With a string of hits under their belts, life's on song for Irish lads
Westlife.
Irish boy band Westlife have just released in Australia their latest single
Flying Without Wings, the third track from their debut album to go to number
one in the UK. NW caught up with band members Shane Filan, 19, and Nicky
Byrne, 20.
Tell us about your first album, Westlife.
Shane: It's pretty ballad-driven, but on our next one, we're going to have
more up-tempo songs. I don't think our style's going to change much.
Nicky: Yeah, we're working with brilliant songwriters. We know that some
people look at us as just another boy band, but we are a real vocal group.
Hopefully, we'll last a lot longer than people expect. We want to be as
huge as the Spice Girls.
What music do you listen to yourselves?
Shane: I like Shania Twain's album - I don't really like rap or heavy
metal, it's not my thing.
Nicky: U2, the Backstreet Boys and The Cranberries.
Any crazed fan stories?
Shane: For a while, one of the guys, Kian, had a stalker. She'd turn up
everywhere, and ended up getting his mobile number - how she got it, I don't
know. And Asian fans tend to run at you and pull your hair. They come in
their thousands.
Nicky: It's weird with fans, sometimes. Back home, you can see people
looking at you and going, "Oh God, there he is." Whereas we look at each
other and go, "Hey, you're not special!"
What's your co-manager, Ronan Keating from Boyzone, really like?
Nicky: Well, he's about 5ft 10 (1.77m), blonde hair .....
Shane: (laughs) Everyone likes Ronan, you know? He's very professional, and
really nice. He's been there. We talk to him maybe twice a week about any
problems we have.
Do you have any idols?
Nicky: I like Harry Sewell (Aussie soccer star with Leeds United). I
actually played for Leeds for two years when I was 16, as a goalie.
Shane: David Beckham. He's one of the best footballers in the world, earns
heaps of money and he's married to a Spice Girl. What more could you want?
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