Westlife
From left to right, Shane, Nicky, Mark and Kian in concert
Background information
Origin	Sligo, Ireland Dublin, Ireland
Genre(s)	Pop Teen Pop Adult Contemporary Ballad Pop-Rock Dance-Pop
Years active	1998–present
Label(s)	Sony BMG RCA Syco Music Arista
Website	www.westlife.com
Members
Nicky Byrne Kian Egan Mark Feehily Shane Filan
Former members
Bryan McFadden (1998-2004)

Westlife is an Irish pop band that was formed on July 3, 1998. Sligo (disambiguation Sligo ( (ˈslaɪɡoʊ "sly-go" Irish ˈɕlʲɪɟəx is the County town of County Sligo in Ireland. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is marketed and oriented toward Teenagers In 1996 the Girl group Spice Girls released their single " Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. Pop rock is a hybrid of Pop music and Rock music that uses catchy pop style with light lyrics over top of guitar-based songs Dance-pop is a style of Electronic dance music and a subgenre of Pop music that evolved from Disco, circa 1981 that combines dance beats with a pop In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Sony BMG Music Entertainment is a diverse music and entertainment group RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. Syco is a company founded by record executive and music producer Simon Cowell in 2002 Arista Records (ˈɛərɪstə is an American Record label. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operates under the Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne (born 9 October 1978, Baldoyle, County Dublin) is the oldest member of the popular Irish Kian John Francis Egan, more commonly known as Kian Egan (born April 29 1980) is one of four (previously five members of Irish boy band Marcus Michael Patrick Feehily (born 28 May, 1980 in Sligo, Ireland) better known as Mark Feehily, is a member of the popular Shane Steven Filan (born 5 July 1979) is a singer in the Irish pop band Westlife. Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980 in Artane, Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish Singer and Songwriter, who rose Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) They were signed on by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. } Simon Phillip Cowell (born October 7 1959 is an English artist-and-repertoire ("A&R" executive and Television personality / producer Michael Louis Vincent (born 5 August 1952 in Kiltimagh, County Mayo) better known as Louis Walsh, is an Irish Music manager, and Over the years, Westlife's music has evolved from teen pop to an adult contemporary sound, with an emphasis on ballads. Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is marketed and oriented toward Teenagers In 1996 the Girl group Spice Girls released their single " Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in

The group's original lineup comprised of Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden. Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne (born 9 October 1978, Baldoyle, County Dublin) is the oldest member of the popular Irish Kian John Francis Egan, more commonly known as Kian Egan (born April 29 1980) is one of four (previously five members of Irish boy band Marcus Michael Patrick Feehily (born 28 May, 1980 in Sligo, Ireland) better known as Mark Feehily, is a member of the popular Shane Steven Filan (born 5 July 1979) is a singer in the Irish pop band Westlife. Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980 in Artane, Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish Singer and Songwriter, who rose Filan is the band's lead vocalist; however, Feehily shares the part of the lead vocals on certain songs as did McFadden before his departure. Some of the members can play musical instruments: Egan (drums, guitar, piano), McFadden (guitar, piano) and Feehily (tin whistle, piano). All of the band members are songwriters, although most of their hits have been composed by external writers. On March 9, 2004, McFadden departed from the band to spend more time with his family and to work on his solo projects. The remaining members remained in the band, which is now a quartet. In Music, a quartet (quatuor Quartett quartetto cuarteto is a method of instrumentation (or a medium used to perform a musical composition and consisting of four parts

Westlife has sold more than 40 million records worldwide. They garnered 14 number one singles in the United Kingdom, the third-highest in UK history, tying with Cliff Richard and tailing behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Sir Cliff Richard, OBE, (born Harry Roger Webb on 14 October 1940 is an English Singer, Actor and Businessman. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 The band has also won numerous awards such as the "Best Irish Pop Act" at the annual Ireland Meteor Awards and ITV "Record of the Year" award in the UK. This is a list of the major awards which Westlife won or was nominated for from 1998 to date The Meteor Ireland Music Awards (colloquially called "The Meteors") are the national Music Awards of Ireland. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent The Record of the Year is an award voted by the UK public It was given in conjunction with a television programme of the same name The band has also broken a few top records, including "Music artist with most consecutive number 1's in the UK" and the "Biggest selling arena act in the UK".

