Better Man

Single released March 2019

Westlife released their single Better Man on Friday 29 March 2019. It was the second single from the album Spectrum.

Better Man was the follow-up to Hello My Love, Westlife’s comeback single, which was released in January 2019 after a 6-year break for the band. The single was Westlife’s 28th single release in the UK.

Fans were kept guessing as to the title, with a comment by Nicky on Instagram hinting that the title of the single was “B###### ###“. Louis Walsh (Westlife’s manager) confirmed the title of the single as Better Man in a radio interview on Ireland’s RTÉ 2FM on 22 March 2019.


Where can I find the single? What formats is it available in?

Better Man was released worldwide on Friday 29 March 2019. You can find it online on various music streaming and download sites, including:

Limited Edition CD

The limited edition CD, released 29 March 2019, was priced £2.99 (GBP) and includes the following tracks:

  1. Better Man
  2. Better Man (Orchestral version)

Orchestral version

You can download the orchestral version of Better Man here:

Better Man – Orchestral version


Where can I find the song lyrics?

The chorus is:

How do you lose your only plan?
Oh darling, just give me one more chance
And I’ll give you everything I have
I’ll try to be a better man

Read the full lyrics here: Westlife Better Man lyrics >


Did Westlife appear on TV or radio to promote the single?

Yes, the guys planned a series of promotional appearances on TV and radio, a couple of our favourite appearances are below:

Jonathan Ross Show – Saturday 30 March 2019
Westlife appeared on the BBC One chat show with Jonathan Ross. Video of their live performance of Better Man

BBC Radio 5 Live – Monday 8 April 2019
Nicky, Mark and Shane talk about the reunion, and “Brexit” (Bryan’s exit from the band). Listen online


Did Ed Sheeran write Better Man for Westlife?

Yes! The track was written by Ed Sheeran, Fred Gibson, and Steve Mac.

Steve Mac is well known as the co-writer and producer of a number of Westlife’s most popular hits, including Flying Without Wings and What Makes a Man. Ed Sheeran wrote Westlife’s previous hit single, Hello My Love.

The song is one of no less than four new tracks that Ed Sheeran and Steve Mac wrote for the Westlife album Spectrum (source: The Irish Sun).

Mark says of the single:

it’s a modern Westlife 2.0 ballad

Source: @MarkusFeehily

The guys also said that they think it differs from their previous single, Hello My Love:

it’s much more classic Westlife, with a touch of Ed [Sheeran]

Source: Facebook live

We’d agree 100% with both of these statements! Have a listen to the track and judge for yourself…

Westlife in the studio recording Better Man, March 2019
Photo: @kianegan


Where was the video filmed?

The music video for Better Man was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin in March 2019 (Source: The Irish Sun), and was directed by Lochlainn “Locky” McKenna.

You may notice that the intro to the music video is similar to the intro for Westlife’s very first single, Swear It Again, as it features a movie clapperboard. The video shows Westlife singing around microphones in the recording studio, interspersed with the story of a boy and girl’s relationship, telling the couple’s story through flashbacks of their schooldays in the 1990s (one scene shows “Battle of the Bands 1993”).

Both Kian and Shane posted on Instagram about the filming of the video:

Single 2 video is in the bag! So excited for you all to hear this next one! It’s a cracker! Not too long now 😁

Source: @kianegan March 12, 2019

Video for Single 2 in the bag !!!
Your gonna like this one 👌🏻🎶
Coming Soon ! 

Source: @shanefilanofficial

Both Shane and Kian refer to it as “Single 2”, as the song is the second release since their comeback, and the second single from Westlife’s eleventh studio album, Spectrum.

Behind the scenes of filming the Better Man music video – photo @kianegan


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