Way Wonderful Westlife Facts!

16 Magazine, February 2000

Thanks to Renee Barrera for this article!

Chances are you may not have heard of these five Irish boys, but trust us, you’ll want to know everything you can about Mark, Kian, Nicky, Bryan, and Shane! The guys from the Emerald Isle have already had success with their debut album in the U.K. where they hit #1 with their first three singles- something no other boy band in the U.K. has ever done. Now don’t think Westlife is just a group of guys trying to be Irish version of the Backstreet Boys or ‘N Sync. No way! These super-talented guys have major pop appeal but have a sound that is all their own. The guys recently visited 16’s offices and we learned all about this hot new group. We’ll be sure to bring you more on them in the future, but in the meantime, take a moment and meet Westlife!

Bryan McFadden
Date of Birth: April 12, 1980- he’s 19!
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
How He Became Part of Westlife: Bryan heard on the radio that Westlife was holding auditions to add one more member to the group. Turns out his pal Nicky showed up at the auditions too and they both made it to the finals. Shane, Mark, and Kian determined Nicky and Bryan were both perfect for a band and decided to make the band a fivesome.
Life Before Westlife: Bryan was a featured actor in an Irish TV series called Finbarr’s Class.
What Traits does He Fancy In A Girl?: Bryan admits he’s not into sexy girls who wear too much makeup. He’d rather sit at home with a girl who’s comfortable in a pair of jeans and is super down to earth.
Biggest Musical Influence: "As a group, Backstreet Boys, Boyzone, Take That, New Kids On The Block- all the original boy bands and big boy bands." Bryan says, "Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra too."

Nicholas "Nicky" Byrne
Date of Birth: October 9, 1977- he’s 21!
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
How He Became Part of Westlife: Nicky showed up at the audition and says he "just sang (his) heart out." He didn’t even tell his best pal that he was going to go. It was a surprise when he spotted Bryan at the audition too!
Life Before Westlife: Nicky played professional soccer in England for Leeds United before moving back to Ireland to sing in a Karaoke band with his dad.
What Traits does He Fancy In A Girl?: "Kind of a posh girl. Real elegant." Nicky admits. "But eyes are the most important thing. That’s the first thing you see in a girl."
Biggest Musical Influence: Nicky has been inspired by Backstreet Boys, Phil Collins, and even Madonna. "She’s fantastic," he says.

Shane Filan
Date of Birth: July 5, 1979- he’s 20!
Hometown: Sligo, Ireland
Life Before Westlife: Shane appeared in his first musical, Grease, when he was 12 and has been in four different productions of the show.
Craziest Thing to Happen To Him On Stage: Shane literally had an explosive experience during a performance in Australia. His microphone blew up while he was singing!
What traits does he Fancy in a Girl? Shane looks for a girl who’s cute and has a great personality. Someone he can really just have fun with.
Biggest Musical Influence: Michael Jackson. "When I was young he made me want to get up and dance," Shane says. "So I think he’s the reason I’m singing. He’s my hero."

Kian Egan
Date of Birth: April 29, 1980- he’s 19!
Hometown: Sligo, Ireland
Life Before Westlife:: Kian started playing piano and guitar at the age of nine. He started acting and eventually met Shane and Mark while doing musicals. Kian says it’s like a dream come true to be in Westlife and have the chance to tour the world. "We’re from the west of Ireland, only has a population of 50,000 people, it’s a very small place," he says. "This is amazing for this to happen to us."
Best Thing About Westlife: Kian and the rest of the band recently had the chance to visit a children’s hospital for a day and were able to meet the fans that might not ever make it to a Westlife show. "Anytime we can make a difference in someone’s life it really hits us," he says. "It’s amazing."
Biggest Musical Influence: Kian is a huge Backstreet Boys fan.


Mark Feehily
Date of Birth: May 5, 1980- he’s 19!
Hometown: Sligo, Ireland
Best thing about Westlife: The fact that he’s in Westlife is the best thing Mark admits. He flet that wanting to make a career out of music seemed so far fetched. "Where we come from it’s such a small place, such a small population. It’s like the countryside of Ireland and Ireland is kind of a countryside place anyway," he says. "So I never ever dreamed I’d get into it."
What Traits does He Fancy In A Girl?: A happy girl would make Mark happy. He doesn’t like girl who are negative, but rather ones that he could have a good laugh with.
What he does on his day off: Sleep. According to Bryan, Mark can sleep through anything!

article © 16 Magazine