Mark Feehily



Name: Markus Michael Patrick Feehily
Date of Birth: 28/05/1980
Eye Colour: Blue
Zodiac sign: Gemini
Siblings: 2 (Youger Brothers Colin and Barry)
Family: fiancé Cailean O'Neill Child: Layla

Markus Michael Patrick Feehily, born on May 28, 1980, is an Irish singer best known as a member of the pop vocal group Westlife. Westlife has released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours, and won numerous awards, establishing themselves as one of the most successful musical groups of all time. With 15 number-one hits, Feehily stands as the highest-charting LGBT performer on the UK Singles Chart.

Career
1998–2012: Six as One, IOYou, Westlife


Credits: Irish Independent
Mark Feehily rose to fame as a member of the boy band Westlife. Before Westlife, Feehily, along with Shane Filan and Kian Egan, was part of the self-formed six-member Sligo-based boy band IOYOU, previously known as Six As One. The band released the single "Together Girl Forever" and songs "Everlasting Love" and "Good Thing." Louis Walsh, the manager of Boyzone, was contacted by Filan's mother and learned about the group. The final line-up, established on July 3, 1998, consisted of Feehily, Filan, and Egan from the original line-up, and Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden, who auditioned from Dublin. Boyzone singer Ronan Keating was brought in to co-manage the group with Walsh, taking on an advisory role.


Feehily has co-written several songs, including some with his band members. He has expressed to The Boston Globe his embarrassment over Westlife's Rat Pack-tribute album, ...Allow Us to Be Frank, blaming the label for forcing them to record it after Robbie Williams' success with similar music. He described this period as a "weird time" in Westlife's career. Despite this, he has referred to his role in Westlife as "the best job in the world."

2015–2018: Solo career


Credits: Official Charts
In addition to releasing music with Westlife, Mark Feehily has also pursued a solo career under the name "Markus Feehily." In February 2015, he launched his solo career with the radio premiere of his debut single, "Love Is a Drug," on RTÉ 2fm in Ireland. The track premiered online the next day via Wonderland Magazine and was made available for pre-order on iTunes shortly after. The official video for the single was launched on his Vevo channel two weeks later, and the song was officially released on April 19, 2015.


Feehily released his debut solo studio album, Fire, on October 16, 2015, featuring singles such as "Love Is a Drug" and "Butterfly." He has also served as a supporting act for Wet Wet Wet and Mariah Carey. In 2017, he was invited by Russell Crowe to perform at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin during the "Dublin Indoor Garden Party gig." He sang "Love Was My Alibi," a song written by Crowe and Carl Falk for the film The Water Diviner, which Crowe directed and starred in, accompanied by Alan Doyle and Falk.

Credits: Mark Feehily

On December 1, 2017, Feehily released his second album, Christmas, which features the track "River," a rendition of the song by Joni Mitchell.


2018–present: Westlife reunion with new music, concert tour and The Masked Singer


Credits: Extra.ie
In October 2018, Westlife announced their reunion as a four-member group with a video posted on their official social media platforms. In 2019, the group headlined "The 20 Tour," celebrating Westlife's 20th anniversary since their formation and the release of their first single, "Swear It Again," in 1999. Alongside the tour, Westlife also released new music. Their first single from the upcoming album, "Hello My Love," debuted on the Graham Norton Show on January 10 and 11, 2019.


In 2022, Mark Feehily appeared on the third season of The Masked Singer as "Robobunny." He reached the finals and finished in third place.

Credits: The Mirror

Feehily also performed in a one-night concert version of the musical The Secret Garden as Neville Craven. The production took place at the London Palladium on August 28, 2022, where he starred opposite acclaimed West End actor Hadley Fraser, who played his brother Archibald Craven.


Songwriting

Feehily has co-written several songs for Westlife, as well as all fifteen tracks on his debut solo album and numerous unreleased songs.

In 2020, he announced on social media that he and Shane Filan co-wrote the new single "One of a Kind" for Emeli Sandé and Ronan Keating.


Personal life


Credits: Mark Feehily
Mark Feehily was born in Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland, to parents Marie (née Verdon) and Oliver Feehily. He has two younger brothers and many cousins. Feehily has often expressed his love for Sligo's picturesque and artistic environment, which he credits as a significant inspiration for his musical aspirations. As a child, singing and playing the tin whistle were important parts of his life. His favorite singer has always been Mariah Carey, with whom Westlife collaborated on "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)." During his teenage years, he also enjoyed playing tennis and football.

Credits: Mariah Carey Archives

In August 2005, Feehily publicly came out as gay during an interview with the British tabloid The Sun. He had recognized his sexual orientation at the age of 14 or 15. His family, bandmates, and close friends were aware of his sexual orientation, but Westlife's manager Louis Walsh was initially unaware. As the only openly gay member of Westlife, Feehily had kept his personal life private, although he had dated women before coming out. In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Feehily mentioned that despite the majority of Westlife's fans being female, there was no negative reaction to his coming out.


During the interview with The Sun, Feehily also announced his romantic relationship with British fashion photographer Kevin McDaid, a former member of the boy band V. The couple, who lived together, had been dating since January 2005 after meeting at a Cheerios Childline Concert in Ireland. Feehily expressed that while he did not intend to get married immediately, he was happy to know he could form a civil partnership in Britain due to the recent passing of the Civil Partnership Act. In December 2007, Feehily and McDaid appeared on the cover of Attitude magazine. The couple became engaged in February 2010 but announced their split on December 31, 2011, via Feehily's Twitter account.

Credits: The Mirror

Feehily is actively involved in charity work and supports the charity group Aware. In 2011, he was shortlisted as one of the top 50 most influential gay individuals. He also congratulated his local football club, Sligo Rovers, on their victory in the 2011 FAI Cup Final.

On February 22, 2019, Feehily announced his engagement to Cailean O'Neill through his Instagram account during their holiday on Hurawalhi Island in the Maldives. On October 3, Feehily and O'Neill announced the birth of their daughter, Layla, via surrogacy.

Credits: Goss.ie