History

Formation

Prior to Westlife, Kian, Mark and Shane along with fellow Sligonians Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron and Michael Garrett, were part of a six-member pop vocal group called 'IOYOU'. The group was groomed and managed by choreographer Mary McDonagh along with two other informal managers and they released a single titled "Together Girl Forever". Louis Walsh, the manager of the 1990s boy band Boyzone, was contacted by Shane's mother and came to know about the band. However, IOYOU did not meet Simon Cowell's approval for a record deal with BMG, thus changes were needed. Two members of IOYOU were given the sack and auditions were held in Dublin where Byrne and McFadden were recruited. A third original member of IOYOU, Michael Garrett, was also dropped. The new group, formed on July 3, 1998, was re-named Westside but as the name was already taken by another band, it was changed to Westlife. Boyzone singer Ronan Keating was brought in to co-manage the band with Walsh. ^[1]

Original lineup

Dreams Come True - Unbreakable (1998-2002)

Swear It Again Asian EP

Westlife's first big break came in 1998 when they opened for Boyzone in Dublin. Later that year, they won the 'Best New Tour Act' award at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. The Smash Hits Poll Winners Party was an awards ceremony which ran from 1988 to 2005. ^[2] In March 1999, the band released their first single, "Swear It Again" which immediately topped the charts in Ireland and in UK for two weeks. " Swear It Again " is a song by Westlife, released as the band's first single Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[3] Their second single, "If I Let You Go", released in August 1999 along with the highly acclaimed "Flying Without Wings" (their first 'Record of the Year'), released in October the same year, also followed suit. " If I Let You Go " is a song by Westlife, released in the United Kingdom on August 9 1999 as the band's second single "Flying Without Wings" is a song by Westlife, from their self-titled debut album "Flying Without Wings" was also included on the soundtrack of the Warner Brothers film, "Pokemon 2000". Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and is the second Pokémon feature-length film complementing the Orange Islands saga of the series and featuring several new Pokémon including Lugia and Slowking The first album, simply titled Westlife, was released in November 1999 and peaked at #2 in the UK. Westlife was Irish Boyband Westlife 's debut studio album and was released on November 1 1999 in the UK. Ironically, the album was the biggest chart dropper in the music history of UK, falling from #3 to #37, and is also the band's only original studio album that never reached #1. In December 1999, the double a side fourth single was released,"I Have A Dream"/"Seasons In The Sun", knocked Cliff Richard's "The Millennium Prayer" off the top spot and earning them the 1999 UK Christmas number-one single. " I Have a Dream " which had the working titles "I Know a Song" and "Take Me in Your Armpit" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA " Seasons in the Sun " is a song made famous as a worldwide hit Song for Terry Jacks in 1974. " The Millennium Prayer " is a 1999 charity single by Cliff Richard. Each year record companies compete for the Christmas number one single spot on the British charts. ^[4][5] The fifth and last single from the album, "Fool Again", also peaked at #1. "Fool Again" is a song by Westlife, released as their fifth single ^[6] Then, the band went on a short UK and Asian tour in support of their debut album before releasing a second album.

"Coast to Coast" was released a year after and was another #1 UK album beating the Spice Girls' Forever album. Coast to Coast is the sophomore album by Irish Boyband Westlife, released on November 6, 2000 on RCA records The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Spice Girls are a BRIT Award -winning English pop Girl group formed in 1994 It becomes the country's 4th biggest selling album of 2000 and is Westlife's biggest selling album to date. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ^[7][8] The album was preceded by a duet with Mariah Carey on the Phil Collins' classic "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" and the original song, "My Love" (the song that bagged their second 'Record of the Year' award). Philip David Charles Collins, LVO (born 30 January 1951 Chiswick, London) is an English Singer-songwriter, Drummer " Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now " is a song originally written and recorded by British singer Phil Collins. "My Love" is a song by Westlife, released as a single from their album Coast to Coast. Both singles reached #1 on the UK charts. ^[9][10]With this, Westlife broke an unexpected record of having their first seven singles debut at the top of the UK charts, tying with The Beatles. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 However, in December 2000, they failed to secure their eighth chart-topper in a row with their UK and Ireland only single "What Makes A Man" when kid's favourite, Bob The Builder's "Can We Fix It", was crowned as the Christmas number-one single of that year. " What Makes A Man " is a song by Westlife, released as a single from their second album Coast to Coast. Bob the Builder is a Children's television character created by Keith Chapman. " Can We Fix It? " is the name of the Theme song from the Children's television programme Bob the Builder, produced by Hot Animation ^[11] Outside the UK/Ireland territories, they have released "I Lay My Love on You" and "When You're Looking Like That" and gained chart success. I Lay My Love on You was a single by Westlife, released in 2001 only in Australia SE Asia and Europe except UK and Ireland " When You're Looking Like That " was a single by Irish band Westlife. In 2001, the boys launched their first world tour, "Where Dreams Come True Tour", unofficially nicknamed "The No Stools Tour" due to the band's reputation of performing while perched on stools. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. See also Westlife Tours The Where Dreams Come True Tour was Westlife 's first world tour covering the UK, Europe and Asia ^[12][3]

