Westlife is an Irish pop group that originated in Dublin in 1998. The band includes Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was also a member until his departure in 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 after 14 years but reunited in 2018.
In Ireland, Westlife has achieved 11 number-one albums, 16 number-one singles, and 34 top-fifty singles. They have sold over 55 million records worldwide and hold four Guinness World Records. Their accolades include one World Music Award, two Brit Awards, four MTV Awards, and four Record of the Year Awards.
The band has released twelve studio albums: four as a five-member group and eight as a four-member group. They gained fame with their debut self-titled album, Westlife (1999), followed by Coast to Coast (2000), World of Our Own (2001), and Turnaround (2003). After McFadden left, they released the cover albums ...Allow Us to Be Frank (2004) and The Love Album (2006), as well as the albums Face to Face (2005), Back Home (2007), Where We Are (2009), and Gravity (2010). They then took an eight-year hiatus.
After reuniting in 2018, Westlife released the studio albums Spectrum (2019) and Wild Dreams (2021).
>>History<< Formation and early years (1997–1998) Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan, who were schoolmates at Summerhill College in Sligo, Ireland, participated in a school production of "Grease" alongside fellow Sligo natives Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron, and Michael Garrett. In 1997, the sextet formed a pop vocal group called Six as One, which was later renamed IOYOU. The group, managed by choreographer Mary McDonagh and two other informal managers, released a single titled "Together Girl Forever" under Sound Records. McDonagh first encountered Egan as a six-year-old student in her weekly dance classes and later got to know Filan and Feehily during their early teens when they starred in shows such as "Oliver!" and "Godspell" for Sligo Fun Company. Credits to the Original Owner
Louis Walsh, the manager of the Irish boy band Boyzone, learned about the group after Filan's mother, Mae, contacted him. However, the group failed to secure a record deal with BMG and Simon Cowell. Cowell told Walsh, "You are going to have to fire at least three of them. They have great voices, but they are the ugliest band I have ever seen in my life." Consequently, Lacey, Keighron, and Garrett were told they would not be part of the new group, and auditions were held in Dublin, where Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden were recruited.
The new group, formed on July 3, 1998, was originally named Westside, but since another band was already using that name, they were renamed Westlife. They signed a £4 million record deal with RCA Records. Westlife's first big break came in 1998 when they opened for Boyzone and Backstreet Boys' concerts in Dublin. Boyzone singer Ronan Keating was brought in to co-manage the group with Louis Walsh. Their first live television performance as a group was on the Irish TV series "The Late Late Show," broadcast on November 13, 1998, where they performed "Flying Without Wings."
Westlife, Coast to Coast and World of Our Own (1999–2001) Credits: Mary Evans In April 1999, Westlife released their debut single, "Swear It Again," which immediately topped the charts in both Ireland and the UK for two weeks. It was the highest-selling debut single by a new artist during its first week. Their second single, "If I Let You Go," was released in August 1999 and made them the first boy band to achieve number one with their first two singles. Their third single, "Flying Without Wings," also became their first 'Record of the Year' and their third number one single, released in October of the same year. "Flying Without Wings" was also featured on the soundtrack of the Warner Brothers film, Pokémon: The Movie 2000. Their debut album, simply titled Westlife, was released in November 1999 and reached number two in the UK and number one in Ireland. The album made history on the Top 40 UK music charts when it jumped from number 79 to number 3 in its 58th week, before falling to number 37 the following week. In Scotland, the album debuted at number six in 1999 and later peaked at number one in 2001. Credits: Getty Images
In December 1999, a fourth single was released, the double A-side "I Have A Dream"/"Seasons in the Sun." It became the 1999 UK Christmas number-one single and their fourth number one single. Westlife is one of only five acts to achieve four number-one singles in the UK Singles Chart in one calendar year. The fifth and final single from the album, "Fool Again," also peaked at number one. This made them the only male band to have every single release from an album reach number one in the UK. Subsequently, Westlife signed with Arista Records for the North American release of their debut. "Swear It Again" peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. On July 1, 2000, they were honored as Freemen of the Borough of Sligo.
