News Archive January - March 2001

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Kian was beaten up by thugs outside a kebab-shop in his hometown of Sligo in the early hours of Sunday morning (March 18) after celebrating St Patrick's Day. Him and two friends were jumped by two men outside the Abrakebabra shop in Sligo in the west of Ireland. According to reports in the UK press the morning of March 20th, one of the men asked: "How would you like to play The Point with a black eye?" - a reference to Westlife's record-breaking sell-out 11-night residency at the 8,000-capacity venue, which kicked off on March 19. Despite reports in both The Mirror and The Sun describing a bloody battle following an attack from up to five men, Kian himself spoke to www.showbizireland.com, playing down the incident. "Myself and two friends were just outside Abrakebabra in Sligo when the two guys jumped me from behind. I got several digs and my friend got one or two. There is no truth that I lost a tooth or had my nose broke. I'm 100 per cent, all I have is a small cut on my nose, that's all." He also explained that he knew his assailants. "I went to school with the two guys that jumped me. They were classmates. It's very disappointing, because it was my very first night out in Sligo since Christmas and this happened. I didn't get a chance to hit back." He went on: "The staff in Abrakebabra saw what was happening and they called the police. But by the time the police got there, the two lads had run away. So the police took us to the hospital, but as I said, all I had was a small cut on my nose, so they didn't even have to give me a check-up. As I said, it was just very disappointing." The police are investigating the incident. [source: showbizireland.com, nme.com, dotmusic.com, worldpop.com]

This could be your chance to get on TV talking about Westlife! A brand new programme is being made about people who have met stars and celebrities and the people making it are looking for people who have met Westlife, want to be on TV and have photos or video to go with their story - and they'll pay £150 for every story they feature on screen... So whatever you story, get in touch - they'd love to hear from you!! You can e-mail them at richard@brighter.co.uk or check out their website at www.brighter.co.uk. [source: brighter.co.uk]

As you probably knwo by now, Westlife's charity single for Comic Relief, Uptown Girl, went straight into the charts at number 1, giving the guys their eighth number one single!! Furthermore, it's been reported that Uptown Girl is Westlife's biggest selling single to date!!!! Not content with donating 100% of the proceeds from sale of the single to the charity, Westlife also helped Comic Relief by auctioning the T-shirts that they wore on the cover of the Uptown Girl single on qxl.com for the charity. [source: BMG]

Westlife say that far from slowing down, they will be working even harder after Bryan's baby is born. Bry's fiance, ex-Atomic Kitten Kerry Katona, is pregnant with the couple's first child and is due to give birth in September. Westlife will have time off while the baby is born but will be heading out to America shortly afterwards and plan to spend four or five months in the States. 'It will be like any other family, the daddy will go out to work,' the Bryan explained. 'I will see Kerry and the baby as much as I can but the baby will be based at home in Ireland with her. I'm not having my baby coming on tour buses and going to places like Asia,' he continued. 'It will be like 'Bye, bye, Daddy will see you next September,' joked Nicky. When asked whether he is considering the rest of Westlife for godparents, McFadden spluttered, 'No, absolutely not. I'll get someone responsible!' [source: worldpop.com, 7th March 2001]

Following in the footsteps of arch rivals, Spice Girls Melanie C and Emma Bunton, Westlife's Bryan McFadden has written a song with Bryan Adams. But Westlife fans needn't fear the end of the chart-topping boy band: the two Bryans have penned a song for Westlife, not for a McFadden solo track. 'Our producer Ray Hedges works with Chicane who worked with Bryan Adams,' Bryan McFadden explained. 'Ray played Bryan Adams a Westlife demo and he was really impressed and asked to meet us.' 'We went out to dinner with him,' continued an excited Nicky Byrne. 'It was mad going to his house to work with him,' McFadden added. 'We've written a really good song. It's not rock though, it's actually another ballad! It's like a cross between Westlife and Bryan Adams' early songs like Everything I Do.' The track is not yet scheduled for release. [source: worldpop.com, 6th March 2001]

Friday 16th March sees the return of Comic Relief, and Westlife are stepping out to release the charity single 'Uptown Girl'. Comic Relief is the charity set up to help tackle poverty and promote social justice throughout the UK & Ireland and Africa. Since 1985 the charity has raised over £174 million. A third of all the money raised goes to help in the UK and the rest helps those in Africa. You can make a donation online at www.comicrelief.com, you can phone on the day or you could go out and buy the charity single by Westlife - 100% of the proceeds made from the sale of the single go to charity! The video to the single takes place in a 50's diner... the guys play working class heroes trying to get the ultimate uptown girl - Claudia Schiffer - and Kian admits he was reduced to a nervous wreck when he met her on the video set of the single. He says, "She was really nice you know, really nice. I mean she was only there for half of it, but when she came in, she was really nice, really nice and all quite quiet. Hmm... I'd have no problem marrying her." [source: mtvasia.com & BMG]

