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Post by shayne on Jun 12, 2008 6:57:00 GMT 8
Kian's Exclusive - Autobiography Article
Kians turn to reveal all about his life within Westlife and his family. Includes extracts from thier forthcoming book. Westlife: Our Story.
Westlife star Kian Egan has spilled the beans on the bands wilds days. but vows the famous four are now settled.
Kina,28, admit that in the early years of the band he and fellow bandmates Shane Filan,Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne and Brian Mcfadden used to go ga-ga on vodka and red bull
He said they drank heavily every night on their first tour and once knocked back alcohol for 5o nights in a row.
Now older and wiser the lads prefer to spend time with their wives and partners - and have seriously cut back on boozy sessions.
In Westlife's new book Our Story, Sligo born Kian also reveals his real feelings after Brian left the band, the times Louis Walsh nearly quit as manager and how he cant wait to marry stunning fiance Jodi Albert.
Kian remembers, On our very first concert tour, Once we were offstage we went ballistic. We felt like superstars and we drank like f******** nutjobs.
Im not even sure i want to explain what went on.. We had been doing two years solid promotion but no tour and virtually no days off since it all started. Then in typical Westlife fashion the first tour we ever did was humungus.
Behind the scenes there was just an explosion of pent up energy. Young lads well known in all the magazines,songs in the charts , money coming in, out on the road together. to be honest we went gaga...
"We drank heavily every night .Vodka and red bull was our favourite tipple, and we sank it by the gallon. "
"Our security man Paul Higgins reckons me and Shane drank ourselves into oblivion for 50 nights striaght.
"We were like caged animals being let loose. The situation was so different from the promotion.. There was no record label telling us to behave ourselves to get ourselves to bed."
"We were the bosses so we did what we wanted,when we wanted. And what we wanted was to party. "
In my opinion the partying never affected our shows. We were kids, well 21 but we were bulletproof. "
"Plus we were form the west side of Ireland so have a background in heavy drinking"
"So the drinking carried on the next day, and the next day , and the day after that for the rest of the tour, then the next tour"
Westlife have now been going strong for over 10 years, Earlier this month they sold out their biggest ever gig in Croke Park.
Down to four members after Brian Mcfadden left in 2004, the lads have all attributed much of their sucess to hard work and dedication of thier manager Louis Walsh.
But in the book Kian dramatically reveals how pop mogul Louis Walsh quit working with them more than once.
He says "Something people should know about Louis Walsh is that he really knows how to keep us together and grounded."
"But he has quit as our manager on more than one occasion"Let me give you an example. We were doing some recording in Sweden after we had had loads of number ones. We were all supposed to meet in the hotel lobby at a certain time, but we didnt all get there at once. When the last band member had turned up, about half an hour late, Louis turned around to us and said, I dont want to manage you lads anymore"We were shellshocked. He keeps you on your toes"
Did i personally loose the plot. Yeah probably,i look back at some of the tv interviews I sounds like a thingyy little s***t.
"But i was young and had always wanted to be in a boyband and now we were the biggest boyband of them all. "
"The world seemed to have fallen at our feet.I think it was impossible not to have an ego. But you live and learn."
"Nowadays there is no need to give us a reality check, because we are all a lot more seasond and that bit older. "
Brian Mcfadden dropped the bombshell that he was leaving the group March 9th 2004.