Their second album, Coast to Coast, was released a year later and became their first number one UK album, surpassing the Spice Girls' Forever album by a significant margin; the chart battle was widely covered by British media. It became the fourth biggest-selling album of 2000 in the country. This was their second number one album in Ireland. The album was preceded by the duet with Mariah Carey, "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)," and the original song "My Love," which earned them their second Record of the Year award. Both singles reached number one on the UK charts, marking their sixth and seventh number one singles respectively. With this, Westlife broke the record for the most consecutive number one singles in the UK with their first seven singles. However, in December 2000, their eighth single, "What Makes a Man," debuted at number two, breaking their streak of consecutive number ones. The single "My Love" was controversially used by the Central Intelligence Agency as part of a torture program in Afghanistan. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, "the music pounded constantly as part of a scheme to assault prisoners' senses."
Outside the UK and Ireland, they achieved chart success with "I Lay My Love on You" and "When You're Looking Like That." They were included in the top ten earners list of all acts in the UK and Ireland and sold over 2.5 million units in the Asia Pacific region. In February 2001, they began their first world tour, "Where Dreams Come True Tour." A recording of a concert from the tour live from Dublin was released on November 19, 2001.
On November 12, 2001, Westlife released their third album, World of Our Own, which peaked at number one in the UK and Ireland. "Uptown Girl" (their first single to be on the List of million-selling singles in the United Kingdom), "Queen of My Heart," and "World of Our Own" were released as singles, all of which peaked at number one in the UK. "Bop Bop Baby" was also released as a single and peaked at number five in the UK. In 2002, Westlife embarked on their second world tour, the World of Our Own Tour. By the end of the year, IRMA awarded the band for selling 1 million units in Ireland. The group sold more than 12 million records in just three years.
Unbreakable, Turnaround, and McFadden's departure (2002–2004) Westlife released their eleventh UK number-one single, "Unbreakable," in 2002. Amidst rumors of a split, they released their first greatest hits album, titled Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1, in November of the same year, which peaked at number one in the UK and Ireland. During this time, Westlife achieved a Guinness World Record for the most public appearances by a pop group within 36 hours. The band made stops in five different cities (Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, London, and Manchester) to promote their new album. The release was followed by the double A-side single "Tonight"/"Miss You Nights," which debuted at number three in the UK and number one in Ireland. Following this release, the group premiered a TV documentary titled "Wild Westlife," directed by Iain MacDonald, showcasing their daily life as musicians and their tour experiences. It was aired on BBC Choice. In 2003, Westlife embarked on their third world tour, the Unbreakable Tour, and a recording of a concert from the tour in Manchester was released in November 2003.
In September 2003, Westlife released "Hey Whatever," which peaked at number four in the UK. Their fourth studio album, Turnaround, was released in November 2003, earning the group another number one album in the UK and Ireland. The single "Mandy," released a week before the album, became the band's twelfth number one single and won them their third Record of the Year award. "Mandy" holds the record for the longest leap to the top position in UK music history, jumping from number 200 to number one. The final single from the album, "Obvious," charted at number three.
On March 9, 2004, just three weeks before their fourth world tour, McFadden left the group, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. McFadden's final public performance as part of Westlife was at Newcastle upon Tyne's Powerhouse nightclub on February 27, 2004. He subsequently began a solo career and reverted the spelling of his first name back to "Brian."
Less than a month after McFadden's departure, the group began their Turnaround Tour. A recording of a concert from the Turnaround Tour, live from Stockholm, Sweden, was released in November 2004.
Face to Face, Back Home, and cover albums (2004–2008) In September 2004, Westlife performed at the World Music Awards, where they were recognized as the Best Irish Act of the year. They then released their fifth album, a Rat Pack-inspired collection titled ...Allow Us to Be Frank, which peaked at number 3. Although no singles from the album were released in the UK, the track "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" had a music video and was released as a physical single in other European countries. Music videos were also produced for "Smile" and "Fly Me to the Moon." Before releasing ...Allow Us to Be Frank, Westlife scouted for "the perfect fan" to help promote the album. After holding X Factor-style auditions, they selected Joanne Hindley to record "The Way You Look Tonight" with the group. This process was documented in a television program called She's The One, presented by Kate Thornton. In early 2005, Westlife embarked on "The Number Ones Tour," with a live recording from Sheffield released in November 2005.
