Westlife Greatest Hits #90sSongs #BestBand
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Westlife are Kian Egan, Markus
Westlife are Kian Egan, Markus Feehily (known as Mark), Nicky Byrne and Shane Filan. Described as one of the most successful musical groups of all time, they originate from Sligo and Dublin in Ireland.
The band released their first single in April 1999 and after more than twenty years they’re still going strong. Their number one-charting comeback album Spectrum was released in November 2019, and their twelfth album, Wild Dreams, was released in November 2021.
Read on to find out where Westlife came from and their journey so far.
Westlife history from the 1990s to now: The beginning
The story of Westlife begins a long, long time ago (well, back in the 1990s!) in a town named Sligo in the west of Ireland…
Three guys named Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan performed in their school musical Grease together. After their success on stage, they decided to form a band. The band’s name? Initially they were known as ‘6 as 1’, then ‘I.O.YOU’.
The first single
I.O.YOU released a single “Together Girl Forever” in Ireland in 1997. After some success, Shane Filan’s mother, Mae Filan, contacted the manager of established Irish pop band Boyzone, Louis Walsh, to persuade him to take a look at the group and to sign them up.
Although Louis felt he didn’t have the time to manage yet another band, luckily for us, Ronan Keating (of chart-topping boyband Boyzone) stepped in. Ronan agreed to co-manage the new band with Louis, and ‘Rolo Management’ (named after Ronan and Louis) was formed.
Nicky and Brian join the band
The lineup of I.O.YOU was changed – three of the original members (Derek, Graham and Michael) were asked to leave. Auditions were held in Dublin to find two new members for the group. Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden were eventually chosen…Brian changing his name to Bryan to make signing autographs easier. Westlife (as we now know them) were born!
IOU in Boyzone magazine
Westlife in their first UK magazine article: Boyzone Magazine September 1998. The group was still known as I.O.YOU (spelt ‘IOU’ in the magazine)
IOU – Mark, Nicky, Bryan, Kian and Shane are Dublin’s newest pop export – currently busy following in BZ’s [Boyzone’s] early footsteps by trailing round Ireland and causing chaos on 2FM’s Best on the Street (it’s like the Radio One Roadshow!). The boys’ll be making their UK debut when they join the BZ tour at the end of the month – and they can’t wait to meet you…
BOYZONE MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 1998
Westside go on tour
The group were now known as Westside – their name was reportedly changed by Ronan who felt that I.O.YOU was too boyband-esque. Why the name ‘Westside’ ? Because three of the group (Kian, Mark and Shane) were from the west side of Ireland.
Westside supported US pop group Backstreet Boys at their show in Dublin, and then toured the UK and Ireland with Irish boyband Boyzone in November 1998. The band stunned audiences on the Smash Hits Tour around the UK, winning “Best New Tour Act” at the Smash Hits Awards in November 1998.
Westside
“Westside” leaflet from 1998, which featured the below text
Westside leaflet
Westlife featured in the Boyzone 1998 tour programme, below…
“so new they don’t even have a name yet”
Westlife in the Boyzone programme
Another name change: from Westside to Westlife
Early in 1999 the group discovered a number of existing bands shared the name ‘Westside’. As a result the name of the band was changed again, this time to the name we know today – ‘Westlife‘.
Westlife went on to release their first single Swear it Again in April 1999. The single went straight to the top of the British and Irish charts, becoming the biggest-selling debut single ever in Ireland.
Westlife’s debut album
Westlife released their eagerly-awaited self-titled debut album, Westlife, in the UK in November 1999. Their double A-side single I Have a Dream and Seasons in the Sun became the UK Christmas number one of 1999. The guys won Record of the Year for Flying Without Wings in 1999, and My Love in the following year.
Winning numerous awards, Westlife achieved much acclaim and enjoyed a lot of success, breaking records seemingly as fast as they set them. Their second album, Coast To Coast, went triple platinum in Ireland after only one day of release in 2000. They gained a placed in chart history with their seventh single release, My Love, as they became the only band whose first seven singles debuted at number one in the UK charts.
2002 saw the group release their very first Greatest Hits album, and Westlife’s subsequent album, Turnaround, released November 2003, continued the group’s success, as it went straight into the charts at number one.
