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When the reigning King of Pop, Ronan Keating, lends his stamp of approval to a fellow boy-band waiting in the wings you know you’re on to a good thing. But when Ronan decides the band is so good he wants to co-manage it, well, you know you’re on to a sure thing. “I’d heard the buzz on Westlife before I’ d even met them. But nothing prepared me for just how good they are. As soon as I heard their raw vocal talent I knew I had to be involved," says Ronan, who shares Westlife’s management with Boyzone’s Sevengali manager Louis Walsh. “Westlife are set to follow Boyzone, U2 and The Corrs as the next big Irish act on the international scene."
The Westlife story starts in Sligo, a sleepy town two hours west of Dublin, with Shane Filan(19), Kian Egan (18) and Mark Feehily (18). “The three of us were appearing in local theatre productions and during the interval we would come on and do pop covers" explains Shane. “We knew the band wasn’t fully right," states Mark. ‘The three of us wanted to take it on to the next level but we knew we needed more vocals in the group, so with Louis on board we set up auditions for additional two members." Nicky Byrne (20) says, “I’ve always loved singing and any excuse to get on stage and sing-I was there" laughs Nicky. “When I heard about the audition I went along and sang my heart out." As did his friend Bryan McFadden (18), a fellow Dubliner, who was already making his name for himself in the city as a singer. "We were already mates and I remember saying to Nicky at the audition ‘may the best man win’ and ‘make sure you call me if you get it.’" recalls Bryan. “We were both so keen to be a part of the band." “But there was not contest," says Shane. “Nicky and Bryan were the first two to audition and as soon as we saw them we knew we had found our missing men. We’ve been friends all our lives."
Since their signing in October, Westlife have gone on to join ranks with the likes of Boyzone, the Backstreet Boys and Five after picking up the prestigious 1998 Smash Hits 'Best New Tour Act’ award and have been busy in Europe recording with esteemed producers Biff (Spice Girls), Max Martin (Backstreet Boys) and Steve Mac and Wayne Hector (Five).
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