Westlife released World Of Our Own, their third album, in November 2001. World of Our Own is the third studio Album by Irish boyband Westlife, released on 12 November 2001 (see 2001 in music "Uptown Girl", "Queen of My Heart" and "World of Our Own" were released as singles, as of which all peaked at #1 in the UK. " Uptown Girl " is a Song performed by musician Billy Joel, whose lyrics deal with a working-class "downtown man" attempting to woo a wealthy "Queen of My Heart", an original song by Irish boyband Westlife, was released as the lead single from the album World Of Our Own in "World of Our Own" is a song by Westlife, released as a single in 2002 ^[13][14][15] "Bop Bop Baby" was also released as a single but it peaked at #5 in the UK Singles Chart. " Bop Bop Baby " is a song by Westlife, which was released as a single in 2002 The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry In 2002, Westlife went on their second world tour, the World Of Our Own Tour (In The Round)^[3]

Greatest Hits Vol. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. See also Westlife Tours The World Of Our Own Tour saw Westlife touring the UK and Europe in 2002 1, UK Version

The band released their eleventh UK #1 single, "Unbreakable", in 2002. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located " Unbreakable " is a song by Westlife, released as the first single from their first Greatest Hits album released in November 2002 See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[16] Amidst rumors of a split, Westlife released their first greatest hits album in November that same year. Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1 zoomed all the way to #1 in the UK. Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol 1 was the fourth Album and first Greatest hits album by Irish boyband Westlife and was released on The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The release was followed by the double a side single, "Tonight/Miss You Nights", which debuted at #3 in the UK. " Tonight "/" Miss You Nights " is a song released as a double-A side single by Irish pop vocal band Westlife. ^[17] In 2003, Westlife went on to their third world tour, The Greatest Hits Tour, shrugging off rumors of a split. See also Westlife Tours The Greatest Hits Tour is a concert tour of the Irish pop band Westlife which covered the UK and Europe in 2003 ^[18]

Turnaround - Departure of Brian McFadden (2003-2004)

In September 2003, Westlife released "Hey Whatever", which peaked at #4 on the UK Charts. Hey Whatever was a single by Westlife and was released on 15 September 2003. ^[19] Their fourth studio album, Turnaround, was then released in November, earning the band another UK #1 album. Turnaround was the fifth Album by Irish boy band Westlife and it was released on 24 November 2003. "Mandy", a cover of the Barry Manilow hit, was released in November 2003. Barry Manilow (born June 17, 1943) is an American Singer-songwriter, Musician, arranger, producer and conductor Their version won them their third Record of the Year award in under five years. ^[20] Their version of Mandy is also considered as the highest single leaper to the top (from #200 to #1) in the UK music history. ^[21] "Obvious" was released as the final single from the album, charting at #3. ^[22]

On 9 March 2004, just three weeks prior to embarking on their fourth world tour, Bryan McFadden left the band to spend more time with his family and work on solo projects. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980 in Artane, Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish Singer and Songwriter, who rose On that day, a press conference was held where all the band's members were present and had an emotional individual speeches. His final public performance as part of Westlife was at Newcastle Upon Tyne's Powerhouse nightclub on 27 February 2004. ^[23][24] He subsequently began a solo career, deciding to revert the spelling of his first name back to its original 'Brian'. His first solo single, "Real To Me" entered the UK chart at #1 and soon after, he released his first solo album, "Irish Son" under Sony Music. Irish Son is the debut solo album by Brian McFadden and was released on November 29, 2004. Sony Music Entertainment is a major global Record label controlled by the Sony Corporation of America, being one of the "big four" record companies ^[25] He went on to release more singles but those releases made moderate success only.

