Well here we are...in an Irish town called Sligo! There are 3 young guys...Kian Egan, Mark Feehily & Shane Filan. Now...these 3 have just finished there school musical "Grease" and are sitting around having a few ummm lemonades shall we say and singing a few songs when someone (a very nifty person) suggests the idea of taking their singing that 1 step further.
Now we have Shanes Mum...she contacts this guy...Louis Walsh to see about what to do and all...Louis likes the boys...BUT...time does not permit him to manage them (tsk tsk..) so he goes and calls his good mate...none other than Ronan Keating (we all know who he is right??) and (of course) he was impressed and agreed to co-manage this new band...and 'RoLo Management' was born! Now, Ronan wanted different guys...he wanted 2 other guys but to keep Kian, Mark & Shane...so off they went to Dublin! After auditions Nicky Byrne & Bryan McFadden were found (YAY!!) and WestSide were born!
However...we have a small problem...the name WestSide was already taken by about 8 different American bands!!! Omigosh! What will we do now??? Simple!! We'll just call em Westlife! (WooHoo) *claps*
The 5 lads first supported the Backstreet Boys in Dublin and they set off around Ireland & the U.K. supporting Boyzone! November 1998 was a good time for the lads! The absolutley shocked the ummm...pants (??) off audiences all around the world
whilst on the Smash Hits tour (which was televised world wide) and they went onto win the much sort after "Best New Tour Act" award!! (YAY!!!)
Swear It Again was released in April 1999 and jumped straight to the top of the British & Irish charts...this was also a top 10 single here in Aussieland too!!! Swear It Again was the highest selling debut single in Ireland! EVER!
Westlife have so far released Swear It Again, If I Let You Go, Flying Without Wings, the double A side - I Have A Dream/Seasons In The Sun, Fool Again, Against All Odds (Duet with Mariah Carey), My Love, What Makes A Man (I don't wanna say...)I Lay My Love On You, and Uptown Girl (Released to raise money for the British charity Comic Relief). When You're Looking Like That is set to be released at the end of July 2001.
I Have A Dream/Seasons In The Sun was the last number 1 of the millennium and the 1st number 1 of the new millennium! (GO BOYS!!!)
Their debut album, "Westlife", was released in the UK in November where it went double platinum...they have sold a total of 10 million copies of their debut album world wide so far.( YAY!!!)
Their second album, "Coast To Coast", was released in November 2000. It was released in the same week as the Spice Girls released their new album, but Westlife easily beat the Spice Girls by outselling them 3:1. (WooHoo!!!)
Their 3rd Album, the title of which is yet unknown, is set to be released around November 2001. The boys have just announced that they will be recording and releasing at least 5 more albums under their deal with BMG/RCA. (YAY!!!!) So it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of Westlife in the next few years! :)
The past 2 years have been a time for breaking records...not only are they the 1st boyband ever to have all but one of their singles debut at number 1 in the UK, but they also broke the record of eleven nights at The Point in Dublin (it was previously ten nights - a record set by Boyzone).
Now we will see the success of Westlife flourish into the new millennium! Go Westlife!!!!!!