In October 2005, Westlife released the single "You Raise Me Up," which became their thirteenth number one single. It was part of their sixth album, Face to Face, which also peaked at number one in the UK. "You Raise Me Up" was awarded their fourth Record of the Year in the UK. In December 2005, they released "When You Tell Me That You Love Me," a duet with Diana Ross, as the second single, which debuted and peaked at number two. The third single from the album, "Amazing," peaked at number four. Westlife embarked on the "Face to Face Tour," extensively touring the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Asia, performing 32 shows with a total attendance of 238,718. A live recording from Wembley Arena was released in November 2006.
In late 2006, Westlife signed a new five-album deal with Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Their seventh album, The Love Album, was a concept album consisting of popular love song covers, debuting at number one in both the UK and Ireland. It was the top-selling album of 2006 in Ireland. The only single from The Love Album, "The Rose," became their fourteenth UK number one single. Westlife kicked off their eighth world tour, "The Love Tour," in Perth, Australia, then continued to other Australian cities before moving on to South Africa, the UK, and Ireland. The tour grossed £1,031,033.
On November 5, 2007, Westlife released their eighth album, Back Home, containing nine new original songs and three cover songs. The album debuted at number one in the UK and Ireland and was the fifth biggest-selling album of 2007 in the UK. The first single from the album, "Home," peaked at number three in the UK. "Us Against the World" was released as the second single, and "Something Right" became the third single in Europe and the Asia Pacific region. On December 15, 2007, they premiered a two-hour show called The Westlife Show, hosted by Holly Willoughby, where they performed 10 of their songs. They embarked on the Back Home Tour on February 25, 2008, marking their first performances in New Zealand with four sold-out shows in Auckland, Wellington, New Plymouth, and Christchurch. Westlife was the seventh top touring act of 2008.
10th anniversary, Where We Are, and Gravity (2008–2010) Credits: Croke Park To mark their tenth year in music, Westlife staged the sold-out concert "10 Years of Westlife" at Croke Park on June 1, 2008. The group announced that they would be going on hiatus for a year after their Back Home Tour. "10 Years of Westlife – Live at Croke Park Stadium" was released on November 24, 2008, and immediately went to number one on the music DVD charts in the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. On December 13, 2008, while on hiatus, Westlife made a surprise appearance during that year's X Factor final, performing "Flying Without Wings" with runners-up JLS. In the last week of January 2009, a DVD titled "The Karaoke Collection" was released. On March 18, 2009, Westlife won the Best Irish Pop Act at the 2009 Meteor Awards for the ninth consecutive time.
Their tenth album, "Where We Are," was released on November 30, 2009, in the UK and peaked at number two on both the Irish and UK Albums Charts. The lead single, "What About Now," was released on October 23, 2009, and peaked at number two on both the Irish and UK Singles Charts. The tour in support of this album was called "The Where We Are Tour." A recording of a concert from the tour, live from London, was released in November 2010. They participated in the Haiti charity single in early 2010 with "Everybody Hurts," organized by Simon Cowell. The single peaked at number one on both the Irish and UK Singles Charts. That year, the Guinness Book of World Records announced that Westlife was the top-selling album group of the 21st century, with 10.74 million albums sold in the UK alone.
On November 14, 2010, the single "Safe" was released. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart on November 21 at number ten. The album "Gravity" was released on November 22, 2010, entirely produced by John Shanks. The album went to number one in Ireland and number three in the UK. This was their ninth number-one album in Ireland, making Westlife one of the few musical acts to have number-one albums in three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s) in their home country. Credits: Westlife
Greatest Hits and split (2011–2012) In March 2011, Westlife began their eleventh major concert tour, the Gravity Tour. This tour marked the first time the group traveled to Oman, Namibia, Guangzhou, and Vietnam for concerts. As of 2011, they were the longest-reigning band and the second longest-reigning number one music act in the 21st century in the UK. On March 14, 2011, Westlife confirmed that they had left Simon Cowell after 13 years and his record label Syco Music after nine years. Byrne commented on Cowell, stating, "he got so busy [...] and we needed someone who was on it all the time." Credits: ITV
After returning to RCA Records full-time for a one-year album contract, they announced that their Greatest Hits album would be released on November 21, 2011. It debuted at number one in Ireland and number four in the UK. The first single, "Lighthouse," was released in November 2011, followed by the promotional single "Beautiful World" in the same month. The Greatest Hits Tour was announced on October 18, 2011, with UK dates confirmed for May 2012. Stereoboard reported that the tour sold out within minutes. The farewell tour included eight dates in China and 33 in the UK and Ireland, with a total of 489,694 tickets sold. On October 19, 2011, Westlife officially announced their split following the tour.