The new age

Allow Us. . . - 10 years (2004-present)

Less than a month after McFadden's departure, the band kicked off their "Turnaround Tour". See also Westlife Tours Turnaround Tour covered the UK and Europe in 2004 the tour was also supposed to appear in China Korea Malaysia Thailand Philippines A live version from the said tour of "Flying Without Wings" was released as an official UK download earning them the title of the very first UK Downloads #1. "Flying Without Wings" is a song by Westlife, from their self-titled debut album They then put out a Rat Pack inspired album, Allow Us to Be Frank, peaking at #3. The Rat Pack was a group of popular entertainers most active between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s Allow Us to Be Frank, a ratpack Tribute album, was the sixth album by Irish boyband Westlife and it was released on 8 November 2004 No singles were released in the UK from this album. "Ain't That A Kick In The Head", accompanied with a music video, was released as a physical single in other European countries. "Smile" and "Fly Me To The Moon", with music videos as well, were released as digital downloads only. " Smile " is a pop song originally used in the soundtrack for the 1936 Charlie Chaplin movie ''Modern Times''. "Fly Me to the Moon" is a Pop standard song written by Bart Howard in 1954 Prior to the album release, Westlife scouted for "the perfect fan" to help promote their album. After X Factor style auditions, they found Joanne Hindley, who recorded "The Way You Look Tonight" with the band. For the original UK version see The X Factor (UK " The Way You Look Tonight " is a song featured in the film Swing Time, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. ^[3] . To mark this special collaboration, a special programme was televised, showing auditions and live performances. Performers included Joanne, Westlife members' fathers and glamour model Katie Price. The band also performed "Fly Me To The Moon" with actor Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26 1959 is an American actor and Film director. Westlife continued to tour Europe as part of their "The Number Ones Tour", before taking a 4 months break from work. See also Westlife Tours Tour Dates February 01 - Belfast - Odyssey Arena 02 ^[26]

In 2005, Westlife returned with their come back single, "You Raise Me Up", which was taken from their Face To Face album. "You Raise Me Up" is a popular song in the inspirational mould Face to Face was the seventh Album by Irish boyband Westlife and it was released in the UK on 31 October 2005. On 6 November 2005, both the album and the single were at #1 in the UK at the same time at the second week of the single. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was the first time that Westlife have held both top album and single position in the same week. ^[27][28] "You Raise Me Up" was awarded as their 4th Record Of The Year in UK for 2005. In December that year, the band released "When You Tell Me That You Love Me", a duet with Diana Ross, as the second single and debuted at its peak position of #2. " When You Tell Me That You Love Me " is a 1991 song released as a single by American soul singer Diana Ross. Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire ^[29] Westlife then released a third single, "Amazing", which debuted at #4 and marked as the band's lowest selling single yet. ^[30] After that, Westlife embarked on the Face To Face Tour, travelling extensively to the UK, Ireland, Australia and Asia. Face to Face Tour was a tour by Westlife which covered the UK in 2006 This tour marks the first time that Westlife have travelled to mainland China for a concert. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National ^[31][32]

In late 2006, Westlife signed a brand new five album deal with Sony BMG. Sony BMG Music Entertainment is a diverse music and entertainment group Their 8th album, The Love Album, was a "love" concept album which consisted of popular love song covers. The Love Album is the eighth album and first Cover album by Irish Boy band Westlife and it was released on November 20 Love is any of a number of Emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong Affection. The album outnumbered other compilation albums by Oasis, The Beatles, and U2 in its first week of release and went straight to #1. A compilation album is an Album ( Music or Spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple Recording artists, often culled from a variety of In Geography, an oasis (plural oases) or Cienega ( Southwestern United States) is an isolated area of vegetation in a Desert, typically The first single from The Love Album was a cover version of Bette Midler's classic, "The Rose", which became their 14th UK #1 single. Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is anAmerican Singer, Actress and Comedian, also known (as her informal stage name as ^[33] This made Westlife the third act (along with Cliff Richard) in the UK to have the most #1 singles, tailing behind Elvis Presley (21) and The Beatles (17). Westlife then kicked off their eight world tour, The Love Tour, in Perth, Australia. See also Westlife Tours The Love Tour was a tour by the band Westlife. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. ^[34] The band then went onto other Australian cities before moving on to South Africa, the UK and Ireland. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The band played their last major concert of 2007 at Bitts Park in Carlisle, England. Carlisle (pronounced CARLYLE(emphasis on the first syllable is a City in northern England the largest settlement in Cumbria. ^[35]

