Westlife is an Irish pop music group that formed in July 1998. They were signed by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. The group is popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and much of Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. (BBC Westlife win at first MTV Asia Awards) (Westlife in Mexico) (Musicians - Westlife) (Westlife Concert in South Africa) In recent years, Westlife's sound has evolved from boy band 'teen pop' into a more adult contemporary music (ACM) sound.

Westlife has had fourteen number one singles in the United Kingdom between the years 1999 and 2006, the third-highest such total in UK history, behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and tied with Cliff Richard. They are also the only artist/group to win 'Record of the Year' in the UK four times. The group had sold more than 20 million records by end of 2006, yet to this day it is still unclear to how many records exactly the band have sold because some of their main markets are countries in Asia that do not publish sales figures. (BBC News: Westlife have 14th #1 hit in UK) (Westlife's releases new single 'Home' (in Spanish)) They are worth an estimated ?28 million (about $38 million) (Sligo Weekender Westlife worth 28 million Euro)

Westlife were awarded the Best Irish Pop Act, a public voting category, at the annual Ireland Meteor Awards for the seventh consecutive year on 2 February 2007.

Pre-formation
Westlife was formed in July 1998, with the members Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden

The group's roots are in Sligo in the north west of Ireland, where Egan, Feehily, and Filan were in a six-member vocal group named IOYOU (sometimes IOU), with fellow Sligonians Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron and Michael 'Miggles' Garrett. IOYOU were managed by choreographer Mary McDonagh and two other informal managers.Karaoke No More: The Real Story of the Beginnings of Westlife/Padraig Meehan/Brandon Books. IOYOU released a single called 'Together Girl Forever'.

The band was then 'discovered' by Louis Walsh, the manager of 1990s boy band Boyzone - he was actually contacted by Filan's mother. However IOYOU did not meet Simon Cowell's approval for a record deal with BMG, so changes were needed. Two members of IOYOU were given the sack, and auditions were held in Dublin. The band recruited Byrne and McFadden. A third original member, Michael Garrett, was dropped. The group was re-named Westside soon afterwards but as the name was already taken by another band, it was changed to Westlife. Boyzone singer Ronan Keating was brought in to co-manage the band with Walsh.

Shane Filan, Mark Feehily and Bryan McFadden shared most of the lead vocals. Some of the boys can play instruments (Kian and Bryan play the guitar and the piano) and all five of them are songwriters, although most of their hits have been composed by outside songwriters. The group's musical influences include boy bands such as Boyzone, Take That, Backstreet Boys and Boyz II Men.

"Westlife": Big Break
Westlife's first big break came in 1998 when they opened for the Boyzone in Dublin. Later that year, they won Best New Tour Act at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party.

In March 1999, their first single, 'Swear It Again', was released, and went straight to the top of the charts in Ireland and the UK. The band's success was to be confirmed when their second single, 'If I Let You Go', entered the charts at number 1 in August 1999, followed by 'Flying Without Wings' in October, which repeated the feat. This version was included in the soundtrack for the Warner Brothers film, "Pokemon 2000". They became the first number one artist of the new millennium when their double-A-side single, 'I Have a Dream'/'Seasons in the Sun' knocked Cliff Richard's 'The Millennium Prayer' off the top spot. Westlife had the honour of the Christmas number one. Their first album, simply titled "Westlife", was released in November 1999 and was also a big hit, peaking at #2. The album included those four #1 singles, and the follow-up 'Fool Again' which also reached the top spot in April 2000. They then went on a UK tour performing at Newcastle Metro Arena where they invited a number of fans on stage.

"Coast to Coast"
Westlife's next album was quickly recorded, and released in November 2000. "Coast to Coast" was an enormous hit in the UK, becoming the country's 4th biggest selling album of the year and Westlife's biggest selling album to date.

Westlife took on a signing tour around the UK called 'Coast To Coast'. The album was preceded by a duet with Mariah Carey on the Phil Collins classic 'Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)' and the ballad 'My Love'. Both singles reached #1 in the UK charts.

With this, Westlife broke an unexpected record, having their first seven singles debut at the top of the UK charts. In December 2000, however, that run was broken when they failed to secure their eighth chart-topper in a row when kid's favourite Bob The Builder's 'Can We Fix It' was crowned Christmas number one.