Kelis may have beated them to Best International Newcomer, but Westlife won the Brit award for Best Pop Act at the awards show held last Tuesday in London!! Westlife, to a thunderous cheer from the teenage fans at the front of the venue, took the award, presented to them by Cat Deeley; with the band thanking all and sundry for the honour. Dotmusic reported that one of the guys, reacting to the cascade of criticism aimed at pop music in recent months, commented: "I want to thank me, because I'm me and I'm pop". [source: dotmusic.com February 26th]

Irish pop idols Westlife have won the heart of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's 12-year-old daughter Kathryn. Mr Blair asked to meet the "My Love" hitmakers when he heard they were performing in Glasgow, Scotland, at the same time as he was hosting a Labour party conference last week. Group member Kian Egan says, "He told us he was going to be killed if he didn't leave with autographs for her. We met him at the conference centre and promised him tickets for Wembley and a backstage pass for Kathryn to meet us." And the heart-throbs were all very impressed by the Prime Minister. Kian adds, "He seemed very genuine. He asked which one of us was going out with Premier Bertie Ahern's daughter. He told Bertie during the week that he would be meeting us and Bertie told him to say hello to Nicky, who is going out with Georgina." [source: mtvasia.com February 20th] [thanks again Jhen!]

As My Love was released in Latinamerica later than in the UK, the video is barely being promoted these days. However, this week the video reached number one in MTV Latinamerica Top 20 beating down Madonna from the top spot; this is the first time that Westlife have reached number 1 in the countdown so it's great news! As if this weren't enough marketing charts showed this same week that Westlife have overtaken the BSB as the most requested songs, leaving BSB at number 2. So now it's true Westlife are just one step closer to BSB and the guys are definitely conquering Latinamerica, not to mention everywhere else!! [source: mtvla.com February 16th] [thanks to Aimee for the news!]

Westlife perform in Newcastle tonight in the first show of their tourof the UK. However according to mtvasia.com, Mark feared he wouldn't be up to the band's elaborate new dance routines when he first began rehearsing... He said,"I didn't have much confidence starting off. But we worked with a fantastic choreographer called Priscilla. She encouraged me and pushed me to do the type of dancing I never thought possible. "At the beginning of the rehearsals I would say to her 'I can't do that, no way.' But she would give a really serious look and ask how I could possibly know if I'd never tried it. I suddenly started co-ordinating all the moves and it felt really great. "Now I feel I could even take on Michael Jackson -- well maybe that's stretching it. But I'm now enjoying every minute of it." ...Are you gonna see the Westlife tour?? Submit your reviews, check out other people's reviews & see pics of the tour at the Touring page! [source: mtvasia.com February 5th] [Thanx Jhen for this article!]

Westlife member Bryan McFadden will tour America with his group later this year -- even though it may mean missing his baby's birth. Bryan is scheduled to be on tour when his ex-Atomic Kitten fiancee Kerry Katona is due to give birth in September, and the Irish group have denied reports that the singer will pull out of the concert dates in order to be by Kerry's side. Fellow band member Kian Egan says, "Of course he's coming with us. It's just that we'll have to plan things to allow for anything to happen. "You might have read that he's not coming with us to America, but that's not true." [source: mtvasia.com January 31st]

Westlife dressed up as burger bar workers yesterday for their latest video. Their next UK single will be a cover of Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, out on March 5th, and is in aid of the charity Comic Relief. The video features supermodel Claudia Schiffer as a snooty city girl who falls for the Irish lads. Bryan joked: "We wanted Roseanne Barr instead." Bryan and Nicky showed off their new haircuts; Bryan, pictured second right, tinted his hair gold, while Nicky, beside him, had a dated wedge cut. An onlooker said: "These guys set trends. They can't look so atrocious."! [source: The Sun 26th January] [link: Latest Pictures]

WESTLIFE have been nominated for three awards at the BRIT Awards 2001, held in London on February 26th. The awards they could pick up are: - Best International Newcomer - Best Pop Act - Best International Group The Best Pop Act will be voted for by viewers of ITV programme CD:UK and readers of The Sun's 'Bizarre' column. You register your vote via the official BRITs website at www.brits.co.uk or by phoning 09063 612290 (Ireland:1550 927590). Lines close Feb 26th. [source: music365.co.uk]