Back to Basics, "Back Home"

On November 5, 2007, Westlife released their ninth album, Back Home, which contained nine new original songs along with three cover songs. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Back Home is the ninth Album by Irish Boy band Westlife and it was released on November 5, 2007. The album debuted at #1 on the UK Music Charts and it was also 2007's fifth biggest selling album in the UK. ^[36] The first single released from the album was a cover of Michael Bublé's "Home", which peaked at #3 in the UK. Michael Steven Bublé (ˈbuːbleɪ or boo-BLAY (born 9 September, 1975) is a Canadian Big band singer and Actor. " Home " is an original single by Canadian pop - Jazz musician Michael Bublé taken from his number-one album It's Time ^[37][38] Months later, "Us Against The World" was released as a UK and Ireland only single. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world However, the single failed to perform well only peaking at #8 and is the band's lowest charting single to date. Meanwhile, "Something Right" was released as the second single in Europe and the Asia Pacific region and performed well on several radio charts. Something Right is an original up-tempo song by Irish Boyband Westlife from their ninth studio album Back Home. "I'm Already There", though not released as a single, managed to chart in the UK based on downloads alone, following a performance on an The X Factor episode. I'm Already There is the fifth album released by American Country music band Lonestar. For versions in other countries see The X Factor (TV series. The X Factor is a British Television Then, they embarked the Back Home Tour which started February 25, 2008. See also Westlife Tours The Back Home Tour is a world tour by Irish boyband Westlife in support of their 9th studio album Back Home This tour marks the first time that the group have traveled and performed to New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

To mark their tenth year in music, Westlife will be staging a special 10 Years Of Westlife sold-out concert at World's thirty-third and Europe's fourth biggest stadium,^[39] Croke Park, on June 1, 2008. Croke Park (Páirc an Chrócaigh in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports Stadium in Ireland (fifth largest in Europe) and the principal stadium Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[40] With a capacity of 82 300, it will be the band's biggest show to date. Shayne Ward will be filling in as a support act for the concert,^[41] which Kian described to be of a pop extravaganza. Shayne Thomas Ward (born October 16, 1984) is an English pop singer who rose to prominence in the United Kingdom and Ireland ^[42] Shane confirmed that a corresponding live concert DVD will be released. The band announced that they will be on hiatus for a year after their Back Home Tour^[43] and that there will not be an album release in 2008 as they will be spending more time on the production of their tenth album. See also Westlife Tours The Back Home Tour is a world tour by Irish boyband Westlife in support of their 9th studio album Back Home 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[44]

On June 16, 2008, HarperCollins UK will release Westlife's autobiography, entitled "Westlife - Our Story". HarperCollins is a Publishing company owned by News Corporation. ^[45][46]

US market

Despite their success in some parts of the world, Westlife have been unable to break into the US market. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Their debut single and music video "Swear It Again", released in the US in 2000, was a hit on mainstream radio and the band even made an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live. " Swear It Again " is a song by Westlife, released as the band's first single The song was #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 year end chart of 2000. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ^[47] A US edition of their debut album, Westlife was also released. Westlife was Irish Boyband Westlife 's debut studio album and was released on November 1 1999 in the UK. ^[48] In 2002, an attempt was made to promote and release a US version of Westlife's World Of Our Own album but was scaled back as the band decided to concentrate promotions in other foreign markets where they had a larger fan base. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the World of Our Own is the third studio Album by Irish boyband Westlife, released on 12 November 2001 (see 2001 in music This was a surprising decision as the band did not maximize the potential and opportunity available when the two most prominent boy bands in the US, the Backstreet Boys and N' Sync, went on hiatus that year. Backstreet Boys are a Grammy -nominated American pop group They were the first group launched by fallen Boy band mogul Lou Pearlman. The Westlife hit song "Flying Without Wings" peaked at #2 in the US when American Idol Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard recorded and released it as his debut single. "Flying Without Wings" is a song by Westlife, from their self-titled debut album American Idol, with the full title American Idol The Search for a Superstar for the first season only is an American reality-competition Christopher Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an American pop, R&B, and gospel Singer. ^[49] The band was disappointed when they heard of the news as they were planning on bringing that song to the American audiences in the near future. In 2003, Westlife went to Nashville to film a TV documentary. While they were there, they gave a live performance of the song "Daytime Friends", originally by country music legend Kenny Rogers, which won them much critical praise. Daytime Friends is the title of Kenny Rogers ' third solo album for United Artists Records, released worldwide in 1977 Kenneth Ray "Kenny" Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston Texas) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter ^[3]