His band colleagues stoodby as he told the world why he was leaving. But a short time later, things took a temporary turn for the worse .Kian said, Justover 6 months after Brian left he released a solo album. He also had split up with Kerry, We had heard he was working on a solo album but we werent sure"
"For my part i didnt act too positively to these developments. He told me he was leaving Westlife to be with is family. "
"Now i love Brian to pieces and I respect him for leavng Westlife when he was unhappy. I respect him for leaving a marriage he wasnt happy in. "
"What im about to say here isnt anything i havent said to Brian in a private conversation.I felt like he laughed at me in the Press conference. Ive since said that we shouldnt have done the press conference, and i stand by that. I think we glorified Brian too much when he left the band. "
"i do think that looking back -as a business decision for Westlife, We made a very big deal about Brian leaving the band and that was probably unncesary. In a way that helped build ground for his solo career. "
"The shoe could very much be on the other foot now, Westlife could be down the tubes and he could be the next Robbie Williams, but it hasnt worked, not that way for him. I really wish it had worked for us both. "
Kian and Brian have since reconciled their differences, and these days theyre both getting ready to marry their gorgoeus girlfriends, Jodi Albert and Delta Goodrem.
Kian popped the question to TV star and singer Jodi, last christmas, The pair have yet to set a date but Kian is already counting down the days.
"I cant wait to be Jodi's husband,for her to be my wife and to have children and an amazing family life. Jodi is incredible and there will never be anyone else. "
EXTRACTED FROM WESTLIFE: OUR STORY by Harper Collins.
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Post by shayne on Jun 12, 2008 6:57:36 GMT 8
Shane's Exclusive - Autobiography Article & Pictures
Shane's turn to reveal all about his life within Westlife and his family. Includes extracts from thier forthcoming book. Westlife:Our Story.
He is the lead singer in the best boyband in the world.. but Westlifes' Shane Filan nearly blew it with Cowell after a boozy night out
Shane, regarded by pop mogul Louis Walsh as one of the best singers in the business, turned up for an early audtion with a serious hangover.
After a dodgy performance Cowell, who was a famous talent spotter with Sony in those days,told Walsh he didnt like Shane and wouldnt do a deal with Westlife.
It was only due to Walshs sneaky tactics ,that cowell agreed to see them again... and help make them one of the bigest pop acts in the world.
Shane(28)spills the beans on the near miss in their new book.
He says "Ill never forget that audition."
"I performed terribly but the rest of the lads were great " but i knew i hadnt done the job. "
"Simon seemes uninpressed and chatted briefly to Louis and then Louis gestured us into another room,
"Louis grabbed me and half hit me ,What the f*** was that Shane,It was s***. He doesnt like you. He was really mad at me. I had never seen him like that before and it scared me.
He was so passionate about the band, and so into what he was doing..He couldnt believe i was so poor to SImon.
He said "I was counting on you and you let me down. You look terrible , whats up with you??
"Well i had a few drinks last night, and he was fuming at me..I was apologising to him but i knew he was right. He told us that Simon only liked Mark and Kian and particularly didnt like me.
"Louis spoke to Simon prvately and told him he would get new members in. he would work on the band and sort it all out. and if Simon would come back one more time he would love it.
"He did come back and he did love it. He didnt even notice i was the same guy. Thats the reason we got the deal. "
Dad of one Shane whose wife Gillain is expecting their second child in September now has enjoyed 10 years at the top, and has a string of number one albums under his belt.
But he says his sucess isnt just due to the other members of the band but to Gillian, who kept him on the straight and narrow from the beginning.
Theres no other women in the world who comes close to her, says Shane in his new book. Westlife Our Story
When westlife first started Gillian was just at college and didnt want Westlife to affect her.
She wanted a normal college life and as i remember it no one said to us "You cant have a girlfriend"./
If they had said that it was essential it wolid have been the end of the band for me becuase i wanted Gillain in my life above eveyrhting else.
"But it was her idea not to go publicing it so much. She wanted her own friends and her own time at college.
"She didnt want to just be the girl who is going out with Shane from Westlife, She got Westlife and that there would be attention from girls -and she knew how to handle it and had no problem with it at all.
"Id fallen in love with her and that was that. " So the band situation didnt affect us. Gillian was the perect women for me.
Despite the public and the fans not knowing much about the blonde in Shane's life Gillian was playing a big part.
She discouraged Shane from drinking too much, during the bands wilders days.
