is out on November 30th. Credit/Source: xfactor.itv.com ------------------------ Westlife's Shane: I was a Jacko nut 30 Oct 2009 Westlife's Shane Filan reckons his obsession with Michael Jackson as a child was the reason he got into pop music. Shane, 30, is the lead singer for one of the world's most successful boy bands and he puts his glittering career down to a childhood of singing along to Jackson's Bad album. He said: "I was a freak Michael Jackson fan when I was younger - I had his hat and I got my mum to stitch things on to a white glove I bought, I was like a proper Michael Jackson nut." He added: "Michael was probably one of the main reasons I was in Westlife. I used to try to copy him and try to sing like him and maybe he made me a good singer." The Irish pop star was at the premiere for the new Jackson documentary film This Is It and he reckons the tour could have been the King of Pop's best ever. He said: "He could really nail the vocals at 50 years old. He was literally note perfect and he's just an incredible dancer and if something wasn't done right he would just question somebody and say make sure you get it right next time. "I would say it would have been one of the best shows I've ever seen in my life and it's a pity we're not going to get to see it." Credit/Source: musicnews.virginmedia.com --------------------------- Brian in Westlife 'would be weird' 29 Oct 2009 Shane Filan has poured water on rumours Brian McFadden might return to Westlife, saying it would be "weird". Brian has been rumoured to be rejoining the group he walked out of in 2004. But lead singer Shane, 30, said: "It would be weird, it would be like a stranger coming back to a band." He added: "Brian being in the band for us was kind of like going to school with somebody for five or six years. Then you go to college and you see each other at the end of college and it's hard to be back all of a sudden being perfectly friendly with that person and to fit into that role again." And although Shane is still friendly with Brian, who has two daughters with ex-wife Kerry Katona, he doubts whether a professional relationship could work now. He explained: "We've changed as people and we've changed as a band... we've moved on." And although reuniting the band looks unlikely, Shane admitted: "Maybe someday we would sing with him." But Shane doubts whether Brian, who is enjoying success in Australia with fiance Delta Goodrem, would even want to rejoin the band. He said: "I was chatting with him the other week and he said he was really enjoying himself and he was very happy and everything was starting to make sense for him. So I don't think he would want to be back in Westlife personally." Credit/Source: yahoo.com

I really love this song! when I first heard this song I said this will gonna be HIT! anyway, one of the members of Cobra Starship is a second cousin of Shane (Westlife) :)

'Where We Are' Album official Tracklisting! 26 Oct 2009 According to HMV the Tracklisting of Westlife's new album 'Where We Are' which will be released on 30 November 2009 will be the following: 01. What About Now 02. How To Break A Heart 03. Leaving 04. Shadows 05. Talk Me Down 06. Where We Are 07. The Difference 08. As Love Is My Witness 09. Another World 10. No More Heroes 11. Sound Of A Broken Heart 12. Reach Out 13. I'll See You Again 'Where We Are' is the tenth album from the hugely successful Westlife. Includes the single "What About Now" plus 12 more new tracks. Other songs on the album include "Shadows" - which was written by Ryan Tedder and AJ McLean (Who have written for the likes of The Backstreet Boys); "No More Heroes" which was written by Lindy Robbins, and "Beautiful" which again was written by Ryan Tedder. Mark Feehily recently commented: "We wanted the first single from our new album to be somewhere between the Westlife sound our fans know and love, and the new direction we're heading in. We've been experimenting with a fresh vibe on this record. After 11 years we see this as phase two of the Westlife story." Credit/Source: hmv.com why Beautiful and Now Can't Let Go not on the list?? MV should be out now! radio should pick up the song! UK #1 on amazon #2 on iTunes, livehits (overall downloads), hmv and offical midweek sales with 32, 800 sold Ireland #1 on iTunes

best selling band of the decade (2000-2009) - true 4 brits - wrong (2 only) 43 million - maybe a fact (maybe they updated it) wow 3 million added :) #2 - irish iTunes #3 - UK no music video, no radio airplays