In 2001, the boys launched their first world tour, unofficially nicknamed 'The No Stools Tour', because of the band's reputation of performing perched on stools.

"World of Our Own"
Westlife released their third album in November 2001 called "World of Our Own", which featured several songs that eventually became Number 1 hits including 'Uptown Girl', 'Queen of My Heart' and 'World of Our Own'.

This album also featured the original version of 'Evergreen', which was then covered by Gareth Gates and Will Young for Pop Idol.

Westlife took this album and went on their second tour but this time in the round. The tour was taken all over Europe and the UK.

"Greatest Hits"
November 2002 saw Westlife release their Greatest Hits album, "Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1", amidst rumours of a split. They released their first single from this album in October 2002, Unbreakable. This was followed by the double a-side single of Tonight and Miss You Nights.

In 2003 Westlife toured the UK and Europe with the greatest hits, and still shrugged off rumours of a split.

"Turnaround"
In September 2003, Westlife released 'Hey Whatever' (founded by member Mark Feehily), which made it to Number 4 in the UK Charts. In November 2003 came Westlife's 'Make or Break' and fourth studio album "Turnaround", and made Number 1. Along with the Number 1 album was their twelfth Number 1 single. Mandy (a cover of Barry Manilow's ballad) was released in November 2003 Which was Bryan's final number one. Obvious the final song with Bryan McFadden in the group was also released from the album and charted at Number 3 in February 2004.

In 2003, Westlife also won Record of the Year for the third time in five years.

The departure of Brian Mcfadden
On 9 March 2004, just three weeks before Westlife were due to embark on their fourth UK and Europe tour, Bryan McFadden left the band to devote more of his time to solo projects as well as his family life with British TV personality and former Atomic Kitten member Kerry Katona and their two children, Molly (born in 2001) and Lilly Sue (born in 2003). They subsequently broke up and Bryan started a solo career, changing the spelling of his first name back to its original 'Brian'. Brian McFadden entered the chart at number one with his first solo single, 'Real To Me'. He went on to release more singles, but to only moderate success. The five members were now down to four.

The New Westlife

"Allow Us to Be Frank"
Less than a month after McFadden's departure, the boys kicked off their fourth arena Turnaround tour. They released a live version of Flying Without Wings as an official UK download.

They released their come-back album "Allow Us to Be Frank" later in the year, a Rat Pack-inspired album. Westlife did not release a single from this album even though they shot many music videos. They did, however, release more official UK downloads, including Ain't That A Kick In The Head and Smile.

Before the album release, Westlife travelled up and down the UK to find 'the perfect fan' to help promote their album. After X Factor style auditions, they found Joanne Hindley (who later appeared on X Factor). They recorded 'The Way You Look Tonight'. To celebrate their first ever fan to appear on a Westlife song they televised it, showing auditions and live performances. Their performances included Joanne, their fathers and glamour model Katie Price. They also performed alone.

The album became their first since their debut not to top the chart and peaking at its entry position Number Three.

"Face to Face"
In 2005, after a four-month break, they came back with 'You Raise Me Up', a cover of a Secret Garden song, which was the first single off their seventh album "Face to Face". On 6 November 2005, both the album and the single ('You Raise Me Up') were at Number 1 in the UK charts at the same time. It was the first time the band had held both top album and single position in the same week. (Westlife Celebrate Chart Double)

In December 2005, Westlife released the second single off their album, 'When You Tell Me That You Love Me', which was a duet with Diana Ross who had previously sung the song alone. Westlife then released their third single Amazing which is their last non-cover single to date.

"The Love Album"
In late 2006, Westlife signed a brand new five album deal with Sony/BMG. Their eighth studio album, "The Love Album", consists all of covers of love songs.

The first single from "The Love Album" was a cover version of Bette Midler's classic 'The Rose', which became their 14th UK number one single. This made Westlife the third act (along with Cliff Richard) in the UK chart history to have most number one singles, only behind Elvis Presley (21, 18 of them different songs) and The Beatles (17). Plans for the release of Total Eclipse of the Heart and that a video were being made were scrapped. In February, the band announced that they would no longer be releasing Bonnie Tyler's song 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', produced by Jim Steinman, nor any other singles from the album.

