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| Nicky ready for a happy 2010 thanks to new arrivals |
30 December 2009: WESTLIFE star Nicky Byrne is confident that 2010 will be a better year for his family, as the Byrne clan welcome some new additions to the group.
The Dublin pop star, who lost his father Nikki suddenly to a heart attack last month, says he is hopeful that the arrival of his new niece, Robin, will help get the New Year off to a positive start.
Robin, the daughter of novelist Cecelia Ahern and David Keoghan, marks the first of two new cousins for Nicky's twin two-year-old boys, Rocco and Jay.
The singer's own sister, Geraldine, is also due to give birth in February, with Nicky counting down the minutes until he becomes a proud uncle once more.
The star and his wife, Georgina, hosted Christmas at their Malahide home this year, welcoming members of the Byrne and Ahern families.
"It was over to our house this year," he explained. "The two families got together, 12 of us in total.
"My sister is pregnant, she's due in February and huge congratulations to Cecelia and Dave on their new arrival," he added.
And it's not just Nicky who has something to celebrate, with bandmate Shane Filan to become a dad for the third time. His childhood sweetheart, Gillian, is due to give birth in February too.
| Source: Herald.ie
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| Merry Christmas |
23 December 2009: I would like to wish everyone a very merry christmas and a happy new year.
We have lots to look forward to in the new year – and the tour is going to be amazing. I am going to the opening night in Belfast and will be taking plenty of pictures to share with you all.
Hope everyone enjoys the festive season, whatever you are doing. ;o)
I will be back from my Christmas break in the new year.
Love,
| Shazzy x
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| 2000 the year that was |
23 December 2009: It was supposed to be the beginning of the end - the dawning of the year 2000 would cripple computer systems, buckle the stock markets and leave the developed world in disarray.
And so it was with a sense of anti-climax that January 1 passed without a hitch; fears of a Y2K technical Armageddon unfounded.
Ireland slipped quietly into the 21st century, our paths lit by the Millennium candles provided by Minister Seamus Brennan and handed out to every house in the country.
One group who could not have wished for a brighter start to the year was Westlife. The Irish boyband entered the history books as the first band of the Millennium to hold the No.1 single spot in Britain.
| Source: Herald.ie
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| Shane likes Desperate Housewives |
21 December 2009: Shane Filan has revealed his guilty TV secret - Desperate Housewives.
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The Westlife frontman admitted that he's a huge fan of the drama series, which stars Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria Parker, after being introduced to it by his wife Gillian Walsh.
"I have to admit I'm a big fan of Desperate Housewives - myself and my wife always watch it, it's a great programme," he said on GMTV.
"After two or three episodes, I was just glued to it," he added.
The 30-year-old Irish crooner - who is promoting the band's 10th album, Where We Are - joked that Sex And The City could be next on the list.
"One step at a time, Desperate Housewives first..." he quipped.
| Source: celebrity.uk.msn.com
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| Album Chart |
21 December 2009: Westlife’s Where We Are album falls one place to number eight in the official UK album chart. Susan Boyle retains the top spot.
| Source: bbc.co.uk
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| New Heart To Old Soul |
21 December 2009: After a year’s hiatus, Westlife - which has churned out 10 albums and 14 No.1 hits in the past decade - is back. PETRINA JO FERNANDEZ talks to one of its members, Shane Filan, to find out what makes it tick.
THEY rocked the ‘90s with their soulful crooning and it looks like they’re back with more.
Westlife, whose hits in the past decade include Flying Without Wings, World of Our Own, What Makes a Man and Fool Again, are returning to their pop roots in their latest album.
Featuring hit singles such as Shadows, What About Now and the album’s title track Where We Are, this latest production promises the band’s trademark ballads with a whole new rhythm.
Heartthrobs Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne make up the boyband. With 10 chart-topping albums and 14 No. 1 hits (trailing only Elvis Presley and the Beatles), Where We Are is the band’s testimony of their journey from boyhood to manhood.
All the way at home in Ireland, Shane spills the beans on Westlife’s new album and their incredible adventure so far.
QUESTION: What have you been up to recently?
SHANE FILAN: I’ve been home Westlife is returning to its pop roots. The last couple of days; took a few days off. My wife and I put up the Christmas tree with my kids, and it was a lot of fun. We put on Santa hats and sang Christmas songs. The kids are so excited. My little boy is just a year old but he can already say “Santa” even though he doesn’t know what it means. My daughter is four and she keeps asking me when Santa’s coming (laughs). It’s going to be a great Christmas.
Q: Westlife took a year off before coming out with Where We Are. What did you do?
SF: I had a holiday at home; we all did our own thing for the first time in nine years. My wife had a baby so it was a really busy year for me as a family man. Musically, it was great to sit and look back at how far we’ve come since we fi rst started out.
Q: What does Where We Are mean?
SF: It’s supposed to be ironic. We’re showing our fans where we are as a band, 11 years into our career.
Q: How is this different from your previous albums?
SF: I think it’s our best album to date. It’s strong pop music with an original sound that is purely Westlife. It’s powerful. We stayed away from covers this time - we wanted to capture the originality we had in our first couple of albums. As for the songs, they’re written by the best in the industry. We’ve got Ryan Tedder (who’s written songs for Leona Lewis and Beyonce), Steve Robson (James Morrison), Steve Booker (Duffy) and Sam Watters (Whitney Houston, Anastacia). They’re an incredibly talented bunch, and they’ve crafted amazing songs for us.
