VIP Magazine, June 2000
Many thanks to Mandy - legra_godeo1@hotmail.com for contributing this article!!
We join the boyband of the moment and
find out how they are coping with fame and fortune a year after their first
success. We spoke to the band's lead singer, Mark Feehily.
- Mark, are you very busy at the moment?
- Yes, we're really busy. We've been travelling so much recently that
I don't know what timezone my body is in! We've just completed a
two-and-a-half week tour of Asia and then we went straight to America. We
had to fly back to Europe for a couple of days and then hop on a plane back
to the States. We're going to be here for about six weeks before we start
work on the next album.
- Sounds gruelling. Do you enjoy travelling?
- Personally, I don't mind it at all that much because I have got used to
it. I'm not complaining because I'm very grateful for the opportunity that
I've been given, but it can get quite tiring. There are some weeks when we
are on a flight - maybe two - every day.
- You recently had your fifth number one. Are you getting used to it at this
stage?
- I don't think I'll ever get used to getting to number one in the charts.
Every time that we release a single I think there is no way that it will get
to the top of the charts again. I can't believe that we've had five in a
row.
- Are you wealthy?
- I'm comfortable, let's put it like that. I think people must assume that
we must be multi-millionaires at this stage, which is hardly the case. Even
though we've had quite a bit of success, we've only been going a little over
a year. But it's nice to be in a position to where if you see something
nice, you can buy it. However, we can't afford to be buying Ferraris or
Mansions!
- What's your greatest extravagance?
- You're talking to the wrong man about extravagance - I don't really like
shopping. In fact, the sooner I get out of the shops, the better. Some of
the other lads would go shopping for days if you let them, but I'm not into
that. I hate trying on clothes in shops. I'm not into buying extravagant or
flashy things. I never buy expensive jewellery or clothes. It's just not my
style. I'm more low-key.
- Is there a girl in your life at the moment?
- There is no one in my life at the moment. That doesn't mean I have lots of
girls in my life, but like any other 20 year old lad, I meet girls. I get my
fair share of girls, but not as many as people might think.
- Is it very difficult for you to maintain a relationship while you're on
the road?
- With all the travelling we do, it would be very hard to lay down the
foundations for a relationship now. If you meet someone on tour, you only
have a short time to get to know them, because invariably you are back on
the road the following morning. Sometimes it can get a bit annoying because,
even though I like being young, free and single, it would be nice to have a
girlfriend. It would be nice to have more time to get to know a girl.
- What do you think you'd be would you be doing if you weren't in Westlife,
Mark?
- I've been very lucky to get here and I love my job, but I'm not the type
of person to think that only for Westlife, I'd be sitting at home like a
couch potato. I believe I would be doing something - maybe I'd be in
college. I think that I would have tried to get into the business in some
way, though, because in 40 years time, I know I would have looked back over
my life and asked: "What If?"
- What's the greatest misconception about being in a band?
- When people hear the word "boyband", I think they have this idea that
we're these five clean-cut lads who don't do anything exciting. Also, people
assume that if you get a bit of success, then you turn into some arrogant
so-and-so. People know our faces and they know what I sound like when they
hear me sing, but they don't actually know me as a person. Not everyone
assumes things about us, but I wish people wouldn't form an opinion of me
without getting to know me first. That really annoys me.
- What are Westlife's plans for the nest 12 months?
- We have this big tour to do which is going to take up a good part of the
first six months of 2001. We're really delighted about that but I can't
really understand that so many people want to see the band I am in - plain
old me - performing. We'll be coming back home soon and everyone in Ireland
and England will be seeing a lot of us. Even though we've been away for a
while, we won't be forgetting the fans in Ireland. We are just trying our
luck on the other side of the world. But to me, Ireland is the most
important place in the world. It is my home and will always be number one
for me.