Westlife kicked off their eight tour called "The Love Tour" on 21 February 2007 in Perth, Australia. The tour took in other cities in Australia, before moving on to South Africa, the UK and Ireland, ending in Dublin on 3 May. The band played its last major concert of 2007 at Carlisle (Carlisle Live featuring Westlife and supporting guests) on Sunday 12 August at Bitts Park in Carlisle, England.

"Back Home"
Westlife's 9th studio album Back Home was released Monday, 5 November 2007 and contains nine new and original songs and three cover songs as the band has spent recent weeks in the studio working with producers including Steve Mac, Quiz Larossi, Jorgen Elofsson and Maratone. The album debuted at number 1 on the UK Music Charts. The Official UK Top 75 albums (BBC Radio 1 - Chart Show - The UK Top 40 Albums)

On 29 October 2007, Westlife released the first single from the album, a cover of 'Home' by Michael Bublé. Fans expected it to be their 15th UK No 1 yet it only debuted at number 3. (BBC Radio 1 - The UK Top 40 Singles) They were beaten by Leona Lewis on her second week at number 1 and Take That's two week old single 'Rule the World', selling just 48,000 units. (Westlife: Pop's not dead!) video interview with stv.tv

"Westlife": Approaching 10 Years
Despite celebrating 10 years in the business next year Westlife are determined that they will not split up. They are planning to take a year out of the spotlight following their January 2008 Back Home Tour. Fans began to panic over news the guys are taking a year long break after their upcoming tour. 'The fans are all not sure because that's what Boyzone said and whatever but we're just going to take a lot longer to make this 10th album,' he confirmed. 'This is a big tour coming up and then we're actually taking a year off after that. It's a big one for us and a big one for the fans. So it's not like we're taking a year off- we're taking a year away from releasing an album in November because we've done the nine albums in nine years.? while talking to Female First.co.uk (Female First.co.uk interview)

On 2 November 2007, Westlife announced they will play Croke Park in Dublin (Ten Years of Westlife Concert) on 1 June 2008 during an interview on Irish TV show The Late Late Show. Croke Park is the fourth biggest stadium in Europe which holds over 100,000 people making the concert Westlife's biggest performance to date. Kian described the tour to be a "pop extravaganza". Shane confirmed that the band will not release a new album in 2008 but they will release a tour DVD.

Duets
Westlife have performed duets with some of the biggest names of the music industry, including Mariah Carey, Donny Osmond, Lulu, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Christian Castro, Ronan Keating and more recently Delta Goodrem. Claudia Schiffer and Vinnie Jones have also starred in their music videos. Westlife also collaborated with Asian-music sensation BoA with the song 'Flying Without Wings', which would appear on her mini-album, "Shine We Are!".

The US market
Westlife have not managed to truly break the United States market. Their debut single and music video 'Swear It Again' was released in the US in 2000 and was a moderate hit on mainstream radio and MTV, reaching #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being shown briefly on MTV's "Total Request Live". Their debut American album was also released in 2000, but they have not yet released another album in the USA. In 2002, an attempt to promote and release an American version of Westlife's 'World Of Our Own' album was cut short due to the sharp decline in the popularity of boy-bands and pop music that year in the US, as the two most prominent boy bands in the US, Backstreet Boys and N' Sync, took breaks. The Westlife hit song 'Flying Without Wings' peaked at #10 in the US when "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard released it after winning season 2 of the show. They have stated in interviews that they were disappointed when they heard he released the song in the US because that song was such a huge hit in the UK and they were planning on eventually bringing that song to American audiences. In 2003 they went to Nashville to film a TV documentary and recorded a song originally performed by country music legend Kenny Rogers, 'Daytime Friends', which won them much praise.

Personal lives
The members of Westlife appear to have successfully juggled their careers and their private lives:

Nicky Byrne married his childhood sweetheart on August 11 2003: Georgina Ahern, daughter of the Irish Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. Georgina gave birth to fraternal twin sons Rocco Bertie and Jay Nicholas on 20 April 2007.

Kian Egan is currently dating ex-member of Girl Thing and former Hollyoaks actress Jodi Albert. They have opened their own juice bar in Sligo, known as the Monkey Tree.

Shane Filan married Gillian Walsh, Kian Egan's cousin, on 28 December 2003, and he became a father in 2005, when Gillian gave birth to Nicole Rose on 23 July.