Q: Tell us about your hit single Shadows.
SF: It was co-written by A.J. Mclean from the Backstreet Boys. Shadows is a new direction for us, but it’s not too far from the type of sound we do. It’s just a really great love song.
Q: And your favourite track?
SF: Definitely Shadows. The vocals are the best. We pushed ourselves like never before with this song. You have to listen to it; it’s terrific.
Q: How have you grown both musically and as a band in the last 11 years?
SF: Well, our music has stayed pretty similar from when we first started out. I think that when you have a terrific sound and people like your music, it’s important not to change too much. So we’re staying close to what makes Westlife works. As a band, we’ve definitely become closer, especially after Bryan (McFadden) left the group.
Q: You once said that Where We Are is “phase two of Westlife’s story”. Can you elaborate?
SF: It’s our first album of our second decade together. We have to keep looking to the future to stay relevant - there will be more originality both in songs and music. It’s time for us to create new material, and we’re starting with Where We Are. As I mentioned earlier, this is the best album we’ve ever made. It reflects our journey this last decade. It’s not good - it’s great.
Q: Do you listen to your own songs?
SF: Of course! I listen to Where We Are in my car all the time now. In fact, my daughter loves this album. She’s a big fan of Westlife. She understands I’m in a band and that it’s me, Mark, Kian and Nicky singing on those albums. Every time she gets in the car now, she says “Put on daddy’s song!” She’s my biggest fan (laughs).
Q: Lastly, after more than a decade and 10 albums, how would you describe Westlife’s journey so far?
SF: It’s been absolutely amazing. We never thought we’d last this long or enjoy this much success. I mean, take the time we last toured Malaysia - there we were, a million miles away from home, and we had fans who gave us a terrific reception! It was unbelievable. The good news is, if things work out, we will be here on tour soon!
| Source: nst.com
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| Westlife take over GMTV - and Nicky Byrne does the weather |
18 December 2009: Westlife took over GMTV this morning- helpingpresenters Andrew Castle and Emma Crosby with the regular fashion, weather, film and TV reports.
As the Irish lads presented GMTV for an hour, Mark Feehily led a top-to-toe viewer makeover, and Nicky Byrne gave a helping hand with the snowy weather report.
Looking forward to the weekend’s top telly picks with Richard Arnold, Shane Filan admitted he’s addicted to Desperate Housewives.
He said: "I have to admit I’m a big fan of Desperate Housewives. Myself and my wife always watch it, it’s a great programme. After two or three episodes I was just glued to it."
The singer confessed Sex and the City could be next on his Christmas wish list, adding: "One step at a time, Desperate Housewives first!"
Kian Egan was also on hand to offer his review on the new Sherlock Holmes movie and Avatar.
Speaking about Guy Ritchie’s new movie, Kian said: "There a lot of big action scenes - it’s a really, really powerful movie.I think it’s going to be a big one."
| Source: mirror.co.uk
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| Westlife Newsletter |
18 December 2009: Sunday saw the crowning of the 2009 winner of The X Factor, Joe McElderry. To find out more about this year’s winner and to watch his brand new video just visit his official website - www.joe-music.com! The fight is on for Christmas number 1 and Mark and Kian asked us to pass a message on to you:
Mark: "Our little Joe is fantastic and we hope he gets the number one for Christmas! He's worked so hard and deserves this."
Kian: "It’s a shame to see so many people having a go against someone who is such a star, he deserves a number 1. He has just won the biggest talent contest in the world and there's no one more deserving for the Christmas number 1"
That's it from us for 2009. We'd like to wish you a very Happy Christmas, a brilliant new year and thank you again for all the support you've given Westlife this year. For the all the latest news please check www.westlife.com over the Christmas period. See you in 2010!
| Source: Westlife HQ
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| Westlife Better Than Me-Buble |
17 December 2009: Michael Buble has paid Westlife the ultimate compliment, claiming their version of his hit song Home is better than the original.
The hunky star, who paid a visit to Dublin last week, initially had doubts about agreeing to let the band do the cover, but is now delighted he gave it the go ahead. The Canadian star went on to explain that he was extremely jealous when the foursome were given the opportunity to shoot their video in an airplane.
He said: "Westlife have done a tremendous job with the song. I thought they sang incredibly on it.
"It was really a great job, I actually preferred it
"They had the beautiful harmony parts and they made the choruses so big and of course they had an aeroplane in their video. I was just a little bit jealous.
"It probably had, like, room service and fancy condiments. I just had a crappy theatre in mine."
The singer came face to face with the lads backstage at the X Factor, when they appeared on the results show on the same night.
| Source: Herald.ie
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| Ask Westlife | 17 December 2009: Pop super group Westlife will betaking over GMTV tomorrow and after they've done all that they'll be answering your questions. So if you've got something you'd like to ask Westlife email them to us now using the form here. | Source: GMTV | | | |
| Alan Titchmarsh Show |
15 December 2009: Alan is joined by Westlife, who perform a track from their new album Where We Are as well as an old favourite. Show airs on ITV at 3pm.
| Source: tvguide.co.uk
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| UK Album Chart |
14 December 2009: Westlife has slipped to number 7 in the UK charts with Susan Boyle holding on to the number 1 spot.
Number 1: Susan Boyle
Number 2: Lady Gaga
Number 3: Michael Buble
Number 4: Black Eyed Peas
Number 5: JLS
Number 6: Queen
Number 7: Westlife
| Source: officialcharts.com
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| Author Cecilia Ahern Becomes A Mother |
14 December 2009: Author Cecelia Ahern and her partner David Keoghan have welcomed their first child.
The baby girl, who will be named Robin, weighed 6lb when she was born at Dublin's Rotunda Hospital.