Pop king Michael Jackson is a Westlife fan - and may ditch pop rivals a1 to work with them. Apparently the music legend loves their new album "Coast To Coast" and has even asked about meeting the boys when he visits Britain later this year. Shane (who as we know is a huge Michael Jackson fan!) said it would be a dream come true for the group to sing with the "Thriller" hitmaker. He said "If we get the chance it will be amazing for us - you don't get any bigger than that. We haven't heard too much about what he thinks of us because he is so secretive. But if he's listened to our album and wants to work with us then we would jump at the chance. Working with Mariah Carey was amazing, but to sing with Michael is the ultimate." [source: Mtvasia.com News 17th January] [thanks to Jhen for the article!]

Westlife’s Nicky Byrne and his long term girlfriend Georgina Ahern, daughter of the Irish Prime Minister, are to take a step closer to marriage over the next month after confirming last night that Nicky had just bought a new house for the couple to share. Speaking exclusively to the Star Newspaper Nicky confirmed that he was in final stages of signing on a new £750,000 home near Ashbourne in Co Meath, Ireland. “It’s just outside Dublin near Ashbourne and I just finishing off all the legal stuff this week,” Nicky said, “I hope to move in within the next month please god if everything goes as planned. It cost me just under £750,000 but I’m really happy with it because it surrounded by a couple of acres and has very good security.” When asked would Bertie Ahern’s daughter Georgina Ahern be moving in with him Nicky said that it was defiantly on the cards. “We’ve been together for six years so I think she will be with me in the new house. At least I hope she will I’ve still got to ask her mother, Miriam, who she lives with now.” On the subject of marriage he refused to confirm the couple would be engaged by the end of the year. “Well Bryan and Kerry are having a baby and getting married. I think that’s enough Westlife weddings for one year. We have not got engaged yet but we will see after we live together for a while.” Nicky did however insist that as well as fame having its good points there was also a bad side due to jealousy. “On Saturday night I was out with Georgina and a friend of mine and we were on our way into a bar called AKA on Wicklow street when the bouncers stopped me and said I couldn’t come in because he didn’t know me. This also happened a while ago when I was going to Club M with some school friends. I was stopped and harassed and then left due to this. It’s not that I’m in Westlife and Georgina is the daughter of the Irish Prime Minister but they know well who I was and were just being rude.” [source: Showbizireland.com] [thanks to Jhen for the article!]

The next Westlife single will be released on March 12th - it'll be a double A-side of I Lay My Love On You and a cover of Billy Joel's Uptown Girl. The single will be released in aid of UK charity Comic Relief! Westlife are also *rumoured* to be performing a duet of Uptown Girl with ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell at the Brit Awards, held in London on February 26th. [source: Radio 1]

More news about Baby McFadden... apparently Kerry has had her first craving and can't get enough crumpets!! She's also revealed that the baby was conceived after a night at the Conrad Hotel in London... But luckily they have no plans to call the baby Conrad, following Posh and Becks' choice of Brooklyn for their son after he was conceived in New York. Kerry says, "I conceived the night before I shot the video to the new Atomic Kitten single Whole Again. But I certainly won't be calling the baby Conrad...or BMW for that matter." Kerry has also revealed that she found out she was pregnant three days before Christmas. She adds, "It was a nice surprise but it was a shock at first. My body told me but it was Bryan who persuaded me I should do a home pregnancy test. "I did three tests in all because I didn't believe it at first. Since then I've been to the hospital for a check-up and they confirmed the pregnancy." [Thanks to Gbyr1421@aol.com for the news!]

The Beatles album '1' is expected to be knocked off the top of the UK albums chart this weekend after by Westlife's two-year old debut album. The self-titled Westlife only got to No2 when it was first released in November 1999, but it's now set to topple the Fab Four's 1 from the top of the charts, which has remained at number one since its release in October. Yesterday sales were 3,000 ahead of The Beatles - a fabulous feat even allowing for it now being cut-price in stores. 'Westlife' is being sold as a 'mid-price' record in all chains of Woolworths across the country, which has helped the Irish group rise up the charts once more. A spokeswoman from BMG, Westlife's record company, said that the decision to sell the album at a reduced price was made solely by Woolworths. [sources: Dotmusic, The Sun]

