article from U Magazine, 16 January 2000
Thanks to Melanie - meln_rulez@hotmail.com for this article!
Westlife: Five gorgeous lads all set out to take over pop kingdom with heart-wrenching lyrics, soulful voices and er, good looks. In an exclusive with U, Mubashera Asgher spoke to Mark from Westlife to find the lowdown on what really makes these five lads from Ireland tick?
With looks so good, you'd tend to wonder whether these lads can really sing, or do they just get by based on their puppy dog eyes and 'butter-wouldn't-melt' smiles?
But after one listen to Westlife's debut, self-titled album. Your mind will be made up. After all, how many artists/bands can boast the fact that their debut single entered the charts as number one?
And that's not all, after Swear it again, their second and third singles If I let you go and Flying Without Wings, both accomplished the same feat. And their new single, Seasons In The Sun, was number one of the millennium. Cool, huh? We figured we just had to get our hands on these lads, and what we want, we get!! So, keep reading.
Why did you change the name of the band from Westside to Westlife?
Its true that until last year, we were called Westside, but we had to change the name because there were some companies in America called Westside and we wanted to avoid any problems in the future, especially since we want to break into the American market. Now we're called Westlife because three of us are from Sligo in the West of Ireland and this is our "life"...
What with Ronan being your manager, and Westlife being five Irish lads, that's bound to bring about a lot of comparison between you and Boyzone? Do you ever get fed up of it, or is it and image you're trying to portray?
It is inevitable that we will be compared to Boyzone, in the same way as they were compared to Take That when the started. It takes a bit of time to create your own personality -there are so many new bands out there right now. We are proud to be Irish though ...there have been many great Irish bands like BZ, U2, The Corrs, The Cranberries, etc, and we would be thrilled if people talked about us in the same way in a few years' time. As far as Ronan is concerned, he's helped us in many ways. Although he is busy with his own career, he still finds time to call us and give us encouragement and little tips on how to perform and how to be sensible with our money.
Apparently, as part of your contract, none of you are allowed to marry or have kids for the next five years. Isn't that a bit of a bother then? What if you fall in love?
The fact is that we had a "gentleman's agreement" with our manager that no one from the band would get married for five years.
Really it makes sense ...it would be very difficult to concentrate totally on the band if you had a wife and children. But Nicky has a girlfriend, Georgina, who is the Irish Prime Minister's daughter and although they rarely see each other, they have managed to keep things during this year.
From being regular guys, Westlife have been catapulted into fame. How do you cope with the sudden popularity... girls throwing themselves at you, the drastic change in your lifestyles?
Its been strange but great ...we just need to keep our feet on the ground and nor forget who we are and where we come from. I mean 18 months ago, Bryan was working in McDonalds and now he's in a band which had sold millions of records!
We all miss our families but we have also been to some amazing places and met some amazing people this year. We are doing what we've always dreamed of. It's hard work but its also a lot of fun and yes, its nice when girls seem to give you more attention!
So what is your families' reaction to your amazing success?
It's excellent! Initially, with our first number one, no one could believe what had really happened. All our Mums are over the moon. Everyone at home is still throwing parties, our relatives have become minor celebrities. It's so cool. We just hope to God that this success doesn't fade away as soon as it's come. We're going to try our hardest to make it last. And as long as you guys keep buying our singles and albums, hopefully, we'll still be around, years later.
What's it like having your debut single enter the UK charts at number one?
Unbelievable really. We were doing some recording when we found out and we were like, "Wow!". We all hugged each other and then just got back to recording. I think it took a long time to sink in that we actually debuted at number one!!
On a professional level, which is the one artist you'd most like to work with?
I think we'd all like to work with either the Backstreet Boys or Mariah Carey.
So have Westlife got a bad boy side to them as well?
Well, we are much about like any other group of five lads, but I'd like to think we try to be nice to everyone we meet.
So what so you do when you're not on tour, or in the recording studio? How do you like to pass your time?
We all just like to relax ...spend time with our families, watch telly, play soccer. Shane likes to ride horses, I play a bit of tennis if the weather's good. And catch up with the friends we haven't seen for ages.
What kind of music do you listen to in your spare time?
I love listening to Mariah Carey and TLC. Kian's into the Backstreet Boys and Metallica ...a bit of a contrast there! Nicky listens to a lot of Phil Collins and Boyzone, Bryan loves the Beatles and Shane's heavily into Michael Jackson and the Backstreet Boys.
How important is it too look good in the music industry?
I guess in a way it's important to look good and it's true we need to spend money on how we look these days. We have a great team of people who help us. But without great songs and good voices you are never going to really succeed long term in the music world.
How do you deal with the negative press?
We often hear stories or rumours about us and we never know where they come from. Poor Bryan, for example, is always been linked up with different girls.
First it was the girl from France, who he's only met once, then it was Miss World, and then Jamie from Hepburn. People twist our words all the time. I hate it when people get the wrong idea about us.
What's the worst thing about being a famous popstar?
Not getting enough sleep, losing a bit of privacy and not seeing our families.
What's the best?
Money and girls! And travelling the world. There's always girls around us nowadays. It's great though, we can't complain. We appreciate their support very much.
Who's the laydees-man in the band?
Probably Kian ...although Bryan has his moments...
Have any of you guys ever been in love?
I've never been in love. Bryan probably has been once or twice, Shane a few times and Kian! Far too many times to mention. Nicky, like I said is with Georgina.
What did Westlife do for the millennium?
I was in the South of France with my family. I'm not too sure about Bryan and Kian, but Nicky and Shane brought in the new year in Sydney.
After a Christmas number one, are you guys working on anything, or still celebrating being the last number one of the millennium?
It's excellent at Christmas time. But no, we're not just sitting back doing nothing. We should have a new single out in the next couple of months. We can't say which one as yet, but keep listening. You'll soon find out.