A statement issued on behalf of the couple said that they were "delighted to announce the arrival of a baby girl, Robin."
According to the Belfast Telegraph, Westlife star Nicky Byrne, who is married to Cecelia's sister Georgina, said: "Myself, Georgina, Rocco and Jay are absolutely delighted for Cecelia and David's amazing news."
"What a wonderful Christmas gift and we all look forward to meeting their new arrival in the next few days."
| Source: RTE.ie
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| Nobel Peace Concert |
12 December 2009: To watch online Westlife’s performance of You Raise Me Up then click here.
| Credits: TatianitaJJ - Source: Youtube
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| Obama invites Westlife out for a pint |
12 December 2009: WESTLIFE have spoken about their "amazing experience" meeting US president Barack Obama.
And band member Nicky Byrne revealed Mr Obama thinks Bertie Ahern is a "great guy".
Westlife met the president at the Nobel Peace Prize concert when actor Will Smith made an appearance on stage with them.
During the encounter, Nicky informed him that he was Mr Ahern's son-in-law, to which Mr Obama said to pass on his best. The president showed his Irish roots when he invited the band for a pint.
Westlife said: "Meeting President Obama was an amazing experience to say the least. He was very personable and when we said we were from Ireland he spoke of his roots and that we should go for a pint.
"So the next time we are in Washington we are going to go for that pint. He seemed very approachable and very cool."
| Source: Herald.ie
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| Westwing Life |
12 December 2009: BARACK OBAMA takes a break from the White House's West Wing - to meet Irish band WESTLIFE.
The US president chatted with the chart stars about his Irish heritage as he prepared to receive his Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.
And Mr Obama, 48 - whose great-great grandad Falmouth Keaney emigrated from Ireland to America in 1850 - invited the lads to meet up for a Guinness.
Band member NICKY BYRNE, 31, told The Sun: "It was amazing. He was very personable. As soon as we mentioned we were from Ireland he spoke of his Irish roots and said we should go for a Guinness."
Bandmate SHANE FILAN, 30, added: "He seemed really cool. Next time we're in Washington we're going to hook up with him."
The pair performed with fellow members KIAN EGAN and MARK FEEHILY at a peace concert in Oslo to mark Mr Obama's honour.
| Source: The Sun
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| Further Dates Added |
11 December 2009: Tickets for the 2010 tour are being snapped up so quickly that even more dates have now been added.
Sheffield Arena, Monday 10th May
Birmingham LG Arena, Monday 17th May
Glasgow SECC, Tuesday 25th May
To buy tickets then click here.
| Source: Westlife.com
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| Second 02 and Manchester Gig added |
11 December 2009: Tickets are on sale right now on Ticketmaster for two new dates on Westlife's 2010 tour:
London 02 Arena, Thursday 13th May
Manchester ENA, Sunday 30th May
| Source: Westlife.com
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| Second Cardiff Show |
10 December 2009: Westlife fans in Wales are in for a treat as the boys have lined up a second Welsh date!
Tickets for Cardiff CIA on Friday 21st May will be available soon in the fanclub pre-sale, then in the general sale tomorrow morning from 9am.
| Source: Westlife.com
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| Devoted fans queue three nights for gig tickets |
10 December 2009: TICKETS for Irish pop band Westlife's much-anticipated return to Sheffield went on sale this morning - and these hardy souls had been queuing since Monday to get their hands on them!
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Superfan Leanne Knowles, from Owlthorpe, Sheffield, and her friends Chelsea Beresford from Attercliffe, Sheffield, and Susan Robson and Emma Pogson from Bawtry, Doncaster, set up camp outside Sheffield Arena at around 7pm on Monday, ready for the box office to open at 9am today.
Armed with tents, inflatable beds, and other outdoor gear, the loyal followers braved freezing temperatures - all to get tickets to see their idols.
Westlife are appearing at the Attercliffe venue on May 12 next year.
Leanne, aged 22, said "It's been absolutely freezing, but I'm just thinking about the Westlife tickets. I can't wait for the concert, two years ago I camped out for nearly two weeks!"
Leanne also showed off her customised Westlife Vauxhall Corsa, which her mum, Maxine, had specially made for her last year.
| Source: The Star
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| Kian tells Jodi that she will not be Aloud to go out 'tarted up' |
10 December 2009: Westlife's Kian Egan has said he won't have his wife "tarted up" like Girls Aloud, in her new band.
The singer turned band manager said that he won't allow Jodi Albert and her new band mates to be dressed up in an "over-sexed" manner like Girls Aloud.
Kian Egan took a pop at the best-selling girlband, while explaining that he wanted his new girlband, which features new wife Jodi, to have a "classy catwalk, Gucci look".
Kian made his comments during the band's interview with Cosmopolitan magazine.
