- 2 months ago
Westlife are celebrating 25 years in the music industry with a brand new album, 25 - The Ultimate Collection and a huge tour next year. They reflect on the moment they first found out they had made it to a band, how it was to hang out with One Direction's Niall Horan after their Royal Albert Hall gig, how he'd like to join the band and how they still take the bins out! Report by Jonesl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00What's up group? Yeah, yeah, every year we have the boy band convention. That means number. Hello my loves
00:08Today it dropped that you're looking like that this day my love let's just go back to 25 years ago smells
00:15Things you do remember the moment when you found out I'm gonna be in a boy band
00:19Do you think about it ever and I do right? I don't know if you guys do but I in my last
00:27Few years. I've become quite reminiscent
00:31Reminiscent and nostalgic and I find myself going back
00:35Pull my hood up maybe what he had on or something going for long walks and walking back to where I grew up
00:40Nobody would recognize you as in like shades on earphones
00:43Walking by my old schools and stuff, but it's all fun. It's all smiling remembering playing football
00:49Remembering growing up from the local train station where well I went in from that train station to get there to the audition
00:55And all those things and songs do that and it's funny because I kind of bring that into when I see and meet
01:01The lads and the fans because they equally talk about the 25 years if their nostalgia is having a moment
01:08It's a it's a real thing people talk about the first kiss the first dance the first concert and the memories of us
01:14Whether it was chasing a bus outside of a TV studio or radio studio and falling over stories. We've never heard, you know
01:20And yeah, so it's just special and that's why I think this tour
01:25We can't talk it up enough because it is all that for everybody
01:29Including us we're on these stages going you talk about let's say 25 years my love the my love video shoot
01:35I remember we shot on the west coast of Ireland
01:37I made a joke the night in the world Albert Hall
01:39We were standing on the edge of a cliff on the west coast of our air where the next stop is is New York and it's like
01:46I don't know how high the cliff is and you fall off to complete, you know, gonzo-ness
01:51And they were shooting it with two helicopters nowadays it'd be drones and everything'd be safe
01:55Nowadays you wouldn't be allowed to stand by these guys
01:58The helicopters were nearly blowing us into the Atlantic Ocean
02:00You know, so yeah, so there's so many I remember we just made a few quid and I'd gone and got a bank loan and bought a little BMW and I drove down that to the video shoot
02:10And we drove it was a beautiful brand new we all went home ordering them and I drove in all the lads like that
02:17And I remember thinking that the lads are thinking if he can afford that and then why must be so all of a sudden
02:24They were all getting in and out and driving around within a week everyone had ordered cars
02:27I love that
02:28I was fun. It was fun times
02:30I was thinking actually football is you know similar things with the cars and they rock over there
02:34Do you still look at each other's cars and things that you've got like I don't know that
02:37Yeah, I know absolutely. I think how much did you pay for that?
02:40We all have our kind of things that we that we enjoy whether it be like cars or watches or surfboards for me
02:47But like, you know, I think we definitely do look at them types of things, but probably a little bit less now like, you know
02:53We're older. I think, you know, footballers are younger like the way we were when they get into when when they get into the kind of money side
02:59And they're able to buy the flash cars and all that type of stuff
03:02But I think we weren't even in the money side when I bought that car
03:05Yeah, it feels like we were still only starting, you know, but no, of course we love all of that
03:08Yeah, you know who doesn't and big moments for me 25 years of you 40 years of the back to the future
03:12I know you're a fan. I've seen the hoverboard. Yeah, you video. I saw it and it's really on Amazon for 100 quid by the way
03:19Did you it doesn't fly?
03:21He tried it. Yeah, my daughter was like dad make it work. No, I can't next video. Can we try and get some kind of hovering?
03:27That'd be great, wouldn't it? Yeah, absolutely
03:29It feels like the moment so many lovely things are coming back and it's the memories and stuff
03:34Do you feel sad at all though at any moment any song particular gets you that you've got to breathe through or count to ten before you before you go for it?
03:41You raise me up definitely for me every time, you know, it reminds me of obviously my mum and dad the lyric is you raise me up so
03:47But again the other night in the Royal Albert Hall
03:49I was just very proud because I just felt that they were there watching me or whatever, you know and
03:54But it is some of the songs do remind you of sad things as well, but they're beautiful songs, you know
03:58And you just gotta just gotta hold your breath a little bit
04:02But it's it's a pleasure to sing these great songs. It really is
04:05Yeah, it's absolutely amazing what you've achieved. Can you actually believe it? Do you look in the mirror?
