Post by shayne on Mar 31, 2008 12:24:08 GMT 8
I was an arrogant idiot, admits Brian McFadden
BRIAN McFadden admits he was an arrogant idiot who believed his own hype when he embarked on his first solo deal after quitting Westlife.
He claims his already large ego grew in 2004 following the success of first single Real To Me, which led to an album deal with the record giant Sony BMG.
He said: "You do start to believe your own hype. I was very arrogant. And because of the money they spent and the deal I got there was not enough for them to make a profit.
"I could have not taken the p*** with my deal and sold 800,000 albums and everyone would have money. But I had to be an idiot."
The Irish star's confession comes as he launches a second solo album, Set In Stone, on his own label and amid news that he asked - and was turned down - to rejoin Westlife last year.
Brian, 27, says he insisted on being treated like a proper star and wanted no expense spared.
He said: "I had to have first-class flights for me and my team that I didn't need, but I wanted to take advantage for the things they'd done in the past."
His management negotiated huge royalty points for every album sold and he insisted on his team being given two cars at all time - one for smokers, one for non-smokers. He said: "I even had a hairdresser on a retainer of £100,000 a year. It was ridiculous.
"They'd taken the p*** out of us in Westlife for so long, so many things annoyed me, so I took the p*** out of them in my deal. And it came back to bite me in the a**e."
Brian reckons his first album was doomed due to his split with Kerry Katona and fresh relationship with Delta Goodrem, which left his fans with a bad taste in their mouths.
He said: "I could have taken the 10 biggest-selling songs from around the world that year for my album and I still wouldn't have sold anything. It's frustrating."
Brian believes Sony BMG got their revenge when he was due to make his second solo album, telling Australia's Herald Sun that their A&R man tried to pigeonhole him.
Brian said: "He'd play me the No.1 that week - James Morrison, Paolo Nutini, Scissor Sisters - and say 'You need to sound more like that'. But I don't want to be James Blunt, I want to be Brian McFadden.
"The pigeonhole of the song he wanted me to write kept shrinking - no love lyrics, no hate lyrics, no dark melodies. I lost my rag."
Brian split with Sony BMG and believes funding his own material on his label BMF records was the best move he could make. He said: "From there things took off. Every song I wrote I could decide if it was good enough."
Set In Stone is due for release in the UK in the summer.
Source: Daily Record
BRIAN McFadden admits he was an arrogant idiot who believed his own hype when he embarked on his first solo deal after quitting Westlife.
He claims his already large ego grew in 2004 following the success of first single Real To Me, which led to an album deal with the record giant Sony BMG.
He said: "You do start to believe your own hype. I was very arrogant. And because of the money they spent and the deal I got there was not enough for them to make a profit.
"I could have not taken the p*** with my deal and sold 800,000 albums and everyone would have money. But I had to be an idiot."
The Irish star's confession comes as he launches a second solo album, Set In Stone, on his own label and amid news that he asked - and was turned down - to rejoin Westlife last year.
Brian, 27, says he insisted on being treated like a proper star and wanted no expense spared.
He said: "I had to have first-class flights for me and my team that I didn't need, but I wanted to take advantage for the things they'd done in the past."
His management negotiated huge royalty points for every album sold and he insisted on his team being given two cars at all time - one for smokers, one for non-smokers. He said: "I even had a hairdresser on a retainer of £100,000 a year. It was ridiculous.
"They'd taken the p*** out of us in Westlife for so long, so many things annoyed me, so I took the p*** out of them in my deal. And it came back to bite me in the a**e."
Brian reckons his first album was doomed due to his split with Kerry Katona and fresh relationship with Delta Goodrem, which left his fans with a bad taste in their mouths.
He said: "I could have taken the 10 biggest-selling songs from around the world that year for my album and I still wouldn't have sold anything. It's frustrating."
Brian believes Sony BMG got their revenge when he was due to make his second solo album, telling Australia's Herald Sun that their A&R man tried to pigeonhole him.
Brian said: "He'd play me the No.1 that week - James Morrison, Paolo Nutini, Scissor Sisters - and say 'You need to sound more like that'. But I don't want to be James Blunt, I want to be Brian McFadden.
"The pigeonhole of the song he wanted me to write kept shrinking - no love lyrics, no hate lyrics, no dark melodies. I lost my rag."
Brian split with Sony BMG and believes funding his own material on his label BMF records was the best move he could make. He said: "From there things took off. Every song I wrote I could decide if it was good enough."
Set In Stone is due for release in the UK in the summer.
Source: Daily Record