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Can Westlife still cut it (Daily Mail 27.10.07
Topic Started: Oct 27 2007, 10:48 AM (324 Views)
JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
Westlife, the irish boyband turned "Adult contemporary"baladeers, could be excused for being the smuggest young multimillionaires ever to bring a flush to the pop charts.

Shane Filan, Mark Feehily,Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan have more number one singles-14-to their credit than anyone,except Elvis and The Beatles. They are clinking with platinum discs and garlanded with awards.

They even survived the potentially ruinous departure of populare band member Brian Mcfadden three years ago, in their echo of the Take That/Robbis Williams split, They are,surely, justifiable content with their lot?

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The answer is yes and not entirely- of which more later. In personal terms,they swear that they have never been happier or more settled. "You Grow UP, its that simple," says Shane,.28,the shorted dark one with the sardonic eyebrows,who shared lead vocals with Mark. "There are only so many times you can go to nightclubs and get free bottles of vodka and still think its fantastic. Your priorities turn to home and family. We know whats important to us. " Held up against the gawky posturing of performers like Babyshambles Pete Doherty,this degree of domesticity can make Westlife seem unnaturally sensible. They like to allude to wild nights in the pub,but they remain that shockingly rare thing in the music industry:adults who behave like adults instead of dysfunctional adolescents.

They make concerned tut-tutting noises about Britney Spears and Amy WInehouse("terrible she needs help)and are grudginly sympathetic to Doherty himself,but theres deffinite impatience with the self indulgences of pops perpetual teenagers.

Though they all have bases in UK, Irealnd is "HOME" and where they retreat from the not very intrusive lenses of the press. "If the papers think were boring, bring it on..!!"crown Nicky. "Its great for us.We can get on with our lives Its not the newspapers that buy our records."

Shane is married to Kian's cousin Gillain and they ahve a 2 year old daughter,Nicole Rose. Nicky's wife Georgina, his girlfriend since they met at school when they were 16,is the daughter of Irish Taoiseach Bertie Aherne. They have twin boys, Rocco and Jay, who were born prematurely in April but are now thriving. In an announcement that caused barely a ripple,Mark admitted h was gay 2 years ago,and now lives with his partner, singer Kevin Mcdaid, Kian is also in a long term relationship with former Hollyoaks Actress Jodi ALbert.

Where are the drugs?? The groupies?? The Tabloid kiss and tells??Instaead they offer sidelines of golf,property development and a juice bar for Sligo surfer dudes. Shane works out in his home gym and rides horses. Kian surfs, Marks building a portfolio as a photographer. Nicky is absorbed by babies, but has taken acting classes. Where is the appaling misbehaviour we have come to expect from our icons??Drinking with your mates doesnt count.

One look at their trim physiques and clear eyes tells you it is hopless. They are dressed ins a stylists selection of dark shirts and tapered trousers that makes their legs look as if theyve been sharpened, and they are irredeemably wholesome. Photographs at a London barbers shop are all over and they can relax in a private room across the road.
They talk loudly and across each other,with digressions about the heights of their brothers (giants all)and racous laughter. And when they speak at the same time,it almost becomes impossible to seperate Kian's booming bass from Nicky's machine gun delivery,or Marks more measured style and Shane;s pithy, if rarer contributions. Kian "Were Irish, divorce is barely legal over there!We dont come from rich families but were lucky to have strong stable backgrounds. We respect our parents.

Nicky "My dad always used to say."Do whatever you want, just make sure you dont bring the police to our door"

Mark "Were real people with genuine problems, Were not perfect by any means, but were not running about being tortures artists."

Shane:"Im the youngest of seven :three brothers and three sisters, So personally when i went into the Westlife world, I didnt want to let them down. My brothers would ahve killed me. SO I never did, and all of a sudden were been here for 9 years and im glad.

Which brings us to the most remarkable thing about Westlife,their longevity. The interval between the birth and death of a boyband averages rather equally than a tin of beans:packaged,marketed, screwed up and discarded. Take That stayed together for barely 6 years the first time round. Boyzone made it to 7 and and Five lasted four. By thoses standards Westlife who formed in 1998 and are managed by The XFactors Louis Wlash, are time worn veterans.

Shane, Kian and Mark were part of a band called IOU at the same sligo school when Shanes mum Mae, called in Louis Wlash, already the manager of Boyzone to look them over. He jettisoned a coupkle of members and added Nicky and Brian.

"Right from the start Louis was veyr strict"recalls Nicky."He wouldnt let us get in with the wrong people in the industry. He always kept an eye on us. Hed read the stories in the newspapers and be on the phone straight away saying, "What are you doing?Stay away from him"And you realise its good advice.

Kian:We imagined we were going to walk into some nightclub in London and be offered cocaine and ecstacy and Page Three Girls""

Mark: We had seen the horror stories. We were so scared of getting carried away,even before the band was signed.that our feet were on the gorund from the start. the first time you got to somewhere like Londons Met Bar, its a different planet. I mean, i grewup on a farm. Its enjoyable for a while,being in the VIP area with the All Saints, or whoever, but after a while you realise thast its not healthy or enjoyable experince to be surrounded by stranges who only want to be seen with you because youre famous. Its all fake."

If they make themsleves sound like a gang of wide eyed scarey cats, its worth remembering that alle xcept Nicky, who is the oldest at 29, were in their teens when their careers started. They are admanatly opposed to the new, lower age of 14 for contestants on X Factor.