Mark Feehily publicly announced he is gay in the UK tabloid The Sun, on 19 August 2005. He also noted his long-term relationship with Kevin McDaid (of now defunct boy band 'V'). Feehily later told Gay.com UK, 'I am gay, and I'm very proud of who I am.'

Tours
Where Dreams Come True Tour 2001

World Of Our Own Tour 2002

The Greatest Hits Tour 2003

Turnaround Tour 2004

No1's Tour 2005

Face to Face Tour 2006

The Love Tour 2007

Back Home Tour 2008



 

The Official Westlife Site has a new page for the lads' biography with quotes of them and interesting content.

Biography

In the last few years of their success, Westlife have refused to follow the toe-path of the regulation boyband. “Are we even a boyband anymore? I have absolutely no idea,” says Nicky Byrne, with disarming candour. Tradition has it that after the first five years, absolute maximum, the boyband must by default implode to make way for the new model. With Westlife, there simply hasn’t been a new model to outshine them. On the straight up British pop roster, Westlife have existed since before SClub7, B*Witched, Blue, Girls Aloud, Atomic Kitten, Busted, Misteeq, McFly, Liberty X and all the countless other record company follies that have disappeared without trace. Of those that they haven’t already outlived, you could put a pretty safe fiver on the rest bowing out before they. As a functioning, multi-purpose, thoroughbred pop operation, they are now twice as old as Take That were when they split for the first time and three times as old as Wham! were when they went forever.

One of the reasons for this is their unnerving agility and ability in rendering music that cuts straight to the primary core of a largely forgotten pop audience. Tuneful, melodic, simply structured music that doesn’t stray from the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-middle eight-chorus recipe of timeless tunes. But the other is because they are four distinct individuals who come together and make something that is whole.

Another reason is that the four boys cannot help but be themselves. People like that. Sometimes talking with Westlife is like talking to four kindred spirits who have bungled their through becoming the third biggest selling act in the British Isles, ever (pipped only by The Beatles and U2). Sometimes it is like talking with four squaddies on a night off down the boozer. Sometimes it is like talking to a naughty classroom, particularly when Mark Feehily gets onto the subject of one particular Spice Girl. Always it is like talking to a bunch of best friends. And just occasionally that memory comes back to you, amidst their tireless Irish banter, that even after almost a decade at it, these boys are four of the most popular pop stars Britain’s ever seen. Now take that.

So who are Westlife? Their success is not in question. Despite a rampaging media campaign against their favour at Christmastime last year, they managed to trounce the competition in a four way battle of album releases between themselves, U2, The Beatles and Oasis. Three of these bands were presenting bullet-proof, failsafe, platinum plated greatest hits packages. Westlife were the only ones that weren’t, with their sweetly rendered covers set, The Love Album. They could’ve waited until the more appropriately Valentine’s Day release, but after their enormous tenure at the top of the business, they have a formidable lack of fear of playing with the big game. They’re not cocky, like. But they are a force of British musical nature. And, frankly, they won.

In some ways the Westlife tale is one of simple, old fashioned camaraderie. Allow Nicky to take up the story:

“Even though we’ve looked at other bands that are similar to us, we’ve looked at bands like the Rolling Stones and U2, bands of men that have stood by one another over a long period of time. Those boys have been in dressing rooms and on tour with one another for so long that they know each other inside out and upside down. If there was a hidden agenda with anyone in Westlife then we’d all know about it. Nobody’s after the solo deal. Everyone has the band’s interest at heart first. We always said that we wanted to be the ones to change and break the mould. We had our rocky times, don’t get me wrong, when it might’ve happened, particularly when Bryan went, but we regrouped, stuck together and made a great album that got us out of the ****, effectively. Amongst ourselves and with a band like ours it’s always from the inside out. Internally these things can break easily and as soon as the cracks show on the inside inevitably they’ll show on the outside. You can never really say you haven’t had a fight if you have because your audience will spot that you’re lying.”

Kian puts it more simply: “I think that the success is very different to the reason that we’re still here today. I think that we’ve been very lucky to have people around us to pick out great pop songs when there seems to be none around. The reason we are still around is a very simple reason: communication. We have no holds barred honesty. There’s no bullshit. In Westlife you say what you feel and you don’t hold back.”