He also told of how he will be "very controlling" when it comes to his new band's image.
When asked whether there any outfits he wouldn't like Jodi to wear, he replied: "Yes, I'll certainly be very controlling of their image because I think a lot of the girl bands now are way too tarted up."
And he explained that his wife wouldn't be too "over-sexed" like Girls Aloud.
"If you look at Girls Aloud's last tour, it's too over-sexed. Jodi's is more of a classy catwalk, Gucci look. That's the sort of sexiness I want to achieve with them."
Meanwhile, bandmate Nicky Byrne says; "There are ways of being sexy without going that far."
Kian hasn't ruled out the possibilty that his wife and the, as yet unnamed, girlband will tour with them.
"If they're ready to do it and the boys agree, I'd love it. But it's still early days for them. They're recording their album. It'd be difficult in a way as she's going to have to be with her band, whereas if she comes to see Westlife on tour, she stays with me."
The lads have done a string of interviews for their much publicised comeback. Their most recent single 'What About Now' surged to the top of the charts in the UK, only to be kept off the top spot by Cheryl Cole's 'Fight For This Love'. Incidentally, Cheryl is also a member of the "over sexed" Girls Aloud, along with Irish girl Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Sarah Harding and Nicola Roberts.
In their interview with Cosmopolitan, they admitted that they had become "too safe", "boring" and were keen to shed their old image. "It's not that we're trying to be more edgy. It's more that we're going back to who we really are. We'd become too safe.," Mark said.
"We were too boring! When I put on a suit now I want to feel special again -- I don't want to just feel that I'm putting on a uniform," Shane added.
The lads also shed some light on their early days -- revealed how they thrashed many hotel rooms.
"We've destroyed a lot of hotel rooms," Shane explained. "We're banned from one venue in South Africa. I was jumping around in my boxer shorts, taking the piss out of the others and I got literally everything thrown at me, including fruit.
"Mark threw a chair out of the window once too. We were drinking four storeys up at the time so it was like, 'Oh, Jesus'.
But their situation has changed -- Nicky is married to Georgina Ahern and father to adorable twins Jay and Rocco. Shane is married to teenage sweetheart Gillian and the couple have two children with a third on the way. Kian got married to former soapstar and singer Jodi during the summer, while Mark Feehily is in a long-term relationship with partner Kevin McDaid.
These days, the band tend to stay away from the wild excesses of rock n'roll. "The older we get, the more we prefer a good restaurant to a club. "If you think back to when we were 21, it was like, 'Who cares about food? Just get a bottle of vodka down your neck by 12 o'clock.'
"Now that we're hitting 30, it's different," Nicky added.
| Credits: Jane Last. Source: Herald
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| Third Belfast Date Added |
10 December 2009: With tickets for Westlife’s Belfast shows selling at an incredible rate, a third date at the Odyssey Arena has now been added.
Tickets for 2nd, 3rd and 4th May are on sale now at Ticketmaster
| Source: westlife.com
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| Westlife Performing This Friday At The Nobel Peace Prize Concert |
09 December 2009: We previously brought you the fantastic news that this Friday, December 11th, the band have the honour of performing at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway.
We can now tell you that their performance will include new single 'What About Now', the classic 'You Raise Me Up' and that they will duet on the night with one of the most legendary divas of all time!
The show will air live on NRK1 in Norway and SVT1 in Sweden at the below times...
8pm - 10:45pm Nobel Peace Prize Concert (incl. 30 min intermission)
NRK1: Live broadcast part 1, delayed broadcast part 2
SVT1: Delayed broadcast from 10pm
| Source: westlife.com
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| No Longer Concerned With Breaking America |
08 December 2009: Westlife have insisted that they are no longer concerned with breaking America.
The Irish boyband cracked the US Top 20 with their debut single 'Swear It Again' in 2000, but have never scored a follow-up hit across the pond.
Their latest album Where We Are features production from several prestigious American producers, including Ryan Tedder and Brian Kennedy, prompting rumours that they are plotting another assault on the lucrative US market.
However, group member Mark Feehily claimed that this is merely a coincidence.
"We looked outside the box on this album and that brought us to America as well as other places in the world - London, Ireland, everywhere. It wasn't a conscious decision to break the States or anything," he told DS.
"With America, we're over the fact that we haven't broken it. If it ever comes up as an opportunity, we'll definitely take it, but we don't design things to try and break America anymore."
Westlife's Where We Are LP charted at number two behind Susan Boyle's I Dreamed A Dream on yesterday's UK albums chart.
| Source: Digital Spy
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| UK Tour Dates Announced |
07 December 2009: Tickets for
the following shows will be available to snap up in an exclusive fan pre-sale
taking place tomorrow (Tuesday 8th December). Further details will be sent out
in an email to everyone on Westlife's official mailing list.
General sale for Belfast Odyssey Arena happens on Thursday 10th
December, while all other general sales will take place on Friday 11th
December.
