Pop group Westlife was created in the Irish city of Sligo. The team of school friends IOU released the single "Together with a girl forever", which was noticed by the producer of the famous Boyzone group Louis Walsh.
He decided to repeat the success of his offspring and began to support the new team. To achieve success, I had to part with some of the first members of the group.
They were replaced by gifted guys Brian McFadden and Nikki Byrne. Together with Faylan Feehily and Egan, the "gold line-up" of Westlife was created.
The beginning of the creative path of the Westlife group
Westlife made a name for themselves in 1998, playing before pop legends such as the Backstreet Boys took to the stage. The band was immediately talked about in the music press and began to be invited to give concerts.
Over time, there were so many of them that the group received an official music award in the nomination "Best Touring Band".
In March 1999, the first recording of Westlife was released, which only increased the popularity of the boy band. The single immediately broke into all popular charts and received gold status.
The second single, Flying Without Wings, reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and became the soundtrack to the movie Pokémon 2000.
The full-length album was released in November 1999. The disc took 2nd position in the British hit parade. The Christmas single that followed the disc was on the top positions of all popular radio stations for four weeks.
The following singles and records also took first positions in the charts. This allowed the name of the Westlife group to be entered into the Guinness Book of Records. Seven singles, released in a row, occupied leading positions. This has not yet been achieved by anyone else.
The next single failed to prolong the band's success. He took only 2nd position. But the members of the Westlife group received the long-awaited award "Best Pop Artists".
Immediately after recognition in their homeland, the boy band went on an international tour.
The next album, World of Our Own, which the band released in 2001, continued the glorious tradition. Singles from it occupied leading positions in the British charts. The group once again received the "Kings of Pop" award.
In November 2003, the band recorded a cover version of Barry Manilov's Mandy. This composition was waiting for another success. The song started at the 200th position, but managed to take the 1st. This "breakthrough" became the most famous in the history of the charts of the British Isles.
The first losses of the Westlife group
In 2004, Brian McFadden had a child. He decided to leave the band in order to spend more time with his family.
The vocalist's last recording as part of Westlife was the ballad Obvious. The team did not stop there and began to work as a quartet.
Recording a new album after McFadden's departure from the group was a difficult test for the rest of the band. Brian was more than just a singer for the band.
Many compositions became popular thanks to the arrangements that the musician offered. But the guys did not stop because of his departure.
As part of the quartet, the guys recorded an album of classic cover versions on compositions by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and other popular performers of the past era.
Having received a modern sound, the songs immediately "burst" into all the charts. Lovers of lyrical pop music started talking about Westlife again. The group again went on another world tour.
In 2005, the group's single You Raise Me Up allowed the guys to reach the 1st position. The team received the "Record of the Year" award. And the album released after this event received the status of multi-platinum.
The world tour in support of this album was once again a resounding success. The guys even got to China. The audience of the Middle Kingdom was glad to see their idols.
In 2006, the team signed a contract with the Sony BMG record company, which stipulated the conditions under which the guys had to record the next five albums within five years.
The first record on this list sold 1 million copies. The next album was again well received by the public.
Decade of creativity of the group
In 2008, the team celebrated the 10th anniversary of its work. This anniversary date was marked by a grandiose concert of the band in Dublin. Immediately after its completion, the group went on a year-long vacation.
A year later, the band's next album, Where We Are, was released, which received multi-platinum status in the UK. An interesting moment was the change in the musical component of the disc.
Instead of provocative youth hits, the guys recorded several lyrical ballads. It was evident that the producers decided to find new listeners. But the compositions were enthusiastically received by the old fans of the boy band.
In 2012, the band members announced that the group was ceasing to exist. The Greatest Hits Tour was a resounding success. The last concert at the stadium in Dublin was broadcast live by several world TV companies.
After the breakup of the group, all members began to pursue their own solo projects, most of which were successful.
In 2019, it was decided to resume joint work. Westlife reunited and recorded Hello My Love.