What About Now chart updates #3 - Ireland #37 - UK wow no music video, airplay, little promotions yet ------------------------------------ Westlife launch X Factor comeback under Simon Cowell's watchful eye http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7641/xswestlife51662972a.jpg 25/10/2009 WESTLIFE launch their mega comeback on X Factor tonight and a certain Mr COWELL will be watching very closely. Determined to knock TAKE THAT from their best band perch, he's personally overseen every aspect of the Irish lads' relaunch, even what threads they wear. Video HERE Exclusive interview with Westlife, talking about Simon Cowell and Stephen Gately I sat down with KIAN EGAN, SHANE FILAN, NICKY BYRNE and MARK FEEHILY for an XSclusive chat before the biggest performance of their lives. Nicky said: "Simon's competitive about it. We're his Take That. We don't want to be second best. "For years when they were off the scene we had it all to ourselves. So we had to come back with a strong song. "We were the grand-dads of pop. Now they're back we're the babies again." Kian added: "Simon is convinced it's going to be massive. He's more into music now than he has been for the past few years when he's focused on TV. He even wants to know what we're wearing for video shoots." Rockier I had a sneak listen to the rockier new sound on What About Now, which you'll hear tonight, and it's brilliant. A sure bet for No1 next week. Nicky admitted: "We were equally uncomfortable with the band's direction in the last few years, as the fans were." But they've ruled out bringing Brian McFadden back to the group. "He'd never come back," Shane insisted. But Nicky could see a one-off reunion: "We wouldn't rule out performing a song with Brian in the future." The lads were devastated by the death of STEPHEN GATELY, although they hope it won't be the end for BOYZONE. "I'd hate to see their comeback die with him," Nicky said. "Going ahead with a new album would be a great way to celebrate Stephen, especially as they've recorded some tracks already with his vocals." Nicky tweets: Mark tweets:

I'm Already There is not an official single anyway. What About Now is now on Top 10 on Ireland iTunes. Just out Today!

