Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Westlifefanaticvip. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Brian McFadden discovered real life after Westlife
Topic Started: Mar 27 2008, 08:45 AM (177 Views)
JoanneVIP
Member Avatar
THE BOSS
Brian McFadden discovered real life after Westlife

BRIAN McFadden was an idiot. Just ask him. It's 2004 and McFadden's freshly jettisoned himself from Westlife, the Irish boy band who've clocked up 30 million album sales via cover versions selected by Idol judge and record company chief Simon Cowell.

When Cowell insisted the band cover Barry Manilow's cheesy 1970s hit Mandy, McFadden knew his time was up.

As a badboy bander who wanted to be a solo musician, record companies got dollar signs in their eyes. McFadden seemed poised to follow the path Robbie Williams had forged.

Exclusive video:

McFadden explains how love for Delta inspired his new single, plus video footage

Behind the scenes, personal footage of McFadden's recent trip to Melbourne, including encounters with Hamish and Andy, and a visit to Molly Meldrum

He'd already parted ways with Westlife's label BMG, which wanted him to make an album of covers.

When BMG merged with Sony and Sony BMG saw McFadden teamed with Robbie's songwriter Guy Chambers, the chequebooks came out.

Ironically, the man who axed him from BMG signed him to Sony BMG.

McFadden saw this as an opportunity to make amends -- for the way he felt BMG milked Westlife as musical cash cows and shut down his first attempt at a solo career.

So Brian McFadden set down some superstar demands for his solo deal with Sony BMG.

Click here for your chance to win an autographed Brian McFadden CD

‘‘I took the p***,'' he says now. ‘‘I had to have first-class flights for me and my team that I didn't need, but I wanted to take advantage for all the things they'd done to me in the past.''

His management negotiated ‘‘massive'' royalty points for every album sold. He insisted on his team being given two cars at all time -- one for smokers, one for non-smokers.

‘‘I even had my hairdresser on a retainer of STG 100,000 ($220,000) a year,'' McFadden says. ‘‘It was ridiculous. Everything was ridiculous and it was all just because I could. They'd taken the p*** out of us in Westlife for so long, so many things annoyed me, so I took the p*** out of them in my deal. And it came back to bite me in the arse.''

First the arse-kissing. McFadden's solo career started spectacularly enough. His first single, Real to Me, was a UK No.1 and topped charts throughout Europe. The dramatic ballad was his statement on leaving the superficial lifestyle of Westlife behind to become a family man.

Sony BMG demanded an album as soon as possible. He obliged.

‘‘I have a personality where I just jump at things,'' McFadden. ‘‘As soon as I had 11 songs written I went, ‘There's the album'. It suited everyone. They had a massive hit single and wanted to get the album out. It was better I got it out before all the s--- happened. If I waited any longer I wouldn't have sold any albums at all.''

The excrement in question came when McFadden's marriage to British celebrity Kerry Katona fizzled out. Katona's only discernible talent was making babies and headlines; McFadden was her ticket to both.

The dissolution of their marriage was documented in McFadden's Almost Here, ironically sung by his future partner, Delta Goodrem.

Though the split was complicated by the fact they had two daughters, McFadden would be painted as the villain by the UK and Irish press.

Once Almost Here was a hit, Goodrem was labelled a homewrecker, despite McFadden being separated when they started dating.

McFadden's first solo album, Irish Son, was tainted by the negative press. Journalists reviewed his name, not his music. The album's musical highlight, epic ballad Demons, was ignored by the UK press -- more interested in his private life than his career.

Irish Son made No.24 in the UK and sold 800,000 worldwide.

‘‘That's OK, but not in the scheme of the whole world,'' McFadden says.

Certainly not for the next Robbie.

‘‘You do start to believe your own hype,'' McFadden says. ‘‘I was very arrogant. And because of the money they spent and the deal I got there wasn't enough for them to make a profit.

‘‘I could have not taken the p*** with my deal and sold 800,000 albums and everyone would have money and we could have all gone on as normal. But no, I had to be an idiot.''

McFadden believes his album was doomed: death by bad timing.

‘‘I could have taken the 10 biggest-selling songs from around the world that year and had them on my album and I still wouldn't have sold anything,'' he says. ‘‘It's frustrating.

‘‘Even I'm pessimistic towards my first album now. I hear it and go ‘It's actually a really good record'. Not many people got to hear it. It was a great learning curve though.''

When it came time to make his second solo album, Sony BMG had its revenge.

The label insisted McFadden work with an A&R man -- someone who'd listen to everything he was doing and line up potential songwriters and producers. It didn't go so well.

First his A&R man didn't want McFadden to work with Guy Chambers. Then they fought about his songs and musical direction.

‘‘As time went on he'd play me whatever was No.1 that week -- James Morrison, Paolo Nutini, Scissor Sisters -- and say ‘You need to sound more like that'. I don't want to be f---ing James Blunt or James Morrison, I want to be Brian McFadden,'' he says.

‘‘The pigeonhole of the song he wanted me to write kept shrinking -- no love lyrics, no hate lyrics, no dark melodies. I lost my rag.''

McFadden and Sony BMG parted ways. The day he was free of his contract McFadden was in the midst of writing Believe Again with fiancee Delta Goodrem.

‘‘From there on the album just seemed to take off,'' McFadden says. ‘‘Every song I wrote I could decide if it was good enough.''

McFadden was in the charmed position of being able to finance his second solo album, Set in Stone, recording the bulk in his Dublin studio.

He's started his own label, BMF Records, to licence Set in Stone around the world.

‘‘The problem with worldwide deals is a lot of countries just get the record forced on them,'' McFadden says. ‘‘Now I know each country who signs it wants it and wants to break it.''