Shane says, i was a nutbag on vodka and red bull, Id go out to a club with Gillian and id be drinking it and forget about her for an hour and a half. just be chatting to [and having a laugh. Eventually Gillain would be like where are you?? So i stopped drinking at it didnt agree with me...
But at he time we were young fellas, 20 ,21 out having a good time and we were famous.
We were in this band, outselling everywhere. we had money in our pockets. It was pure joy.
"Whats the point in doing all the work if you cant enjoy the benefits. We just kind of enjoyed them a bit too much. After dating since they were teens, Shane and Gilliann, who is also kians cousin. wed in december 2003, Their first child was born in July 2005,
And despite women constanmtly throwing themsleves at handsome Shane, he says hed never risk his fmaily for anything.
Some blokes alwasy think the grass is greener. but thats a fools game he says.
Id never be such as eejit to go behind Gillians back.I actually dont think i could do it. "Nobody is worth the risk of me loosing what i have with Gillian . The greatest day of life was when my beautiful daughter Nicole,l was born, Best dayt ever, nothng ever comes close to your first baby being born.
ill never foregt it, her little head, her eyes closed but looking at me, it was incredible.
I just started crying my eyes out and so did Gillain. we weer proper bawling and we were sohappy, we were ecstatic.
Car crazy shane who once spend 13 000 euros insuring a Ferrari 500, said "Gillian was the girl i wanted to spend the rest of my life with, long before westlife or college or any of this.
I loved her then and I just wanted to do what she wanted, and now i love her more than ever.
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Post by shayne on Jun 12, 2008 6:58:32 GMT 8
Nicky's Exclusive - Autobiography Article & Pictures
Nicky Byrne's turn to give us an insight to his life with Westlife and his family.
Includes extracts from their forthcoming book Westlife:Our Story
WESTLIFE'S Nicky Byrne has opened his heart about the pain of leaving his tiny twins in hospital for five weeks - and how they’ve now changed his life for ever
Adorable jay and Rocco were born six weeks premature on April 20 2007 weighing just 3lb 110z and 2lboz.
Beaming mum and dad Nicky and Georgina were assured the tots were healthy - but because they were so small they had to remain in the intensive care unit in Dublin Holles Street, life was turned upside down for Nicky who was in the middle of a run of gigs at the point theatre and Georgina had to go to the hospital three times a day for feeds. And although the pair were over the moon and so happy with their boys. the worry and stress eventually got to them
In Westlife’s new book – Westlife: Our Story Nicky 29 admits it took its toll we were exhausted we both cried every night at leaving the boys in there without us it was heart breaking
I was obviously worried because they were so small and it was there boys but our professor said to both of us they are fine they are perfectly healthy. Then Georgina was coming but the babies had to stay in ice cube for a while yet we were very sad that the boys had to stay behind. It was a very hard time for the both of us.
The Byrne twins finally arrive home at the couples Malahide home the end of June. and despite the sleepless nights nappy changing and crying Nicky and Georgina have never been happier, Nicky said “jay finally arrived home first. Rocco was to come home a week later and I remember sitting in this big house with this tiny baby in a cot. Motionless just listing to him breathing. now we got them both home I couldn’t be happier Rocco and jay have change my life I’m so lucky. Childhood sweethearts Nicky and Georgina 28 met at school and have been together since they were 16.
They married in 2003 at an exclusive chateau in France and hello magazine pain big money for there wedding pictures. When Dublin born Nicky landed a spot in Westlife through open auditions his dreams came true. He had previously wanted a career as a professional football and was even signed by Leeds. But Christmas 1997 he knew he was finished with football. Just months later he became a member of west life and while he loved most of it the journey hasn’t all been plain sailing. In fact at one point he was so convinced the band was over he took acting classes in New York and began to thinking a future without Westlife.