Mark tweets: Kian: X Factor? We're terrified! Westlife arrive for rehearsals ahead of live show By Nicole Lampert Last updated at 8:20 AM on 23rd October 2009 Robbie Williams was bug- eyed and sweaty. Whitney Houston lost her dress and struggled to speak. Even the nation's new sweetheart Cheryl Cole has been derided for poor vocals and a ridiculous outfit. It's fair to say the seasoned performers have not performed brilliantly on this year's X Factor. So it's not surprising that Westlife are a little nervous about their appearance on Sunday night. It's their first gig since getting back together after a year off and they will be showcasing what they have promised is a new sound. http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/j-a-d-a-m/Doodle/Fooker/article-1222320-06EE12B3000005DC-98.jpghttp://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/j-a-d-a-m/Doodle/Fooker/article-1222320-06EE12BB000005DC-10.jpghttp://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/j-a-d-a-m/Doodle/Fooker/article-1222320-06EE128F000005DC-54.jpg Scared? Westlife lead vocalist Mark Feehily waves to fans as he leaves Fountain Studios in London after rehearsing with the contestants last night Ready for the X Factor: Westlife singers Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan 'There is always something a little bit scary about the X Factor stage,' says the band's Mark Feehily. 'It's so huge and you have the judges in front of you. It's like being a teenager at your first audition. 'It's strange - we've performed some massive gigs and huge TV shows but X Factor always makes me a little bit more nervous than anything else we do.' Really, Westlife should have nothing to fear. These were the judges, after all, who gave a standing ovation to Britney Spears after her laugh-out-loud bad performance last season. Plus Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell will laud this group to the skies whatever happens; one is their manager, the other works for their record label. Westlife have already appeared more times than anyone else on the hit ITV show - as performers, mentors and even judges. Simon has also ensured the new single What About Now is already recognisable for X Factor fans by featuring it several times as background music on the show. Simon is said to have loved the new single so much that he even rushed them on to the X Factor this weekend, although they were originally due to appear in a month's time. 'He went berserk and said it's too big a song - I want to get them on the show as soon as possible,' says Kian Egan. Such is the power of the X Factor that performances from it have already produced the two biggest selling singles of the year from last year's winner Alexandra Burke and judge Cheryl Cole. In order to get on to the X Factor gold rush there was a hurried change in release schedules with the band putting the finishing touches to their album just a few hours before flying to Iceland on Monday to shoot the video for the song which will now be released on Sunday. But perhaps the nerves reveal just how important this comeback gig is. 'Sunday night could determine the next 18 months of our lives,' says Shane Filan, 30. 'It's going to be very important to see how the single charts and then the album. Going on X Factor is like having an album launch in front of 14 million people.' Westlife have had 14 UK No1 singles and sold 40 million records worldwide. Only Elvis Presleyand The Beatles have had more UK Number 1s than Westlife. Brought together by Louis Walsh as a replacement for his hit band Boyzone they went on to be his most successful act. A phenomenon among boybands, they have stuck together through thick and thin - even surviving the departure of band member Brian McFadden - to clock up 11 years together. But were they still enjoying it? Many, including the band themselves, were beginning to wonder if they were running out of steam. Their last single, Us Against The World reached only number eight in the charts two years ago - a career low. What's more Take That and Boyzone had both reunited and were proving to be able rivals in the manband stakes. 'There were a few things we knew we needed to change,' says Nicky Byrne, 31, who, despite being a father of two-year-old twins, looks as clean cut and baby-faced as when the group first started. 'Like people in every job we were feeling snowed under and a bit stale. When you are in the public eye you really have to believe in what you are doing. What people don't realise is we are our own worst critics. 'I think if you've been around for as long as we have, you can be guilty of being predictable. When you do nine albums in ten years, by the time you are on your sixth album the team that are providing you with material may have dried up.' Mark, 29, who along with Shane sings most of the group's vocals, adds: 'I know it sounds crazy but I had even started to feel my voice was getting lost and I was forgetting how to sing. 'Everything was getting in the way; the microphones, the ear monitors, the screaming, it all over-powered me. 'I spent a lot of time on our year off just stripping everything back and sing acapella in my apartment - it was like teaching myself to sing again.' Key to any changes had to be the songs themselves - although the band have written much of their material, their biggest hits have always come from outsiders. 'We've had songs that I haven't been behind at all,' admits Mark. Nicky adds: 'We were blessed with amazing songs at the start of our career like Flying Without Wings, songs which immediately put us in the same category as Take That and Boyzone. What happened to his shoes? A barefooted Olly Murs outside the X Factor house 'But move on four or five years later and we maybe weren't getting as many songs of that quality and that's when the covers started to take over.' Ah yes, the covers. Westlife have been criticised in the past for relying on cover versions, as well as doing nothing more than sitting on stools and crooning ballads. So it is surprising then that their big comeback single What About Now is - drum roll please - a cover. It was originally released in America by rock band Daughtry. Kian Egan, 29, the unofficial leader of the group is quick to insist: 'It doesn't feel like a cover because it's not known outside the U.S. - and everything else on the album is original material.' Indeed Simon has given Westlife the Leona Lewis treatment. He flew the band to LA where they were given the same producers and writers as the X Factor winner who has become a global star. And all are certain that this is their biggest and best album to date. 'The whole thing was done in the States with - I hate to say it - better quality producers,' says Nicky. 'We were happy for that. The production speaks for itself. We can't wait for the whole world to hear it.' Hardcore fans however, don't need to worry too much: 'It's still got plenty of ballads but they just have a fresher feel,' says Kian. Phew. He, in particular, has a poignant reason for wanting this album to succeed, as he made it while deep in mourning for his beloved father Kevin, who died aged 64 in July, after a year-long battle for survival. 'He had a brain haemorrhage the previous August and they found a massive brain tumour,' he says. 'He had two brain surgeries and enough chemotherapy to kill a horse and everything else. But then there was nothing else to try.' Kian is perhaps the most controlled of the group, the one who doesn't like to give away too much emotion. It is clear he is still trying to come to terms with his father's death saying only: 'It's hard to talk about it. It was pretty tough. It feels completely unfair.' But Shane, a father-of-two who is married to Gillian, Kian's first cousin, says getting back to work was the best thing his friend could do: 'Kevin died just as we were about to go into the studio and we immediately postponed it. 'Kian tried to get us to go without him but we couldn't. It was only when his mum told him, "go on, make your dad proud", that we started working again. I think we all did this for his dad - he was a great man - it means it is extra special.' There will be more poignancy on Sunday night as the band will be there to support Louis, the man who discovered and nurtured them, as he returns to X Factor after the sudden tragic death of his friend, Boyzone star Stephen Gately, at the age of 33. 'I think it is good we will be there,' says Shane. 'He's still very upset and will be for a very long time. It's so sad. Ronan told me: "We can't believe he's gone." 'I rang Louis as soon as I found out and he was in a state, crying and very upset. Of course, we all think about what happened if one of us died. You can't help but think about it as we are so similar to them. I don't know how Boyzone are going to deal with it.' It's just under a week since all the band joined Louis at Stephen's funeral. Mark says he is still haunted by the service. 'In the middle of the church there was a picture of Stephen smiling and it made me think about his friendly nature and how everywhere we saw him he always had the same little smile for you,' he says. 'Everyone was saying the same thing that day - that they couldn't believe it is true. It is so strange, it still hasn't sunk in.' Mark, who came out as gay in 2005, says Stephen was also an inspiration to him. 'He was extremely brave,' says Mark. 'He was the first member of a boyband to come out and in hindsight it helped me and probably lots of other gay lads understand their sexuality and come out. 'There is a cliche about gays and every time a celebrity who is admired by millions of people comes out it is one more blow to the negative cliche - and people understand there is not a whole lot of difference between gay people and themselves.' Despite any sadness, at least on Sunday night, John and Edward - Louis's Irish singing twins - should raise a smile. The exuberant pair were controversial finalists as they seem unable to hold a tune, but they have proved one of the talking points. 'Their last performance was TV gold,' says Mark. 'They are pure entertainment and I can't wait to see what they get up to on Saturday.' Of Simon Cowell, who has known Westlife for all of their 11 years in showbusiness, Shane says: 'He's always been the same. Very confident, very business minded and knew exactly what he wanted in life and with the band. Now he's just a lot richer and more powerful. 'He's also always liked to take credit. With the 14 number ones, as far as he is concerned, they are as much his as they are ours. Despite everything he has achieved you always have to give him a pat on the back. 'But he doesn't always get it right. When Louis first got us to audition in front of Simon he didn't like me at all and said I had to go. I'd had a big night and hadn't performed well and Louis was furious with me. 'So nine months later, when we had to go and see him again, we dyed my hair blond and I grew it long. I went in disguise, basically. And Simon told Louis: "I love the new guy." ' •Westlife's single What About Now is available to download on Sunday and in the shops Monday. The album Where We Are is out in November. The band will be on Sunday night's X Factor, ITV1. Credit Source: Gi/Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/artic...t-Sundays-.html Westlife on TV 22 Oct 2009 Westlife will soon be hitting your screens in a big way to promote their new single 'What About Now' and album 'Where We Are'. You'll be able to catch the guys soon on the following shows... Sunday 25th Oct: X-Factor performance and Xtra Factor interview Monday 26th Oct: GMTV performance, interview and webchat Fri 30th Oct: The One Show, interview Fri 20th Nov: Children in Need, performance Thurs 26th Nov: Alan Carr Chatty Man, interview Fri 4th Dec: The Friday Show, interview Stay tuned to Westlife.com for more updates! Credit/Source: www.westlife.com