Westlife's Bryan McFadden shows his joy at being a dad-to-be - by clutching his tum. Bryan and Nicky, pictured below, were fooling around during a break in rehearsals for their UK tour in Dublin on Wednesday. Bryan, speaking to the Sun Newspaper yesterday, said: "It feels better than having seven No1s! I'm ecstatic. We bought the pregnancy testing kit and had our fingers crossed. I will never forget the moment when we saw it was positive. My head was spinning. I never knew I had feelings like this. Kerry has been very emotional - she keeps bursting into tears." Indeed, asked about how she was feeling during an appearance on Channel 4's Big Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Kerry told presenter Johnny Vaughan: "I'm dead emotional - so don't or I'll cry." Vaughan joked: "I'm trying to set her off." Katona fled to hide behind the curtains as cameras pursued her in the studio. Bandmate Liz McClarnon confirmed that Kerry had been shedding tears of joy most days: "She's been really bad every morning." Bryan said "We hope we will be the best parents in the world - I know Kerry will be a wonderful mum. It's the perfect way to start the New Year. We are so in love and it all feels right." "We don't mind whether it's a boy or a girl - we're not fussy. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I just can't wait to be a dad." "I told my folks a week ago and they were delighted for both of us. They're mad about Kerry - and her family are just as pleased. We're looking forward to becoming parents. She's the most wonderful girl in the world and we're both happy. That's all that matters." He continued: "The other lads in the band are delighted too. They have been really supportive. They always say I'm the silly one and act like a baby, so it should be fun." Kerry added, "At first I thought 'Wow,' because I wasn't expecting it. But now I couldn't be happier. I just can't wait to get dead fat and lie around. There'll be no drinking and no showbiz parties for a while." Bryan also said: "It's difficult to know where the baby was conceived but we think it must have been in England. Me and Kerry want it to be born in Ireland. We are having a house built - a proper big family place." However Bryan's joy means a headache for Westlife. The band is booked to start a crucial three-month U.S. tour just two weeks before the birth - meaning they may have to try to conquer the States without Bryan, as a four-piece. [links: Showbizireland.com | The Sun Online] [Thanks to Gbyr1421@aol.com for the links!]

Bryan and his fiancee Kerry Katona from Atomic Kitten are expecting a baby. The baby is due on September 5th - the day before Kerry's 21st birthday. The couple have already picked names for the baby - Molly if it's a girl and Dylan James if it's a boy. Bry says he "can't wait" to become a dad and said: "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me." Bryan, 20, said that his fellow band members were "delighted" at the news. "The lads are really pleased for me and I think we'll be celebrating tonight with a few jars," he said. Bryan and Kerry got engaged in December 1999 but kept the news under wraps until a few weeks ago for fear of upsetting Westlife's millions of young fans. Bryan says, "Not that I was hiding anything, as all the fans were aware that Kerry is my girlfriend. But I hadn't actually come out and said that we were engaged for a whole year. We just both felt that the time is right now and hope that people will be happy for us. As those of you who are lucky enough to have found love will agree, you just want to shout it from the rooftops. But it wasn't that easy in our case, as management and record companies wanted us to keep quiet about it." Bryan, recently admitted he fell in love with Kerry the first time he kissed her. "Every woman pales in comparison. Kerry is the girl for me," he told Hello! magazine. Kerry Katona made her first public appearance since the news on yesterday's Big Breakfast TV show. She begged host Johnny Vaughan not to ask her about the pregnancy because she gets too emotional, but then burst into tears as he continued to ask questions about the baby. Her fellow Kittens, Natasha Hamilton and Liz McLarnon, who is also engaged, revealed that Kerry is so overjoyed she cries every time anyone asks her about the baby. Katona admitted that the pregnancy was not planned but added that her family are ecstatic and that Natasha Hamilton can't wait to get down to Baby Gap! [sources: AOL News, Dotmusic News, The Big Breakfast, Hello! Magazine, Mtvasia.com, Worldpop.com] [links: Dotmusic.com | Worldpop.com]

Bryan has told worldpop.com that he is not bothered that the group's latest single What Makes A Man was denied the Christmas No 1. 'I'm not at all bothered and neither are the other lads,' he revealed backstage at cd:uk last Saturday where he was accompanying fiancée Kerry Katona of girl group Atomic Kitten. 'I didn't even know until after New Year that we hadn't got the No 1,' he added. 'I was just happy to have some time off.' But despite saying he does not care about the chart position, Bryan McFadden did admit that he wasn't sure What Makes A Man was the right song to release. 'It's a weak song,' he said, 'and we didn't do much promotional work. Bob deserved it.' McFadden told worldpop that Westlife are heading back to work today for intensive tour rehearsals. The boys' first arena tour kicks off on 9 February in Newcastle and Bryan McFadden revealed that US boy band 98º are pencilled in to support them. 'At the moment it looks like they're going to support us over here and then we'll support them when we go to the States,' he explained. [link: Worldpop.com]