In their enduring tenure at the top of the pop tree, Westlife have earned themselves the right to a few months off every year. It’s a sort of payback time, if you like, for the years they put in at the beginning when they would get a week per annum off and squeeze in things like hernia operations into it.

Mark is circumspect about the reasons for this. “I bought a house a couple of years ago and I was doing a lot of renovating. In Sligo. I live out in the countryside. I like getting away from the madness and the pace of when you’re in the band. I think that every time I go home for a long time I remember how easy it is to get caught up in the madness and the lifestyle that is being in Westlife. Its important to step back from it and let it go for a while. The greed of the business can constantly pull you down. It’s nice to get home and to remind yourself of the things that are very important in life. That’s something that I go through every time we have a big break. It doesn’t hurt anyone to take a bit of time out. You come back a stronger person.”

And it would seem, a stronger band. The four counterpoints of Westlife have had their varying shares of thrills and spills in the time that they had apart from one another this year. Nicky has had twins (“the most breathtaking experience a man can go through”). Shane has watched his two year old daughter turning into a little person (“amazing”) and lowered his golf handicap (“almost as amazing”). Kian has bought a new house near his girlfriend Jodi’s family just outside London, opened a Juice Bar called the Tree in his surfing paradise hometown of Sligo, “and generally acted like a bit of a bum down the pub”. Mark has renovated the house he shares with partner, Kevin, in County Sligo. All things considered, it is no wonder they have opted for the title Back Home for their new collection of songs.

They are righteously proud of the new set. The record label – now as famous as the boys itself given the phenomenal success of MD Simon Cowell on X Factor and American Idol, and Louis Walsh on the former (they do a mean impression of him on telly, too, and offer him belated wardrobe advice on a weekly basis) – wanted another covers set. But the boys stood strong. They all think it’s their best yet. “It’s very Westlife,” says Shane, righteously and unapologetically, “but Westlife needed to step into 2007.” To this end, and under the boys own instruction, new producers have been brought in, the sound reconfigured and the suits and stools gone for the time being. “But it’s pop music. It’s not pop electro or pop rock,” adds Mark, “we know what Westlife is and we love that thing.”

There’s no arguing with that really, is there?

last updated: 02.11.2007

 

Boyband Westlife are as successful as the Beatles in terms of number ones on the trot ! ( Seven at the latest count ) Westlife are Irelands biggest export. The darlings of teens and Grandmas alike !

Westlife have released eleven singles. Ten of them, including their most recent (World Of Our Own, rocketed to UK Number 1. Seven of these hitting the top spot consecutively, thus impacting the Guinness Book of Records for the greatest Number 1 singles, in a row.

Westlife were named Best UK & Ireland Act by MTV in November '99, and were voted Best Pop Act at The Brit Awards 2001. They were the triumphant winners of ITV's Record Of The Year in '99 and 2000 with Flying Without Wings and My Love. In an industry awash with accolades, these are the biggest - the ones everyone wants to win. This remarkable critical success is mirrored by an unprecedented impact on the music-loving, record buying public. To date, Westlife have sold more than twelve million albums world-wide, including a whopping 2 million plus copies of Coast To Coast in the UK alone. That's seven times platinum. This success has been repeated in 25 countries with an astonishing total of 52 platinum awards, From South Africa to Asia, from the Middle East to Australasia. With a huge and rapidly expanding global fanbase, projected sales for the band's third album look set reach an outrageous 10 million. Westlife are no longer a pop band. They're a veritable cultural phenomenon. Here's more. In 2001, Westlife's debut tour became the biggest-selling arena extravaganza to date. There were eleven adrenaline-packed, sold-out nights at Dublin's The Point - a record. 57 back to back dates snaking across the UK & Ireland - never seen before. In total, Westlife got one million bums on seats at 80 sold-out shows across three continents. Or remarkably, they got one million bums off seats, and up, dancing. Imagine the impact to be made, then, when the band's Kian Egan asserts "The quality of these songs is better than the last two albums put together".