04:10Honestly, not really. Honestly, not really
04:12I think a lot of the times when you know when we're living this kind of life
04:16We're always kind of looking forward, you know and looking at what are we doing next and where we go next and what's next in the diary and the tour next year
04:23And all these things, but it's only when you go home and you kind of sit back
04:26Like we've been kind of you know working there for the last probably like three weeks pretty solid nearly every day
04:32Building up to the launch of the the Royal Albert Hall the launch of the tour, you know
04:36And I think when we go home now and we as Shane was saying bringing it bringing the bins out
04:40You know and sitting back on the sofa or walking the dog on the beach
04:44And you start to think about what it is that you've just done
04:47That's the moment where you kind of go how in God's holy name has this happened?
04:51Like, you know, how have we managed in God's holy name?
04:55But still doing it I think is more what we can't believe
04:58It's not necessarily that we are at this stage. It's it's it's how we're still doing it
05:02And you know, we love what we do. We love being in Westlife
05:05We love this as we don't call it a job, but it is a job obviously
05:08But our fans are so loyal like we put on tickets gone, you know, it's just like every time
05:14It's just like they keep surprising us and you're more excited about he made the noise of the bin
05:20Going across the gravel of this driveway. He went tomorrow
05:24Them stones like I was like, it's up. It's overrated as soon as you do with the smell of the bin
05:29Yeah, you're not going to be as cool as the Royal Albert Hall
05:33Do you know you talk about bin juice the other week when I was putting out the bins and I actually I was bringing them in
05:38There was a little there was a little leaflet left on my bin. Would you like your bins clean?
05:42Yes
05:44So this guy has turned to business
05:46He's putting going around on bin collection day
05:48And putting all his his cards and he comes around with a power hose and cleans out your bin and sanitizes them and gets them all back to brand new
05:54Send me his number
05:55Do your company not do that offer you that service? The bin company not offer you that service?
05:59No
05:59It's good to put it in the bin juice so you're like, oh, I hate this bin juice. Oh, now hang on a minute
06:04Silver lining
06:05That's a very good idea
06:06That's a good idea
06:06Yeah, really clever
06:07I've got an entrepreneur, you know, I actually haven't called him but I'm going to now
06:10Yeah
06:10Yeah
06:11Binge juice man, you're going to get it cool
06:12Yeah
06:12Um, in regards to other boy bands, do you guys chat to each other? How does it work?
06:16Like because you've got Backstreet Boys that have been around forever and other amazing bands and boys
06:21Do you chat and is there like a forum for you lot?
06:24Well, we grew up
06:24I have to say
06:25Is there a forum for you lot?
06:26Do we have a chat?
06:27Wait, we all have a big WhatsApp group
06:28Yeah
06:28AGM every year we all have the boy band convention
06:31Can you imagine the group where it's going, see Wesley for touring again?
06:36Yeah, lads, come down to the show
06:38But I think we keep in touch with some lads
06:40We don't know them all
06:41We don't know them all
06:42But we don't know them all
06:42And obviously the podcast that I'm doing
06:44I've spoken to quite a lot of them
06:46And talk about their story and our story
06:49It's amazing how small the world is
06:51In terms of even if I didn't know one of the guys very well
06:54I'd know somebody you've known very very well
06:56And equally then about touring or sorry
06:58Recording the producers
07:01Like we've all worked with the same people
07:03At some point in our life
07:04You know, our tour managers or security or whatever
07:08You know, but there's some really good bands
07:09We're also kind of like, you know
07:12There's a very mutual respect between all the bands
07:14You know, we're fans of the bands
07:15We're fans that take that
07:16We're fans of Boys Zone, Backstreet Boys
07:18We met JB from JLS the other day
07:21You know, the blue lads, the five lads
07:23Nicky did a big podcast with the whole, all of five
07:26And so there is that respect there
07:28And there's always songs that you go
07:30That was a great song or Back 4 Good
07:32Like, you know, we take that in the morning
07:33Excuse the punch
07:34Chris from NSYNC actually on my podcast
07:38Said something very cool
07:39He said, you're, I'm speaking to you
07:41And you're one of probably 30, 40 people
07:44And I mean, you add it up
07:46Who've done, who've done what us have done
07:48On the stadiums, on the stages
07:50So I'm speaking to somebody who, you know
07:52You can have the five in every band
07:54How many massive boy bands has there been?
07:57Maybe not even ten
07:58Ten, six, five
07:59You know what I mean?