Sunday 2nd May - Belfast Odyssey Arena
Thursday 6th May - Nottingham Arena
Friday 7th May - Liverpool Echo Arena
Sunday 9th May - Sheffield Arena
Wednesday 12th May - London O2 Arena
Sunday 16th May - Birmingham LG Arena
Thursday 20th May - Cardiff CIA
Monday 24th May - Glasgow SECC
Friday 28th May - Manchester ENA
Monday 31st May - Newcastle Arena
Saturday 5th June - Croke Park, Dublin
| Source: westlife.com
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| Westlife In Sweden |
05 December 2009: Watch online clips of Westlife in Sweden.
Westlife Medley: click here
What About Now: click here
| Source: TV4play.se
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| Westlife To Kick Off Tour In Belfast |
04 December 2009: Record-breaking Westlife are to kick off their 2010 tour in Belfast — marking their 51st show at the Odyssey Arena.
The Irish boy band will be back in Belfast on May 2 as part of their Where We Are tour.
The last time they played Belfast was in May 2008, when the celebrated their 50th show at the venue, breaking all records for an artist or band.
The following month they marked their 10th anniversary by playing a show at Croke Park in Dublin to 83,000 fans. Since then they’ve taken a break from touring but are hitting the road again next year to promote their new album.
Tickets for the Belfast show go on sale next Thursday, December 9, at 9am.
Meanwhile, the band’s Nicky Byrne has revealed a tour secret to the hosts of the BBC NI programme the Friday Show, Eamonn Holmes and Rachel Tucker.
Nicky said: “When we do our tours and we go off stage at the very end, when we come back on for the encore, we made a pact that we’d always do it ‘commando’.
“It’s a true story, so every time we come back on for our final song, or the last three songs or whatever the encore is, it all hangs out! We actually did it tonight as well!”
Eamonn replied: “That gives a whole new meaning to Flying Without Wings!”
| Source: Belfast Telegraph
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| Westlife Set To Wow Croke Park with JLS
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04 December 2009: WESTLIFE will play Croke Park alongside X Factor runners-up JLS, the Herald can exclusively reveal.
Following in the footsteps of U2 and Take That, who played the venue last summer before 80,000 fans each night, Westlife will be taking to the stage in June, promoters MCD announced today.
Shane, Nicky, Kian and Mark played Croke Park for the first time last year. The band are now looking forward to their return trip on June 5, in one of the most eagerly anticipated concerts of next year.
Tickets for the concert go on sale on December 11, and are expected to be snapped up fast.
Westlife stormed to the top of the charts a few weeks ago with their new single, their first since they decided to take a year out.
The band's frontman Shane Filan said they have been "experimenting" with new music in addition to their already incredibly successful format.
"We've been experimenting with a fresh vibe on this record, working with new producers and writing songs for the album ourselves. After 11 years we see this as phase two of the Westlife story," he said.
The foursome spent most of this year hidden away in studios across Europe working with some of the most established musicmakers in the industry.
Their latest song Where We Are features work from Grammy-nominated Ryan Tedder, who has worked with superstar divas Leona Lewis and Beyonce.
The boys recently released a cover of American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry's hit What About Now to much praise, and were a massive hit when they appeared on the Late Late Toy Show last week. And the group have also been putting their writing skills to good use, as Mark Feehily just penned a song with former All Saints frontwoman Shaznay Lewis.
Their comeback has come at one of the most emotional times for the band in recent years.
Earlier this year, Kian Egan lost his father following a long illness. Dad-of-two Nicky then lost his father, Nikki, suddenly. And the band were also upset when Stephen Gately passed away unexpectedly in his home in Majorca.
| Source: Herald
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| Westlife In Sweden
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04 December 2009: Fresh from releasing their new album, Where We Are, Westlife are heading to Sweden to take part in some very special events.
First up, today they'll be signing copies of 'Where We Are' for fans at Nordstan in Gothenburg, from 5pm. There's a chance to catch a TV interview with them later on - tune in to TV4 Göteborg at 7.30pm.
Later on they'll be performing on Swedish Idol on TV4. The guys will be singing a medley of their hits during the main show (8pm, TV4), including a song which was written by Swedish Idol judge Andreas Carlsson! They'll also perform new single 'What About Now' in the results show, which kicks off at 10.25pm.
On December 11th, the band have the honour of performing at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. They will perform with a live orchestra in honour of U.S. President Barack Obama, at an event hosted by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.
| Source: westlife.com
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| Westlife Tour Announcement
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04 December 2009: We have some exciting news for you - the boys will be heading back on tour in 2010!
Tickets for the first show at the Belfast Odyssey Arena, taking place on Sunday 2nd May will be available for Westlife.com members to buy in an exclusive pre-sale next Tuesday 8th December from 9am. You'll need the pre-salelink which is being emailed to everyone who's signed up to the newsletter.
Tickets for this date will be available to the general public on Thursday 10th December.
| Source: westlife.com
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| Dublin Date Announced
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04 December 2009: We are pleased to announce that as part of their 2010 Tour, Westlife will be heading back to Croke Park, Dublin on Saturday 5th June!
Tickets for this show will be available for Westlife.com members to buy in an exclusive pre-sale next Tuesday 8th December from 9am. You'll need the pre-salelink which is being emailed to everyone who's signed up to the newsletter.
Tickets for this date will be available to the general public on Friday 11th December.
| Source: westlife.com
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| Tour News From Nicky
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04 December 2009: Where would we be without Mark and Nicky’s twitter updates… ;o) Thanks to Nicky we know the tour tickets go on sale next Friday.
ok friday 11th of dec Westlife Where we are Tour goes on sale !!!!!!!!!!!!!! not sure bout presale but uk and croke park will go on sale !
uk and northern ireland tour will be in may and croke park is sat june 5th
| Source: nickybyrneoffic
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| Twitter Updates
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03 December 2009: Thanks to Mark for his updates on upcoming appearances.