Nicky said Westlife had become such a commercial success that an album that shifted less then a million copies in the UK was seen as a disappointment allow us to be frank was our worst ever seller so far so we were worried. I’m not sure about the rest of the lads I was certainly considering my future. Collectively we hold our hands up and said we need better songs. So we called a meeting with Louis and said we are stale the media is interested we feel the fans are a bit bored of it. At this point I was having doubts. None of us wanted to let it go we all wanted to do our best to save it. But was it saveable?
So as I’ve said I started considering my future I really thought that was the end of Westlife I did an acting course in America at the New York film academy. I thought if I needed to find a new path then acting could be it. I’m a very driven person and I was quite happy to start of at the bottom of the ladder again. But this happened in fact thanks to the success of you raise me up the first single of Westlife new album. Westlife became more popular than ever. However there was another time Nicky almost walked out because he felt he wasn’t part of the group. he explained with the rat pack there was no harmonies it was all pretty much lead vocals so on some songs I wasn’t singing at all. I’m not the type of person to just pick up the cheque and f**k that so I wanted to ask Steve record producer what the story was
Shane kindly had a word with Steve Mac for me. Trying to work it out. But when the final mixes of the new album came through I couldn’t see that much has changed. I could sense the lads listing anxiously to see what vocals the mixes were using. I wasn’t happy at all I’ve broken my b*****ks singing. All day on these songs you all have done your best for me and Louis has done his best for me there’s nothing here to do. So I flew home that day and said I’ve had enough of this lads until there this changes I’m at home.
I could not face doing the whole tour and all the promotion as well while Shane and mark sang their parts, I was just standing there, are we not a team? I thought, the boys agreed and wanted to use more of my vocals, even at the expense of their own.
I decided to call Steve Mac. I had to stand up for what I believed in and he rightly had to stand up for what he believed in .After about one hour talking very honestly with each other he agreed to use more of my vocals.
That was a very difficult time for me in Westlife, I would never put a gun to the lads heads and I would never walk away from this band unless something absolutely catastrophic happened - we are far to close for that as mates as much as anything else. But there are certain things that need to be there to keep it ticking -for all of us-and that’s why I felt very dark towards the end of these sessions ,It sounds pretty dramatic ,but in reality I do not think I was going to leave the band. It would have to be something very disastrous to make me leave Westlife.
PICTURES ARE AT THE WL CAPTURED BOARD TNX!
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Post by sparkles on Jun 12, 2008 15:09:57 GMT 8
Awww... I want the book so badly!
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Post by liferenz on Jun 12, 2008 16:56:25 GMT 8
where's mark?
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Post by shayne on Jun 12, 2008 23:13:52 GMT 8
it comes one day at a time
here's mark's
Westlife's Mark Feehily has told how helping other gay men deal with their sexuality makes him prouder than the lads huge career sucess.
Mark came out to the public in August 2005, six months after he started dating singer Kevin McDaid.
Since then he has had many young men confess his announcement ,gave them courage to admit they were gay, and Mark says he has been touched to the core by their personal stories.
The 28 year old revealed, "If i could help someone in a similar situation to mine, give them strength, a few ideas, or even a little bit of confidence to come out, and make their life happier, then that would mean the world to me.
"More than any number one,any sell our tour, iTs very special to me to have that positive effect on someone elses life. "
"One particualr occasion stands out, About a year after i came out, a young lad came up to me in a nightclub and told me how my coming out had helped him"
This young lad said him mum had a newspaper with an article about me and he mentioned it to her and then seized the moment to come out to hs parents.
"He said it was all brillaint after, and he just wanted to thank me personally for helping that happen. I was choked. "
"There were definite tears in my eyes and i was stuttering but i stayed composed. After he had gone i couldnt stop thinking about his story and what had happened. It had a huge impact on me. When something like that happen to you it litterally, makes you want to cry with joy. "
"It is somehting i will take with me when i leave this planet, as one of my proudest moments in my life. "
The deep thinker of the band, mark, from Sligo is happier now than ever. But he does admit that being a gay man in rural Ireland, wasnt easy.