08:00So it's 30, 40, 50 people
08:01And when you look at it
08:03That'd be a good convention
08:04That'd be a good age
08:05You talk about the Backstreet Boys as well
08:07And we actually got to do a duet with them
08:08During Covid, which was weird
08:10But they were, they were in, where were they?
08:13They were in rehearsals
08:14They were in rehearsals
08:15And we were in Dublin
08:16And we did a duet with them for, for China
08:19Two songs
08:20Two songs
08:21My love and I wanted that way
08:22I wanted that way
08:23And they did my love
08:24And that, we were like fanboying out on that
08:27We were like, oh, let's go with the Backstreet Boys
08:29Do you know what I mean?
08:30Because we loved the, I loved the Backstreet Boys
08:32Absolutely
08:32And then we got to speak to them, you know
08:34Kind of a second
08:35And we asked for the tour
08:36And they said
08:36And you just go on tour
08:37And they were like
08:38Can we come and, you know
08:40Do a stadium tour with you guys in China
08:42And then you can go and do a stadium tour with us in America
08:44We were like, let's do it
08:45And you know what?
08:46It probably could happen
08:47Like these things, you never know
08:49You just never know
08:49There's no rules in our world, you know
08:52You know, even last, a couple of weeks ago
08:53I was doing a TV show thing with Roland and Keating
08:55And we were just, we were on two horses
08:58Like, and we were just
08:58It's about the west of Ireland
08:59The show that he's doing about the west of Ireland
09:01We're on two horses on the beach
09:02And we're just chatting about all the, like all the days
09:04Of the boy band days, the songs
09:06And just reminiscing on both bands
09:08And we're just like for an hour
09:09And it was just so, it was so lovely
09:11You know, because we have something in common
09:12Like Nikki said, there's only a few people
09:14That have that and a few bands
09:15That can really talk about
09:17If you go New Kids, take that
09:18Boys Zone, Westlife, Five
09:21Hensink
09:22One Direction
09:23And One Direction
09:24One Direction, obviously, yeah
09:25Nile was at the show the other night
09:26Maybe there's, maybe there's 60, 70 lads that have done it
09:29But in the whole world, like out of 8 billion people
09:32You are the chosen ones
09:33I love that
09:34That'd be a great age, yeah
09:35That makes us feel so, the chosen
09:36That's the name of the what?
09:38What did I say earlier?
09:39In the name of God's holy name or something
09:40Yeah, in God's holy name
09:42How is Nazia right?
09:44I heard you say earlier that he wants to be in the band
09:46Would he make the cut though?
09:47Yes, he looks well in the picture
09:48He looks well in the picture with us
09:50He's maturing well
09:51He's getting up now to being the older man band
09:53He's had an ear piercing, I've seen that
09:55Two
09:55Two, one in each size
09:57Oh, you know, he's cool
09:57He was in great form the other night
09:58He genuinely came in after the show and he was chuffed
10:00He was like, he was talking about when he went to see Westlife in 2005
10:04And he was only probably, I don't know what, he was probably 10
10:07And he was at the first Westlife show
10:08And he remembers us flying over
10:10And him looking up at us going, this is unbelievable
10:12You made that possible for him
10:13That dream
10:14Of course
10:15Because you are Irish
10:16But Boys Zone made it possible for us
10:17And Take That made it possible for them
10:19And New Kids made
10:20Do you know what I mean?
10:20So it's a constant
10:21We all inspire each other
10:22It goes all the way back to the beating
10:25I want to see all the boy bands remaining on horses
10:28Because that would be a fantastic joke
10:29All on the beach
10:30All on the beach
10:3060 of us
10:31Like the Guinness advert
10:32Just get them on horses
10:33That would be brilliant
10:34And what about Ed as well
10:36Would he be good in a band
10:37Or do you think he's just so focused on just being Ed?
10:41Oh yeah, interesting
10:42He's so famous being Ed Sheeran
10:43It's hard to be seeing him in a band
10:45Like it'd be a band of
10:46The problem with being
10:47Who'd be in the Ed Sheeran band
10:48The problem with being in a band is
10:50Who all the guitarists and stuff would be in it
10:51Who?
10:51People that
10:51Oh, Prince
10:53You mean ever
10:53No, as in currently now
10:55There's nobody really
10:56Yeah, it's kind of interesting
10:58I think he works very well on his own
11:01But here's the thing about being in a band, right?