I'm back and very bad first single! It really sounds Daughtry's! http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-About-Now/dp/...6074&sr=8-8 But here's the tracklisting semi-confirmed Westlife - Where We Are 01 What About Now 02 Where We Are 03 Songs That Used To Be 04 When Missing You 05 Actually 06 Your World Lies 07 Beautiful 08 Access To Your Heart 09 Caught In The Trap 10 Basketcase 11 Leaving 12 Now I Can't Let You Go 13 You Can Never Know What I'm Meant To Be 14 A Simple Song 15 Season For Me 16 Mind (Bonus Track) Sounds very very GOOD! Too many tracks. Another World Of Our Own!!! Trivia: What About Now is a 12 letter songtitle like Swear It Again, their debut single I'm really 100x disappointed! All of the fans are disappointed! (but they can't let Westlife down) but this deserves to be a flop! this will be out in Ireland this Friday. no airplays, no video. this will be released together with This Is It on Oct 26 UK. Maybe Sony thought of that many people will go out to buy MJ's new album and with Westlife's same date of new release, the public may be carried to buy Westlife's new single too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_It_%2...Release_history On the second thought, What About Now may not be the real first single if that's what you call it. They may release another on the last week of November. they released a good to cover song for Westlife so that the general audience may not be in shock. here's a portion of an interview with Mark: Mark Feehily tells us: "We wanted the first single from our new album to be somewhere between the Westlife sound our fans know and love, and the new direction we're heading in. We've been experimenting with a fresh vibe on this record. After 11 years we see this as phase two of the Westlife story." Let's hope it's as good as phase one. also, in a short span of time with no promo (the XFactor only), no news if a music video will be out and no new photoshoots yet for the album and even the official single. It's a crap a clustered images of them from the past only.... http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x18/lindsay-pops/cover2.jpg idk but when I heard the 16 track album, they made me feel happy again. I have their faith in them, I trust them and I know they can do what we want :) I'm listening to the 30 sec clip all over again it's like Daughtry featuring Shane :laugh: Oh I see. Wasn't it that Jeff Buckley and Alex's versions of Hallelujah charts very well last year. that's why record company are doing and trying it again. Now I understand

their seventh studio album or their overall tenth album will be called WHERE WE ARE out November 30 Source http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/10108822/W...re/Product.html www.thecommitted.com