"It would have killed my confidence to be rejected on national tv at the age of 14, I think youre too young to handle pressure at that age - its using kids for entertainment. If they have talent at 14, theyll have it at 17. Wait for them to grow up a bit, "Says Shane.

They admit that, when they started out, they diw whatever they were told to by the experts in charge of the band. Their comliance brought huge sucess, but possibly at the cost of the elusive "cred". As Kian puts it, "I dont think our music is too complicated and, for that reason, there are lots of people who would never admit to liking Westlife,even if they did, because it wouldnt be a cool thing to say. Its just everyday, honest people who like our music -and they dont feel like they need to be cool."


Bob Geldof may sing as if hes gargling through a cracked drain, but his dismissive comment in 2004, that Westlife were nothing to music(and his failure to ask them to perform at Live 8) was an indication of their frustatingly low standing with the intellectual heavyweights of the music indutry.

They hint that they are tired of the jibes about their over dependence on luch, impeccably prodeuced cover versions. Their best selling Love album of 2006, illustarted with a photograph of then in sub James Bond unbuttoned tuxedos and winsome expressions,had no orignal songs. Their latest single Home, from the new album, was previously a hit for the its co writer Michael Buble. After nine years as dutiful grafters, they sound as if they have the conifdence to get off the album once a year treadmill. At one point Shane is trying to esplain the iron devide between family and the musical hoopla of promoting records, he says, Westlife is just a job to us. A passion and a job.

Kian the unofficial liaison officer between the band and management, and a sharp strategic thinker, says "Its not a job you could get bored wiht, but it runs in a very similar way eveyr year, in that we record at a certain time and are then ready to move on to the next stage. You can get tired of the same routine. Weve decided were not going to bring out another album this time next year.

Its important to us to remember why we got into this business in the first place. adds Nicky. "To keep anything fresh, you need new influences, and its imperative, if we want to keep moving forward., that we produce better songs every time. Then were more excited about performing them. Were going to give it more time to natuarlly evolve, like we did at the begininning, and not have this structure in place.

They are very frank about relying on other songwriters for most of their material, but they know what they want:variety. Presumably they can aford in every sense to be more demanding as they get older,having sold 36 million records,and won 2 brit awards and four record of the years awards. Their fan base is devoted solid and surprisingly broad:composed, they say of teenage girls, their mothers, a few fathers and a sizeable gay following.

Mark didnt tell his bandmates he was gay until 5 years after they formed. They and his family were supportive,but he was concerend, when he came out in the press two years later, that it owuld damage westlife populaity as pin-ups.?

"I honestly dont think its affected the bands sucess in any way at all. he insists, "Each time someone like me speaks up, it becomes more acceptable. Ive heard of one person in a boyband who was kicked out bfore they made their first record when it was discorvered that he was gay. Its a sad fact that the industy can be fearful od such revelations damaging a groups image. Theres still a prejudice there from the marketing point of view, that i think is disgusting. But even if everyone isnt ready to accept openly gay stars yet, the situation is much better than it was tem years ago.

And think back. When we first singed our record deal, I was 17 or 18, I dont think at that stage in my life, many gay men are sorted about their sexuality. I kept pushing the issues away because im really bad at decisons and thought ill live vicariously. I wont face myself. But in the end, i had no choice except to be honest. Your sexualtiy is such abig part of you that, unless you express it, youre in danger of becoming some sad, crished person with something buried inside you. I gave myself the ability to be happy.

It is Mark and Shane who are the best singers and the prime candiated for solo careers, but Shane has reportdly rejected offers to do it. They are admant that they will stay together.

"You cant explain what weve got. says Shane, The Kian add, "We know each other like brothers, better probably, because we spent ten years growing up together,Develop yes,Stop no... Were in it for the long haul.

And there no reason to disbelieve him. What are the odds that by christmas, Home will have earned the boys their 15th number one single and brought them an improbable step close to toppine Elvis.

SOurce: Daily Mail, weekend magazine., typed by Me for wfvip./...
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jlovenicky
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Jacqueline
Thanks hunnie for typing it ;)
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JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
it was veyr long, how are you Jaq x
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zeze
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thaaanx

Great interview
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JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
yeah its one of their better intevriew xx
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Villy Feehily*McDaid
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Villy
Hahaaaaaaaaaa the pic is sooooooooo swesome haha THAAAAAAANX for scanning and typing it up hunny :D I'll read the inteview now yayayay :D :D :D
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Villy Feehily*McDaid
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Villy
I read the interview! It's so touching :) They are frank and speak from the heart you can feel that. I'm so proud of our lads :D

Thanx again Jo :D
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Gloria
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Westlife DIVA star
Thanks for posting,Yes it was a great interview,they are straight with one another & admit they have different tastes in music,but they are still family orientated,but still have a laugh together,THEY ARE GORGEOUS :D gr8 )(wackydance) :09clap hugs
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irishdreamer
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Thanks for posting, good article, just not enough of Shane in that picture :angry: :P
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JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
yeah not sure if Mark should be that close to Nicky with a razor....
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jlovenicky
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Jacqueline
Lovely pic :D love nicky on there and Kian too!!!! They are so funny there....
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JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
theyre hilarious x
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JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
here are osme more photos thansk to Pia for finding

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JoanneVIP
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JoanneVIP
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