For years he kept his sexuality secret, and even denied it to himself.
In Westlife new book. Westlife - Our Story, Mark says. Im the type of person who has to be myself to be truly happy.
"For a long itme in Westlife and me personal life, I couldnt do that as the public didnt know i was gay. "So there was a time in my life when it was underlined by darkness and unhappiness. "
"I wasnt consumed by this issue all day. During that periso i wasnt ready to confront my feelings. "
"But if there was ever a quiet minute alone, Id sit down and there was a definite sadness in me "
"I wasnt pretending, i just hadnt come to a conclusion about it yet, There was still a dailogue in my head that was unresolved. "
"Then i met Kevin and everything changed "
And since making the life changing decision the shy gay with the big voice had realised it was the best thing he ever did.
He admitted that meeting kevin.....
"There was however a 6 month window, when we kept our relationship quiet, but i hated it, sneaking around, being evasive, it was dreadful. "
"But my growing feelings for Kevin, became the catalyst for me to come out. I had fallen in love with someone whos im wanted to share everything with, I was in heaven but only in secret. "
"Well i wasnt having it, I began to think, "You know what, Im loving this and am so happy ,eveyrhting im doing is good, nothing here needs hiding or covering up. "
"Before i knew it i wanted to come out in public, and the day came i was very veryhappy. "
"You might think of a gy pop star siting crying in the house, and thinking of the fall out. "
"Nothing could be further from the truth, I knew it was going to be in eveyr paper the next day, and i welcomed that. It was exciting. I can honestly say i have not had one bad remark or one bad letter ."
"Things have really changed so much better in the society. "
"And my grandparents, parents, family and friends all went out of their way to make sure I knew that they loved me, and how proud of me theyre were. "
"The thought of never coming out, as some people sadly do, and living to a ripe old age, behind a mask it just to awful. "
"Talking openly about im being gay wasnt the only struggle within Westlife. "
In the earlier days with the band, he also battlled with his weight, and dealing with the pressure of fame, and a life in a million away from his modest country upbringing.
Mark added "Theres a huge focus on appearance and image, and that has been something ive had to deal with over the years. "
"I felt under pressure about my weight for a long time. Once somebody from the Westlife camp went into my hotel room and removed all the sweets from my mini-bar, "
"It wasnt until about half way through the bands first ten years that i decided, I had to let all of it go. "
"I was used to be seen by some people as a "Product". I was used to being spoken about a fat. But i didnt like it. "
"But i knew i wanted to continue with my dream, and the band, and if that tohappen i knew i had to stop worrying baout these things. "
"Once i let go of all that not only did i enjoy the band more ,I also realised these comments, these people, these attitudes had toughened me up, which in the long run has helped me."