Collaborations

Their first collaborated single, "Against All Odds"

The group had collaborations in some of the most renowned music acts such as Mariah Carey (Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)), Lulu (Back at One), Joanne Hindley (The Way You Look Tonight), Diana Ross (When You Tell Me That You Love Me), Donna Summer (No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) and Delta Goodrem (All Out Of Love) and have performed with Westlife on stage. " Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now " is a song originally written and recorded by British singer Phil Collins. Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE, (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie on 3 November 1948 in Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire Back at One is an album by Brian McKnight released September 21, 1999 by Motown. " The Way You Look Tonight " is a song featured in the film Swing Time, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. " When You Tell Me That You Love Me " is a 1991 song released as a single by American soul singer Diana Ross. Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines December 31, 1948) is an American Singer-songwriter and Musician who gained " No More Tears (Enough Is Enough " is a duet from 1979 by Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand. Delta Lea Goodrem (born 9 November 1984 is a multi ARIA Award winning Australian Singer-songwriter, Pianist and Logie Award winning " All Out of Love " is a pop &ndash ballad by Air Supply, released in 1980 (see 1980 in music) These songs were also recorded and included on various albums. The band have also recorded "If I Had Words" with The Vards, "I Have A Dream" with Indonesian star Sherina and "My Love" with Amr Diab. " I Have a Dream " which had the working titles "I Know a Song" and "Take Me in Your Armpit" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA "My Love" is a song by Westlife, released as a single from their album Coast to Coast. Amr Abdel Basset Abdel Azeez Diab (عمرو دياب (born October 11, 1961) is an Egyptian singer and composer of Jeel music In 2002, Westlife re-recorded their hit song "Flying Without Wings" with Cristian Castro and Korean singer BoA as two separate duets. "Flying Without Wings" is a song by Westlife, from their self-titled debut album Cristian Castro (born Cristian Sáenz Castro on December 8, 1974 in Mexico City) is a Grammy Award -nominated Mexican pop Boa Kwon (born November 5, 1986) have contributed to her commercial success in South Korea and Japan and her popularity throughout Asia

They had performed live duets with some of the biggest names in the music industry including Sinead O'Connor (Silent Night), Donny Osmond (Crazy Horses), Mariah Carey (Never Too Far/Hero Medley), Secret Garden (You Raise Me Up), Lionel Richie (Easy) and Ronan Keating, (Brown Eyed Girl) and (The Dance). Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor (ʃɪˈneɪd oʊˈkɒnɚ (born 8 December 1966 is a Grammy Award winning Irish singer and songwriter " Silent Night " (" Stille Nacht " is a popular Christmas carol. Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born on December 9 1957 in Ogden Utah, USA) is an American Singer, Musician, Actor The Osmonds are an American family pop group who achieved success as teenage music idols in the 1970s " Never Too Far/Hero Medley " is a medley recorded by American singer Mariah Carey and released as a Charity single in 2001 (see 2001 Secret Garden is an award winning Irish - Norwegian duo playing New Instrumental Music, also understood by some as Neo-classical music Lionel Brockman Richie Jr (born June 20 1949 is an Academy Award and Grammy award-winning American Singer, Songwriter, " Easy " is a 1977 hit single by Commodores for the Motown label from their fifth studio album Commodores. Ronan Keating (born March 3, 1977 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish pop Singer who has had hits with boyband Also, prominent stars' Claudia Schiffer, Robert Bathurst, James Wilby, Ioan Gruffudd, Crispin Bonham-Carter, Tim McInnerny and Vinnie Jones have also starred in their music videos. Claudia Schiffer (born August 25, 1970) is a German model and actress who reached the height of her popularity during the 1990s due to her close resemblance Robert Bathurst (born 1958 is a British actor Bathurst was born in Ghana and raised in Ireland and England. James Jonathon Wilby (born 20 February 1958) is an English Actor for Film, TV and stage. Ioan Gruffudd (ˈjoʊæn ˈgrɪfɪð;; born 6 October 1973) is a Welsh Actor. Crispin Bonham-Carter (born 23 September, 1969) is an English Actor. Tim McInnerny ("McInnerny" is stressed on the penultimate syllable (mækɪˈnɝːnɪ (born 18 September 1956) is an English Actor Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones (born 5 January 1965) is an English -born Film actor and ex- footballer, having represented ^{[50][51][52][53][54][55][56][3][57]}