From five band members to four
March 2004 saw a new chapter begin for the group as Brian McFadden announced his departure from the band.
The band released their first single in April 1999 and after more than twenty years they’re still going strong. Their number one-charting comeback album Spectrum was released in November 2019, and their twelfth album, Wild Dreams, was released in November 2021.
Read on to find out where Westlife came from and their journey so far.
Westlife history from the 1990s to now: The beginning
The story of Westlife begins a long, long time ago (well, back in the 1990s!) in a town named Sligo in the west of Ireland…
Three guys named Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan performed in their school musical Grease together. After their success on stage, they decided to form a band. The band’s name? Initially they were known as ‘6 as 1’, then ‘I.O.YOU’.
The first single
I.O.YOU released a single “Together Girl Forever” in Ireland in 1997. After some success, Shane Filan’s mother, Mae Filan, contacted the manager of established Irish pop band Boyzone, Louis Walsh, to persuade him to take a look at the group and to sign them up.
Although Louis felt he didn’t have the time to manage yet another band, luckily for us, Ronan Keating (of chart-topping boyband Boyzone) stepped in. Ronan agreed to co-manage the new band with Louis, and ‘Rolo Management’ (named after Ronan and Louis) was formed.
Nicky and Brian join the band
The lineup of I.O.YOU was changed – three of the original members (Derek, Graham and Michael) were asked to leave. Auditions were held in Dublin to find two new members for the group. Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden were eventually chosen…Brian changing his name to Bryan to make signing autographs easier. Westlife (as we now know them) were born!
IOU in Boyzone magazine
Westlife in their first UK magazine article: Boyzone Magazine September 1998. The group was still known as I.O.YOU (spelt ‘IOU’ in the magazine)
IOU – Mark, Nicky, Bryan, Kian and Shane are Dublin’s newest pop export – currently busy following in BZ’s [Boyzone’s] early footsteps by trailing round Ireland and causing chaos on 2FM’s Best on the Street (it’s like the Radio One Roadshow!). The boys’ll be making their UK debut when they join the BZ tour at the end of the month – and they can’t wait to meet you…
BOYZONE MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 1998
Westside go on tour
The group were now known as Westside – their name was reportedly changed by Ronan who felt that I.O.YOU was too boyband-esque. Why the name ‘Westside’ ? Because three of the group (Kian, Mark and Shane) were from the west side of Ireland.
Westside supported US pop group Backstreet Boys at their show in Dublin, and then toured the UK and Ireland with Irish boyband Boyzone in November 1998. The band stunned audiences on the Smash Hits Tour around the UK, winning “Best New Tour Act” at the Smash Hits Awards in November 1998.
Westside
“Westside” leaflet from 1998, which featured the below text
Westside leaflet
Westlife featured in the Boyzone 1998 tour programme, below…
“so new they don’t even have a name yet”
Westlife in the Boyzone programme
Another name change: from Westside to Westlife
Early in 1999 the group discovered a number of existing bands shared the name ‘Westside’. As a result the name of the band was changed again, this time to the name we know today – ‘Westlife‘.
Westlife went on to release their first single Swear it Again in April 1999. The single went straight to the top of the British and Irish charts, becoming the biggest-selling debut single ever in Ireland.
Westlife’s debut album
Westlife released their eagerly-awaited self-titled debut album, Westlife, in the UK in November 1999. Their double A-side single I Have a Dream and Seasons in the Sun became the UK Christmas number one of 1999. The guys won Record of the Year for Flying Without Wings in 1999, and My Love in the following year.
Winning numerous awards, Westlife achieved much acclaim and enjoyed a lot of success, breaking records seemingly as fast as they set them. Their second album, Coast To Coast, went triple platinum in Ireland after only one day of release in 2000. They gained a placed in chart history with their seventh single release, My Love, as they became the only band whose first seven singles debuted at number one in the UK charts.
2002 saw the group release their very first Greatest Hits album, and Westlife’s subsequent album, Turnaround, released November 2003, continued the group’s success, as it went straight into the charts at number one.
From five band members to four
March 2004 saw a new chapter begin for the group as Brian McFadden announced his departure from the band.
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