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Post by shayne on Jun 14, 2008 13:04:32 GMT 8
Extract From Autobiography! We've got an online exclusive especially for Westlife fans - a sneaky peek at part of Westlife: Our Story! Here's an extract from Chapter 7, in which the boys discuss signing their first ever record deal. We'll be bringing you more from the chapter tomorrow, in which Mark discusses how he felt at the meeting and Nicky reveals a bit about the business side of the band, so make sure you check back in! The book comes out on 16th June: pre-order your copy here. Signing the actual record contract was amazing, recounts Nicky. It was in the first week of November 1998, while we were still on tour with Boyzone. A lot of the lads hadn't even been to London before; I was a little more experienced in that I'd been to America, Canada and much of Europe with family holidays and football tournaments. Louis was travelling to the record label separately, so it was literally the five of us travelling over on a plane to meet him there. We made our way from the airport to this big office block where the record company was based. I remember that standing there, ready to go in, we were just giddy kids. Looking back, as soon as we entered that doorway, all of our lives changed beyond recognition. We went into a big meeting room that is now Simon Cowell's private office but back then was just a huge conference room. Sonny Takhar was also there, Simon's right-hand man who has also been instrumental in our career.We knew it was a big record deal - we signed for five albums on a contract worth several million pounds, so, understandably at that age, we all thought that once we'd signed this piece of paper, we'd be millionaires. Of course that money is split over the albums and it has to go towards paying for some incredibly expensive stuff like accommodation, clothes, cars, video shoots, recording costs and so on. It's funny, looking back, because we'd all been looking at what cars we could afford. Rather than get proper carried away, I was thinking of buying maybe a Toyota MR2, you know, for 15 grand, say - nothing too ridiculous. That's how you think at that age. Signing that record deal was all my dreams come true, says Kian. It really was a lifelong dream and here we were, signing the contract, about to record an album, put singles out, travel the world in a band and make music. It was just amazing. It was the stuff of dreams, absolutely, recalls Shane. All my life I'd been looking forward to this moment. It was one of my major goals in life, but I never thought it would happen. I knew I wanted to get married and I hoped I'd be a father, but I never thought I'd get a massive record deal. It's such a prized achievement for a band. I can't really ever forget that excitement, that moment sitting in that office, all the thoughts buzzing around my head: We are going to be pop stars! We might have a hit single! Then the teenage thoughts kick in, like Maybe I'm going to be a millionaire! Then, most importantly of all, I can go and buy a new car! Credit/Source: www.westlife.com
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Post by shayne on Jun 14, 2008 13:04:51 GMT 8
Autobiography Extract: Part 2 Read part two of our fantastic preview of Westlife: Our Story! Signing the record deal was a huge decision for me, says Mark. I can clearly remember actually putting the pen on the page where I was supposed to sign. I can see it now, the pen moving in slow motion as I signed my name. At that precise second, a thousand thoughts were buzzing through my brain. I was excited about the deal, naturally, but I was very nervous about what it meant for my life back in Sligo. I was really scared that it might change things. Of course it changed everything beyond recognition. Subconsciously, I must have known this and that is why signing that piece of paper was such a big deal for me. There I was, an 18- year-old country boy, flying into this big corporate office in the middle of London, being surrounded by all these big names in the business, working for this worldwide company, sitting by accountants, lawyers, managers - it felt insane. I think in the back of my mind I'd been preparing to go to college, like a lot of kids do from around Sligo, then suddenly here I was signing a multi-million pound record deal with all the heavy responsibility that comes with that. Maybe for a kid brought up in Camden, it would have been an easy day out, but for me the contrast was so severe. Exciting, thrilling, scary, daunting, all at once. I'm just trying to be really honest here. As I signed, the noise of the city outside was as far from my idyllic country childhood as you can imagine. I could feel that distance sitting there in that room, writing my name on that sheet of paper. Right there and then, I put a barrier up. This is not going to change me, this is not going to change my life, I kept saying to myself. It was important at that point to have that feeling. It reassured me. I hadn't travelled like Nicky, I didn't have the confidence of Shane, Kian and Brian. But, ultimately, the draw to sing was greater than the desire for my life not to change, so I signed the contract. But I just kept telling myself it wouldn't really change anything. How wrong can you be? The business side of it hit us instantly, says Nicky. We had to set up a company, we hired an accountant, Alan McEvoy, and we got lawyers and tour managers lined up, all sorts. It was explained to us that the company, Blue Net, should own the band name because if any member were to leave then the band could continue without legal problems. We just agreed - it sounded reasonable and besides, no one was going to leave Westlife, were they? As soon as we signed the deal, we spoke with Louis and he said, ‘Right, you're going straight into a recording studio.' Game on. Credit/Source: www.westlife.com
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Post by mylove74 on Jun 19, 2008 23:08:09 GMT 8
Thanks for the posts. Unfortunately I haven't got the time to read them. Looks like that autobiography is quite comprehensive and worthwhile to have a copy esp for Westlife fans who have been there since the beginning.
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