2moro (Fri 4th)we perform twice on Swedish Idol,a medley of our hits &new single what about now! Also 5pm signing@ Nordstan in Gothenburg! X
Friday 11th we do Nobel Peace Prize in Norway performing two songs plus a duet with DONNA SUMMER again! She's major believe me,whoop whoop!
This Saturday we pop down to the 02 to perform at the capital fm Jingle bell ball,two songs will be fun,like the old days on smash hit shows
| Source: twitter.com/MarkusFeehily
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| New Westlife Interview
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02 December 2009: We've just added a new interview to the video player on the homepage - and we’re think you’re going to like it!
Watch the boys talk candidly about their year off, recording the new album, touring next year, why feedback from their fans is so important and much more.
| Source: westlife.com
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| Westlife Look To Put Tough Year Behind Them
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02 December 2009: Westlife have admitted they can't wait to see the back of 2009 following a year of personal tragedy.
The band endured the deaths of the fathers of Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne this year, and the loss of their friend Stephen Gately.
But they have now thrown themselves back into work to cope with their grief.
"It's been a crap year," admitted Byrne. "I think we're all looking forward to the next year to be honest."
His father died suddenly last month, but the band returned to performing to promote their 10th album Where We Are.
"There are times when you look back at it and think 'Should I be enjoying myself?'" Byrne said.
"That's part and parcel of it. Its certainly better than sitting and home and doing nothing but crying, because I've done all my crying, I just can't cry anymore.
"Having such a good album has been positive."
The fact that the band members were friends before they hit the big time more than 10 years ago seems to have helped them cope.
"As a band we've got closer in the last three or four months" said Shane Filan.
"We're closer than we've ever been. When something is taken away from you, or someone like Steven that was looking forward to his next album, and you know he can't do that now. "It kind of puts things into perspective a lot."
Staying positive and sticking together has been the way through the last few months in Westlife world.
They recently appeared on X Factor with Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell - who discovered and signed the band.
But there's no love lost there when it comes to deciding who they want to win.
"I was a fan of Danyl but he doesn't do it for me now," smiles Egan.
Danyl Johnson is of course mentored by a certain Mr Cowell.
"He seems to have lost it, he annoys me now and I want to turn over."
Now the boys are backing bookies' favourite Joe McElderry.
"Joe's the best singer, and Stacey, I think they'll be the final two," says Filan.
Byrne meanwhile thinks a certain Jedward should be reinstated back into the show, even if they couldn't sing.
"I think they should let Jedward back into the X Factor" he laughs, "and I think Fifa should allow Ireland back into the World Cup. Thierry, you're a cheat!"
Thierry Henry if you're reading this, maybe you should go and get your hand on a copy of Westlife's new album, just to make amends.
| Source: news.sky.com
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| Westlife To Perform At Nobel Concert |
02 December 2009: OSLO — British pop star Natasha Bedingfield will perform at the Dec. 11 Nobel Peace Prize Concert honoring this year's winner, U.S. President Barack Obama, organizers said Wednesday.
Bedingfield, a chart-topper in the U.S. and Europe, will join Wyclef Jean, Toby Keith, and Chinese pianist Lang Lang, organizers said. The concert will also include performances by Donna Summer, American jazz singer Esperanza Spading, Irish pop quartet Westlife, Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, Norwegian fiddler Alexander Rybak and Amadou & Mariam, a blues and jazz duet from Mali.
American actor and rap artist Will Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, will host the concert, which is held in Oslo the day after the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize, also in the Norwegian capital. The show will be broadcast to "a global television audience," organizers said.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2009 prize to Obama for his "efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
Traditionally, Nobel Peace Prize winners attend the concert the day after they pick up the award. However, Obama has not yet announced how long he will stay in Oslo.
| Source: The Associated Press
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| Westlife - The Sun Online |
02 December 2009: The Sun Online have had a listen to Westlife's fantastic new album 'Where We Are' and throughout the next week they will be releasing a series of videos that feature on the album.
In today's video, Kian talks about 'How To Break A Heart'. Keep checking back to www.thesun.co.uk all this week for more Westlife video treats! click here.
| Source: westlife.com
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| Album Sales |
01 December 2009: Susan Boyle looks set to spend a second week at number one on the albums chart, after selling another 81,000 copies of her debut album I Dreamed A Dream (Syco) yesterday.
The sales dwarf those of her nearest competitors, both of which are new releases: Westlife’s new album Where We Are (S) is currently Boyle’s closest rival, with sales of almost 50,000 yesterday, while Take That’s The Greatest Day – The Circus Live (Polydor) sold more than 40,000.
| Source: musicweek.com
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| Kian Interview |
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01 December 2009: Having sold a squillion albums and racked up oodles of No.1s in their 11 years of existence, Westlife are back with new album Where We Are and new single What About Now. We caught up with the Life’s Kian Egan to talk about their new sound, Stephen Gately’s death, his new foray into pop management and how no matter how hard he tries, he’ll probably never get a lead vocal in Westlife…
You’ve had a year off from Westlife - what have you been up to? “Myself and Louis Walsh have put a girlband together who’ll have an album coming out next year which my wife is in. Personally my dad died but I also got married too, so it’s been a rollercoaster year and hasn’t really felt like a year off…”
Your new single is a cover of Daughtry’s What About Now - why did you choose that? “As a band we wanted to shake things up musically and then Simon Cowell brought us the Daughtry track and said we should find something original that sounded like that. But we didn’t find anything as powerful and as it had never been released in the UK, we didn’t technically see it as a cover.”