ITV commissioned a one-off music event titled Westlife: For the Last Time. Another show, The Westlife Show: Live, was broadcast on November 1, 2011. Following this, they appeared as guests on The Late Late Show. They were honored by the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) with four specially commissioned bar stools to mark their 49 performances at the venue for over 380,000 fans, selling more tickets than any other act. The band held their final concert on June 23, 2012, at Croke Park Stadium in Ireland. The 82,300 capacity show sold out in four minutes. Due to popular demand, an extra date was added at Croke Park on June 22, 2012, which also sold out. Combined, a total of 187,808 spectators attended both nights, exceeding the stadium's capacity. Their last concert was screened live in more than 300 cinemas in the United Kingdom and 200 cinemas worldwide. They released a DVD of the show, which reached number one on both the UK and Irish charts. That year, they were the 34th top-grossing tour act with earnings of $35.2 million (€27 million). Following the split, all four members released albums and singles individually.
On September 23, 2018, it was reported that the group had signed with Universal Music Group for a new five-year album and tour deal with Virgin EMI Records. On October 3, 2018, the group officially announced that they were working on new music. McFadden was not involved in the reformation, stating in an interview with Closer Magazine, "I only met the guys when I joined the band and have no regrets about leaving." On December 19, 2018, Egan and Feehily posted a picture of the group's first rehearsals together in six years.
Credits: Westlife "Hello My Love," their first single since 2011, was released on January 10, 2019. Their first UK performance in seven years and of the single was on The Graham Norton Show on January 11, 2019. They also performed the single at the 24th National Television Awards on January 22, 2019. Their first Irish performance and television appearance together was on the final night of Dancing With the Stars Ireland on March 24, 2019. The single peaked at number 13 in the UK and reached number two in Ireland and Scotland. The single was certified Gold in the UK seven months after its release. In Ireland, it has achieved 2× Platinum certification.
Their eleventh studio album, Spectrum, was released on November 15, 2019. The album peaked at number one in Ireland, Scotland, and the UK. It was certified Gold in the UK and Platinum in Ireland. The second single from the album, "Better Man," reached number two on the UK Singles Sales Chart and the Scottish Singles Chart. The third single, "Dynamite," was released on July 5, 2019. The fourth single from the album, "My Blood," was released on October 25, 2019. "My Blood" peaked at number 96 on the UK Singles Chart and at number six on the Scottish Singles Chart. It also peaked at number 46 on the Irish Singles Chart.
Credits: Westlife On October 17, 2018, Westlife announced The Twenty Tour, stating: "Every country that wants to see Westlife will see us at some point. We won't step away from this until we've managed to tour the world." The second day of the tour at Croke Park had a live film broadcast in selected cinemas on July 6, 2019. This was released as a video album in different formats on March 13, 2020. It reached number one in the UK and Ireland and stayed at the top spot on their official charts for more than thirty weeks.
On September 13, 2019, they announced the Stadiums in the Summer Tour, which was scheduled to begin the following year. However, it was postponed until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wild Dreams (2021–current) Credits: Westlife On March 17, 2021, Westlife officially announced that they had signed a new album deal with Warner Music UK and East West Records. They performed at a BBC Radio 2 event at Ulster Hall, Belfast on August 25, 2021, which was broadcast on September 10, 2021. "Starlight," the lead single from their twelfth studio album, was released on October 14, 2021. The album, Wild Dreams, was released on November 26, 2021.
On October 29, 2021, a new schedule for their renamed fourteenth concert tour, The Wild Dreams Tour, was released, which included fourteen new dates and venues, with eight more dates added later. They announced that their Wembley Stadium performance would be streamed live in various cinemas across Europe. On December 17, 2021, a Westlife concert filmed at London’s Bush Hall Venue and broadcast by Tencent’s WeChat (Weixin) in China attracted an audience of almost 28 million viewers. They were special guest performers at the Backstreet Boys' livestream concert on the same platform on June 24, 2022.
On August 14, 2023, Westlife announced their first-ever tour dates in Canada and the United States. They performed in Toronto, Boston, New York City, and Chicago in March 2024. On April 12, Westlife announced the With Love Tour.
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