Steve Robson co-wrote.. What Hurts The Most - Cascada Queen Of My Heart - Westlife Last Thing On My Mind - Ronan/Leann Beautiful World - Take That Pieces Don't Fit Anymore, Undiscovered - James Morisson Their single competitors: 26th Oct Armand Van Helden & A-Trak presents Duck Sauce – Anyway Ash – Joy Kicks Darkness (7”) Ben's Brother feat Anastacia – Stalemate Biffy Clyro – The Captain Breed 77 – Wake Up Bubbel G - Get Ready Charlotte Hatherley - Alexander Chicane – Hiding All The Stars David Jordan - (Don't Wanna) Hear You Say The Dead Weather – I Cut Like A Buffalo (7”) Dolly Rockers – Boys Will Be Boys Echo & The Bunnymen – Think I Need It Too Emily Maguire - Lighthouse Man Enter Shikari – Wall Grammatics – Double Negative (7”) Jay Sean – Down Jem - I Want You To… Kano - Rock N Roller Katherine Jenkins – Bring Me To Life Lisa Mitchell – Coin Laundry Little Comets – Adultery (EP) Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA MSTRKRFT – Bounce Pitbull – Hotel Room Service Scooter – J’Adore Hardcore Shinedown – If You Only Knew TI feat Mary J Blige – Remember Me Tinchy Stryder - You're Not Alone Vagabond – I’ve Been Wanting You The XX – Islands (7”) link of single pre-order: http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetail...&sku=284968

OFFICIAL 13.10.2009 Album and single news from Mark Last week we told you the news you have all been waiting for - the boys are coming back soon to treat you to a new single and album! Mark wanted to give you the next piece of exciting information himself, so read on to see what Mark has to reveal... Hey guys, More exciting news from us..What About Now is the name of our first single and it's out on the 25th October to download and the 26th October in stores! We worked with the amazing Steve Robson on the track and can't wait for you guys to hear it! Just to let you know: the album is just about finished and will be released 30th November! It is full of new, original, modern pop, plus a couple of nice remakes...we feel it's the best album we've made in a long time, if not ever and because it's made for the fans we just can't wait to see how you like it!! Across the album there's uptempo, mid tempo and of course a few ballads, ya gotta have those! I know a lot of you are asking about upcoming concerts...!? Well just hold tight, meetings are happening as you read this and we will have loads of news in the coming weeks/months...for now prepare yourselves for the first new Westlife song in two years! WHAT ABOUT NOW!! Pre-order your very own copy of the new album by clicking on the following links: Amazon, HMV and Play.com. Stay tuned to www.westlife.com for more news, coming your way soon! NOT THE DAUGHTRY or LONESTAR TRACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EXCITED! So there must be a music video now! The release is just TOO EARLY!! Just to let you know: What About Now Daughtry - Ben Moody, David Hodges, Josh Hartzler Lonestar - Ron Harbin, Aaron Barker, Anthony L. Smith Westlife - Steve Robson I can't wait! couple of nice covers..... so not 100%

According to BBC, Louis Walsh, the manager of Westlife has confirmed to one of his close that the boys will publish a new single called What About Now. This new stuff's instrumental version will appear at the end of X-Factor this Saturday evening.However, the close said that it's definitely not a cover as the rumour went, but a new one just has the same name.BBC also apologised to the fans.The single may be out earlier in this Nov. Source: Irish Star Hopefully this is the one that is true! RADIO 1 is always wrong about Westlife and when they said that Amelle had left Sugababes?? Disappointed if the first single will be a COVER!! Hopefully if this is true it will turn out as a B-side only. I know they will have a good version of it

In addition to the official news: Westlife have been working with Grammy-nominated producer Ryan Tedder, the man behind such massive hits as Leona Lewis’ ‘Bleeding Love’ and Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ as well as the renowned Steve Robson and Walter A. Keep an eye on the official site over the next few weeks for more exclusive Westlife updates!