Australia is the first stop on his staggered plans of world domination.

However, things are different this time around -- McFadden's paying his own way. The licensing deal with Universal in Australia means the company pays only for certain costs.

‘‘I'm flying economy, city to city in Australia,'' McFadden says. ‘‘A few years ago in my life I would have said I'd never fly economy if I'm not paying for it. But I am now.

‘‘In Westlife we were first class in planes and the best hotel suites. That's what the music industry was to us. We never knew any different. I've just flown my guitar player over from South Africa. If I'd been signed to Sony BMG I'd have flown my full band, my hairdresser and security over. Now I know these are things I don't need to do. There are ways to do it where everyone's happy and everyone makes money.

‘‘It's nice to go backwards and work your way back up. It makes you work harder.''

McFadden is at a strange point in his career. He's welcomed his time out of the spotlight in Ireland and the UK, noting, ‘‘there's so much work to be done there to get away from all the tabloid bulls---.''

In Asia they wouldn't even release his first solo album because he wouldn't shave and cut his hair to look how he did in Westlife.

‘‘I said, ‘Take it or leave it','' McFadden says. ‘‘They left it.''

In Australia he has no real musical history (Westlife never really broke here) and he's known primarily as Delta Goodrem's fiance.

‘‘You spend 2 1/2 years on a record and people see you and say ‘There's Delta's boyfriend?' It'd be nice to get some recognition for what I've done. Hopefully people like it. If they don't they can go, ‘There's that guy that made that s--- album'. Either way I'm happy.''

Goodrem and McFadden share a house, a manager and a future, but they're keen to be seen as separate entities.

‘‘When we did Almost Here and we started going out we didn't care,'' he says. ‘‘Everyone's like that when you first fall in love. We still write music for each other, we'll do duets on tour I'm sure, but as far as releasing music, it will be separate.''

McFadden's new single, Like Only a Woman Can, was written three months after meeting Delta.

‘‘To put that love feeling into a song hadn't happened for a while,'' McFadden says. ‘‘I wrote a lot of pessimistic, autobiographical songs for my first record. After I left Westlife I didn't want to write any other love songs. It was the kick-start to this album.''

Goodrem inspired more than Like Only a Woman Can.

‘‘Delta was too serious when I met her,'' McFadden says. ‘‘She'd be thinking about a TV performance all day, worrying. I was the opposite. I'd just go out and sing, grab a guitar and walk on, no effort.

‘‘So now she only starts to worry half an hour before she goes on, and now I start to worry about it half an hour before I go on. We've had a good effect on each other.''

The pair announced their engagement in the summer.

‘‘Some people thought ‘This is just a fickle relationship. It'll fizzle out','' McFadden says. ‘‘It was always serious for us. I guess being engaged puts closure on it for people so they can see it's real, not some celebrity bulls---.''

McFadden has a side career writing songs for other artists -- including Delta and Il Divo.

‘‘I get just as excited hearing a Delta song I've written as one of my own I've written,'' he says.

‘‘But I still love standing in front of a crowd, that's the ultimate. But if things don't work out in the future and I can't have my own career, I'm happy enough to write songs for other people.

‘‘I'm not getting any younger,'' says McFadden, who turns 28 next month. ‘‘As I get older I think about settling down. The rest of my life will be writing songs for other people. Hopefully, the missus can keep it going. She can go out and tour and I can write the songs and look after the kids.''

Choosing the write route

WESTLIFE celebrate their 10th anniversary as a band this year. However, Brian McFadden has been forced to deny reports from Westlife that he asked to rejoin the band.

"People say to me all the time, `Do you regret leaving?','' McFadden says.

"Even when the guys in Westlife say, 'He must regret leaving', it's always money-related. I could have stayed in Westlife and done all the albums and tours and made loads of money, but there's more to life than money. Why would I stay in a job I don't like for money? I'd rather stay in this job and make a quarter of the money and have twice the fun and enjoy it.

"When my record comes out, I know I made it, I didn't just go in and sing over it. I invented that song from start to finish. This is coming from my heart, it's what I wanted to say and how I wanted it to sound.''

McFadden says their reliance on cover versions over original songs forced him out of Westlife, although he got to write the occasional album track.

"They're not artists. There's no creativity. We weren't artists in Westlife, we were singers. I don't mean that negatively, there was no creativity in the music. We were just singing and performing, not artists. I certainly learnt how to be a performer in Westlife.

"What they do is great and they have a huge audience, and they wouldn't have it any other way. It's not like they're craving to be artistic. They love what they do. I respect them for that.

"A lot of bands go off and say, 'We want to write our own songs', but they're smart enough to know they're not as a good songwriters as the people who write the Westlife songs. They've never let their egos get in the way.''

hERLAD
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Gloria
Member Avatar
Westlife DIVA star
Thanks for posting.A good interview. :)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MrsMaryByrne
Member Avatar
Mary
thanks for posting :)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Nicky's Angel
Member Avatar
Sara
Thanks for posting that very long interview Jo hugs
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
jlovenicky
Member Avatar
Jacqueline
I cant wait for his new album! hugs
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
JoanneVIP
Member Avatar
THE BOSS
it hsould be good.

HEYA Sara.. how are ya xx
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Nicky's Angel
Member Avatar
Sara
It does I'm ok how are you, Jo?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
uptowngirl
Unregistered

thanks for posting hunnie hugs
Quote Post Goto Top
 
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Join the millions that use us for their forum communities. Create your own forum today.
Learn More · Register Now
« Previous Topic · Brian · Next Topic »
Add Reply