It's time to listen again. Brand new album World Of Our Own was recorded in Rokstone Studios, London, Cheiron Studios, Sweden and Windmill Lane, Dublin. It is a third collaboration between Westlife and the writing/production teams of Steve Mac/ Wayne Hector and Cheiron, cementing already solid-gold partnerships. Says Bryan McFadden, "The vibe when we were recording was really positive, our relationship with our producers is so strong". Writing credits on World Of Our Own sit evenly between the writing/producing partnerships of Mac/Hector, who have written many of Westlife's epic ballads, and surpassed themselves this time round with To Be Loved and Drive (For All Time), and long-time collaborators Cheiron (providing up-tempo tunes to Why Do I Love You? and Worldwide Number 1 When You're Looking Like That to rival Britney & N Sync). This time round, Westlife themselves have taken a larger share of the writing duties. Five tracks (Bop Bop Baby, When You Come Around, Don't Say It's Too Late, Don't Let Me Go?, Love Crime) are Westlife co-writes, two (I Wanna Grow Old With You and Imaginary Diva) are 100% Westlife compositions. "We're very proud of our input", says Shane Filan. Noteworthy here is the breadth of styles included. Beside the big ballads For All Time, Evergreen and I Want To Grow Old With You (classic ageless pop from Shane, Bryan and Kian), sit up-tempo nuggets of gold. Say hello to the title track then, a syncopated 'having a laugh' treat if ever there was one, and to the acoustic pop-rock of Bop Bop Baby, Bryan and Shane's left-hook and sure smash with the fans. "We wanted something simple that will go round your head forever" says Shane.


Also tucked in unexpectedly is a rendition of Sarah McLachlan's Angel - a startling study in voice and emotion, unfeasibly simple, and gut-achingly good. Says Shane "We were all surprised just how well it turned out. A favourite, for sure". Just one other cover is included - Westlife's ninth single, released in March 2001. Uptown Girl, written by Billy Joel and spearheading the 2001 Comic relief campaign, sold a staggering one million copies, making their most recent single the biggest to date for both the charity and the band. Westlife's chart history to date runs thus: There are eight UK Number 1 singles. Five from the eponymous album Westlife, which debuted at Number 2, namely Swear It Again (March 99), If I Let You Go ( Aug 99) and Flying Without Wings (October that year); even a Christmas and Millennium celebration, the double a-sided I Have A Dream/ Seasons In The Sun and Fool Again (April 2000). Phew. From their Number 1 album, Coast to Coast, came more; Against All Odds (featuring Mariah Carey) (September 2000), then the anthemic My Love (Nov 2000). Shock-horror! Tell Me What Makes A Man stopped at Christmas Number 2 (drat that Bob The Builder!), before Westlife calmly claimed the hugest hit of their career to date, Uptown Girl. Following a seven month chart break Westlife returned with the soar-away style of second single Queen Of My Heart, representing a new kite mark in classic song-smithery. It's a Rod Stewart meets Wings landscape of sound - a slow-building, big-chorused, bagpipe-wielding gauntlet thrown down all comers. We all win. Since then, the album's title track has also made number 1, with Bop Bop Baby the next single due to assault the charts again. All this, certainly is a far cry from the early days - and yet - it was that learning curve which shaped the lads - even if it could not better the glorious voices provided to them at birth. At the start, there were three IOU bandmates in Sligo (Shane, Mark and Kian) and two Dubliners, picked from later auditions (Nicky and Bryan). Westlife were signed to RCA by A&R supremo Simon Cowell, and are represented by Ireland's midas touch music manager, Louis Walsh. He's the man behind Boyzone and a certain Ms Mumba. Individually, there's Bryan McFadden, ex stage school kid and brand new dad to Molly, and Kian - businessman, former rocker and the one of many musicians in his proud little clan Egan. There's Mark Feehily, once oh so quiet but with a voice like molten gold, and Nicky Byrne, footballer, charmer, general wit and raconteur. Finally, of course, there's Shane Filan, who loves his galloping horses, and the sportscars he drives in, so fast. Singing together, Westlife are five talented lads with five remarkable voices, but know this - their jokey style and easy down-to-earth manner belie their superstar status. They swear they'll always be that way. Remember, releasing an album is an adventure. From here on in, five Irish lads will explore new musical lands. Expect to see them on your TV; in your city and country. Why not invite new songs into your hearts? Cos wherever you are, be it North, South, East ...you?ll hear Westlife. Be part of World Of Our Own