You’ve worked with Simon for a long time now - is he as hard to please as he seems? “He certainly has a very strong taste of what he likes and what he doesn’t, but with this album I feel like he’s opened the doors wider with the style of music he wants for Westlife. We just did a photoshoot for the new album and he came along and rejected it, so he knows what he wants and for us this time around it’s something different.”
You’ve said that this album is a new sound for Westlife, but you’ve always done uptempo songs as well as ballads - so is it really a new direction? “The sound is fresher and more modern but it’s still essentially Westlife. In the past our ballads have been very 80s-esque - Lionel Richie-style songs - but this album is far more current. We’re now competing with acts like Leona Lewis and Jordin Sparks, working with writers and producers they’ve worked with and I think we’ve created a new sound in terms of male vocal boybands.”
Are you going to get a lead vocal on this album? “No. We did try stuff with myself and Nicky and we’re all over the backing vocals, but when you’re in a band with voices like Shane and Mark it’s difficult. When I hear my vocals compared with theirs they’re not as strong, so I have to take a step back and think what’s best for the band.”
You’re not going down the Take That route then of giving everyone a go? “No - we didn’t want to put a crappy song on this album just to let me sing on it!”
You were on the X Factor recently - what do you think of the acts this year? “I don’t think there’s a Leona Lewis this year. Everyone’s talking about John and Edward so the show’s reached new heights but for different reasons.”
As Westlife were close to Boyzone, has Stephen Gately’s death had an impact on the band? “It’s had a big effect on anyone who knew Stephen - he was a lovely guy who didn’t deserve to go so soon. And of course, we understood what Boyzone were saying at the funeral when they spoke about the unity of five guys on the road - it hit us hard. But if you’re talking effect, it’s made us want to really go for it as a band and for me personally it’s made me assess what’s important to me and to try not to be pissed off for no reason…”
So after Westlife, will you be going into pop management? “I’m already in it - I’m in the meetings with the record companies right now and I’m loving it. It’s an amazing opportunity for my wife too - she was in a girl band before I met her and she’s an amazing singer.”
You can be the new Posh and Becks… “Oh god no!”
Perhaps a Christmas single? “No!”
| Source: uk.real.com
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| After a year's break, Shane is itching to get back to 'work' |
01 December 2009: (published 25 November 2009). Out of the mouths of children! After a year of uninterrupted domestic bliss, Shane Filan wanted to break it gently to his four years old daughter, Nicole, that daddy would soon have to go back to work.
'What work?', the little darling innocently enquired.
"You know, singing with Westlife", dad gently prodded.
"That's not work!" she exclaimed with a dismissive shrug of her slender shoulders.
And so, not for the first time, Shane Filan reflected that what he calls work is something he would gladly do for nothing.
"At the end of the day, it's a job. It is work, and it can be very hard some times. But we've never regarded it as a chore. We've never lost sight of how lucky we are to have this as our job. Nicole's comment just reminded me of how lucky I am," he says.
After a year long sabbatical, Shane and his Westlife colleagues are clearly itching to get back on the road. Bubbling with the same enthusiasm which provided the infectious trademark of the band's earliest days, he talks excitedly about the new Westlife single and album, the exhaustive promotional work which will take them across the globe over the next four months, and the performance tours being lined up for the summer months, which will hopefully include a Sligo concert.
Listening to him, it's hard to believe eleven years have passed since three fresh-faced Sligo teenagers, barely out of their Summerhill College uniforms, embarked on a magical journey which was to bring them unimagined fame and fortune on a global basis.
Along with Dubliners Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden, the latter since gone his separate way, Shane, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily have rewritten the music industry record books.
The staggering statistics graphically underline their phenomenal success -the only act in UK history to have their first seven singles go straight to number one; over 43 million records sold worldwide; the biggest selling pop band in the world over the past decade; their achievement of 14 number one singles bettered only by Elvis Presley and The Beatles; and sell out concerts in some of the world's biggest stadia.
But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of that breathtaking success is that it has hardly changed them. Older, wiser, more settled surely --but their personalities remain utterly uncontaminated by the egotistical excesses which engulf much of the music industry.
"I don't think any of us has changed too much. I'd hate to think we ever would," Shane offers. "Obviously, we're much more mature about things, about life generally and about the industry. Being married and having young children gives life a different dimension. So while our lives have changed, I don't think we have."
Life-changing indeed has been the Westlife experience, but Shane's personal life has evolved too. Now the father of two young children, Nicole (4) and Patrick (1), the family is set to be further extended with Gillian expecting the couple's third child in February.
"Next year will certainly be busy, both on the professional and family fronts, with the new baby due and Nicole starting school. Things will certainly be different," he reflects.
Despite the fame and perceived glamour of the pop star life, Shane insists his children will have a normal family life.