Westlife's new album probably out: November 30 http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/10108822/N...BA/Product.html

Westlife's new album OUT: NOVEMBER 30 http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/10108822/N...BA/Product.html ************* new demo for them leaked: "Now I Can Let Go" (Produced by Wayne Hector) ************* latest Nicky tweet related to the album: http://twitter.com/nickybyrneoffic ************** Westlife Writing For The New Album 02 Sep 2009 Adrian Bradford, Producer in America, mentioned on his Twitter page that Westlife were in the studio on 31 August to write songs. http://twitter.com/adrianbradford *********** Darren Hayes: 11:06 PM Sep 23rd from TweetDeck *********** Ryan Tedder Working With Westlife 31 Aug 2009 On the Myspace page of OneRepublic member Ryan Tedder, who also writes and produces songs, it mentions he's currently working with Westlife too among other artists! CURRENT WRITING/PRODUCTION PROJECTS: Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Natasha Bedingfield, Estelle, Tamar, Nikki Flores, OneRepublic, Westlife, Patriot Records. http://www.myspace.com/aliastheproducer ************** Yes! The album is finish and I'm excited!

CONFIRMED!!! As Love Is My Witness is a revival! This gives me a more stronger feeling that the upcoming album will gonna be a 100% original tracks since the remake song leaked. Website source: http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kz=627976482 Released: June 2007? http://www.musicrailways.com/Jun_2007_Pop_...itness_mp3.html ******************* We Can-Net Believe Leak 21 Aug 2009 Chart-toppers Westlife are reeling after one of their new ballads, As Love Is My Witness, was leaked on the internet. Shane Filan and his fellow crooners are still working on a new album of original songs, but one track is already being file-shared by fans. Despite their record label's efforts to limit the leak, the song was still on Youtube yesterday. But perhaps all is not lost for the band, as cheeky fans have given the ballad the thumbs-up. Credit/Source: The Irish Star / Published on 20.08.2009 / Thanks Maya and Chrissy for the scan ************************ Darren Hayes About The Songs He's Written For Westlife 21 Aug 2009 Someone asked Darren Hayes on Twitter if a song he's mentioned he's writing was for Westlife and he replied: ***************** Westlife In Sync At Studio 21 Aug 2009 Pop sensations Westlife have been secretly recording with former 'NSync star JC Chasez in Los Angeles, it has emerged. The Irish chart-toppers have been working with JC - now a record producer - in the studios in recent days. JC even revealed he was enjoying working with the Irish crooners on his Twitter site. However, the tweet was removed shortly afterwards. Westlife are spending time in LA and Nashville to meet with producers and songwriters in a bid to make an album of original songs. Westlife's Shane Filan said: "The album will have no covers at all - we want it to be our strongest ever. "We're working on it in the studios at the minute and it's really exciting. We want to give the fans 100 per cent new material." Credit/Source: The Irish Star / Published on 18.08.2009 / Thanks Maya and Chrissy for the scan ************** New Lease Of Westlife 21 Aug 2009 BOYS BACK ON TRACK AFTER BREAK Chart-toppers Westlife returned to work yesterday after taking more than a year off from the industry. The boys had planned to jet to LA and Nashville last month to start work on their 11th studio album. But they deferred the move as band member Kian Egan's ill dad Kevin took a turn for the worse - and sadly died last month. "They gave Kian as much time as he needed to spend with his family," a source revealed. "They felt they'd taken a year out, so a few more weeks wouldn't matter, but it was important for Kian." The crooners got down to work on their new album yesterday after jetting over to a London studio. "They're enthusiastic about getting back to work and they have lots of new plans," said a source. "All they're concentrating on now is finding the right songs and they'll be going to the US shortly to work with different producers." Show Westlife took an extended break shortly after their sell-out Croker show on June 1last year. But Nicky Byrne recently revealed the boys are brimming with ideas for a new album of original songs. "It feels fresh - like we're starting all over again," he said. Credit/Source: Unknown date of publication and newspaper / Thanks Maya and Chrissy for the scan www.westlife.com/forums www.westlife.gr www.thecommitted.com www.shanefilan.nl/News.htm

I like Mark's part except "Once in a lifetime" lol. I like Mark's parts when he was younger imo. I don't like his high voice on something Right.

JC Chasez's tweet: (but suddenly erased again!)

I can't believe that a song from them leaked too early!! I think this won't be their 1st single (since it leaked). Shane's part is the best. They're definitely going back to what their established sound was as being evident to this song AT the song, it's like a song from AUTBF. Hopefully, not the first single. I'm still hoping for a pop/dance track. Beautiful lyrics, ok/generic song, old notes/music used. expecting for more soon If you'll listen intently at the start you can hear like a record button was pressed? I don't really think this is the clean final edit For NOW, I thought that this song at first is not remarkable. but when I played it all over. I'm liking the chorus and Shane's parts. The only destructive to me is the intro by Mark, sorry.