Philanthropy

The band has had been supporting various projects for a charity cause from the start. One of which was when the group re-recorded "I Have A Dream" with Indonesian star Sherina for a UNICEF fund raising. The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 Aside from that, the band released their cover version of "Uptown Girl" as a Comic Relief single, which was one of their biggest selling single to date. " Uptown Girl " is a Song performed by musician Billy Joel, whose lyrics deal with a working-class "downtown man" attempting to woo a wealthy Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work often to relieve tension Apart from it, they have also help the S. I. R. F. organization in aid of the South Asian tsunami victims. Also in November 4, 2005, they have performed together with Christina Aguilera and Diana Ross at Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa for The “Unite of the Stars” Gala Banquet charity concert that supports of four charities: the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Unite Against Hunger, St. Christina María Aguilera (born December 18 1980 is an American pop / R&B Singer and Songwriter. Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. Mary’s Hospital and the Topsy Foundation. They've also been actively helping both the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID), Childline and Children in Need, Cancer Research UK organizations. RNID is the largest charity working to change the world for the UK's 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people ChildLine is a Charity and free 24 hour counselling service for young people provided by The NSPCC. BBC Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Cancer Research UK' is a Cancer research and awareness-promotion charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger Most recently, they performed "Us Against the World" live on Sports Relief, "The Golden Mile Challenge" of Bluebell Wood and participating in Galway's Irish Water Safety Campaign by doing an advertisement. A bluebell wood is a wood that in spring-time has a carpet of bluebells underneath a newly forming Leaf Canopy.

Selected Discography

Main article: Westlife discography

Albums

UK No. This is the comprehensive discography of the Irish pop quartet Westlife. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world See also 1999 in music (UK Musical groups established in 1999 Record Westlife was Irish Boyband Westlife 's debut studio album and was released on November 1 1999 in the UK. See also 2000 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2000 Record labels Coast to Coast is the sophomore album by Irish Boyband Westlife, released on November 6, 2000 on RCA records See also 2001 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2001 Record labels World of Our Own is the third studio Album by Irish boyband Westlife, released on 12 November 2001 (see 2001 in music This is a list of notable events in Music that took place in the year 2006. Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol 1 was the fourth Album and first Greatest hits album by Irish boyband Westlife and was released on See also 2003 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2003 Record labels Turnaround was the fifth Album by Irish boy band Westlife and it was released on 24 November 2003. See also 2004 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2004 Record labels Allow Us to Be Frank, a ratpack Tribute album, was the sixth album by Irish boyband Westlife and it was released on 8 November 2004 Events January 1 - In most of Europe copyright expired on a number of classic pop and rock-and-roll songs recorded in 1954 and earlier including Face to Face was the seventh Album by Irish boyband Westlife and it was released in the UK on 31 October 2005. This is a list of notable events in Music that took place in the year 2006. The Love Album is the eighth album and first Cover album by Irish Boy band Westlife and it was released on November 20 This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007 Back Home is the ninth Album by Irish Boy band Westlife and it was released on November 5, 2007. 1 Singles

References

See also

External links

• Official Westlife Website

• Official Westlife Message Boards
• Official Westlife Myspace

• Official Westlife Bebo
• Official Westlife Facebook

• Official Westlife YouTube