"I can't help the fact that I'm in Westlife and that I'm well known. But I don't see that interfering with my family life at all. Both Gillian and myself are grounded people, and like all parents, we want the best for our children.
"They will have a normal life. That's why we decided to set up home in Sligo. It's where we grew up, where our families are, and where our children will be reared. I don't see it being a problem", he maintains.
The affection for his home town and his attachment to the family values which shaped his life are still seared into his psyche.
For instance, while away on tour, he hankers after his mother's bacon and cabbage, a longing that's satisfied almost as soon as he puts his foot across the family threshold.
"My parents have been terrific, always totally supportive. Whenever I come home I'm spoiled. Mum will have the bacon and cabbage on the dinner table and dad will be bringing me down to the horses and the farm. And they're always willing babysitters. In a way, I suppose I will always be their baby", he grins.
Thoughts of his parents bring to mind the one dark cloud which has hovered over the Westlife camp in recent months --the untimely deaths of Kevin Egan and Nicky Byrne Snr. "It's been a very tough year in that respect. We have shared so much happiness over the past 11 years so we share each other's pain as well. "It's very tough on Kian and Nicky getting back to work with the loss of their respective dads still so recent for them.
"We performed 'You Raise Me Up' at the respective funerals, so I know that whenever we do that song on stage it will bring back memories for the lads. But the song is a celebration of their dad's lives, and we will all pull together to get them through.
"If anything, the bereavements have made us even closer. We're like four brothers now," Shane reveals. Back on the family front, little Nicole is already a huge Westlife fan and is showing signs of having inherited her father's singing ability. "She's already a bit of singer, a little performer. She knows all about Westlife, loves the songs."
In common with all Westlife fans, Nicole will soon have more new songs to listen to as the eagerly-awaited comeback album, "Where We Are", is released this Friday. Shane describes it as "the best ever Westlife album" and can't remember a recording on which the band has worked so hard or had as much direct involvement. Marking as it does the second phase of the band's career, they wanted it to be fresh and dynamic, to define what they have become and where they intend to go.
The challenge was to retain the Westlife brand sound, and yet appeal to a generation of fans who have grown up with the band and others who they want to attract to the more mature style. "It would be easy to be lazy, because we got to the stage where any Westlife album would be guaranteed to sell three million copies. But we didn't want to rest on that. We didn't want to become complacent.
"We want to sell this album on its quality, rather than merely on our reputation. We deliberately set out to make a top quality record, and I honestly believe we've achieved that. I would definitely say it's our best ever album, and I'm confident when people hear it they'll agree with that assessment," Shane says.
Because of Westlife's reputation, the best songwriters in the world now clamber to have their work included on an album, meaning the boys literally had hundreds of strong songs from which to choose the thirteen tracks.
And they chose carefully, painstakingly sifting through the vast volume of submissions over several months before recording began in America last summer. The clear-headed democracy which they brought to the selection process is reflected in the fact that at least half a dozen of their own compositions were rejected, although a Mark Feehily penned song did make the cut.
"We wanted the album to be so good that all of the tracks would be strong enough to be singles, so there are no fillers, no throwaways. We're delighted to have a song by Mark on the album, and we'd like to have had more of our own stuff, but the quality of the other tracks was so strong that we had to concede that our own songs were not good enough. That's how determined we were to get this right," Shane
As this will be the only Westlife album until Christmas 2011, Shane expects there will be at least five singles taken from it, the next of which will probably be released next March.
That means there will be a continuous round of promotional trips from one end of the world to the other in the coming months, as well as a concert tour next summer. It's a hectic schedule, but one which Shane and his mates are relishing.
"We absolutely love what we do, and we've never taken it for granted. We know how lucky we are, but we also know that none of this could have happened without hard work. I think we appreciate it more as we get older. We love the challenge of trying to improve rather than resting on what we've already achieved," he confides. And how long will it all last? Eleven years on, Shane sees no end in sight. "Just look at 'Take That' --they've come back stronger than ever, and they're older than us! You never know what's around the corner, but we'd love to do five quality albums over the next ten years, rather than rushing anything. So we plan to be around for quite a while yet."
| Credits: Heidi for finding. Source: sligochampion.ie
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| Westlife talk us through their new album Where We Are track-by-track-watch video |
01 December 2009: Westlife have been talking to us exclusively about their eagerly-awaited album Where We Are - and revealing what they did on their year off, before they got back into the studio to record the new record.
The band's Nicky Byrne explained: "It's great to be back. We talked about a year off for a long time. We did things we all wanted to do - we travelled, we spent time at home.
"We also needed to refresh our heads, we needed to get away from each other. We needed to miss it again."
Mark Feehilly that they had also taken time to develop theirsound.
He explained: "We wanted to make the production better, to have the vocals as good as we knew they could be, we wanted avariety of sound, not have every song sound the same...luckily, we pulled it off. We're really proud.
"We didn't want to change who we are, just do itbetter than we'd been doing it."
They also revealed that their manager, X Factor judge Louis Walsh, and fellow judge and label boss Simon Cowell were "really excited" about the album - andthat they'droped informer All Saints star Shaznay Lewis to co-write one of the tracks on the new record.
WhereWe Are, featuring hit single What About Now, which the band played on the X Factor, is in theshops now.
To watch the Westlife interview then click here.
| Source: Mirror.co.uk
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