11:03And I think Gary Barlow said this
11:04It is like the Christmas tree
11:06And it's like everyone has a different experience
11:08So if you start putting in really independent artists
11:12Like Ed Sheeran
11:13Or people who haven't been in bands
11:16They might find it really hard
11:17To have to give up a little
11:19And be in a democracy
11:21Fighting over the lines
11:22Have a little fight over who sits where
11:25And who sings what
11:26And eats what
11:27And dances
11:28It's different being in a band
11:30I think he's doing well as us all the way
11:31I think he's in a way
11:32We'd like to be in Ed's band
11:34He's written some songs to some people
11:35He can sing with us whenever he likes
11:36He can sing with us whenever he likes
11:37Gary Barlow famous
11:38Not famous he said
11:39But he said recently on a podcast
11:40That he feels sad that he didn't enjoy the moment
11:43When he was in the band
11:44Because he was so worried about it ending all the time
11:46Did you ever feel
11:48Yeah he was so
11:49He couldn't believe
11:49I can relate to that
11:51Back then I think
11:51You know at the very start
11:52We were you know we had like a five-year window
11:55Bands lasted five years
11:56So as we went on
11:57Did you get unlucky
11:58Yeah as we went on
11:59And even the success we had
12:00We were like
12:01Yeah it's probably going to end now
12:02After the greatest hits
12:03Is it because that's what other bands do
12:05And then we just kept going
12:06And kept making albums
12:07And kept kind of breaking the rules slightly
12:10But now I don't think we feel that
12:11I feel like Westlife is at a place now
12:13Where because of our fan base
12:15Because of the length of time we've been together
12:18I think as long as we want to keep doing it
12:20And as long as we enjoy it
12:21And love what we do
12:22It's all about enjoying it
12:23It's it has to be about experiences
12:25It has to be about doing the Royal Albert Hall
12:27Or playing the sphere or something
12:28Or playing Madison Square Garden
12:29Get the sphere in
12:31But there's still stuff that we haven't done
12:33That we really want to achieve
12:35And we're going to keep going until we achieve them
12:36And when we do them
12:37There'll be something else
12:38We're very competitive as a band
12:40We always want to be better
12:41Like even the other night
12:42It was an amazing show
12:43There's always room for improvement
12:45And we have to keep raising the bar
12:46Speak for yourself
12:47Honestly Nicky
12:48Speak for yourself
12:49I was actually trying to speak
12:51No but genuinely
12:53It's
12:53But it is
12:54I think you're told what to do at the start
12:55Like you know
12:56We were very lucky
12:57The chosen ones kept for Simon and Louie
12:59And you just jump how high
13:01You know send us everywhere
13:02And then if you manage to survive the chaos
13:05Three, four, five years
13:06And you don't break up
13:08Obviously Brian left us after six years
13:10And then we managed to go on for another nine
13:13And then it was time to go out at the top
13:16And then we revisited it seven years later
13:18Eight years later
13:19And now we're at the stage
13:20You know I was 47 last month
13:22The boys are younger
13:2346 and 45
13:2445 yeah
13:24And we genuinely
13:27Well I do
13:27I know you do too
13:28You look at Take That
13:29And you go
13:29Well they're ten years ahead of us
13:30And they're still in our stadiums
13:31And it's like
13:33But they're enjoying it
13:34They're not just turning up
13:35You can see
13:36I went to the show in Dublin last year
13:38It's still brilliant
13:39The songs
13:39It's just
13:40It's a joy to be a part of it
13:42And we have that with our fans
13:43You know
13:43So I think as Shane said
13:45You know
13:46There's ambition
13:46I genuinely think the show we did
13:48In the Royal Albert
13:49Would lend itself to the sphere
13:50It's an expensive show obviously
13:52But why not
13:53Let's do it
13:54And as you've gone on
13:55How do the kids cope with it
13:57And what do they think
13:57Are you cool
13:58Have you had to adjust yourself slightly
14:01All our kids are kind of different ages
14:03So I think they're all having different experiences
14:05As time goes on
14:06I have the youngest kids
14:07So like you know
14:08My eight year old
14:08And my ten year old
14:10Are in awe
14:11They're like wow
14:13Like they just can't believe it
14:14You know what I mean
14:15And they're so excited
14:16To like
14:16Daddy have you played the new song
14:18And when are you doing this
14:19And when are you doing that
14:20And then my thirteen year old
14:22Is now slowly
14:23He's quietly kind of more
14:25Paying attention
14:26Looking at stuff on YouTube
14:28And seeing what we've done in the past
14:29And he's kind of like
14:30Don't get too fast then
14:31Do you know
14:32But like you know
14:33And he's really inspired
14:35You know
14:35Whereas the two little ones
14:36Are a little bit more in awe
14:37But he's now so inspired by it all
14:40And so kind of like
14:41You know
14:41He's actually really
14:42Into music himself
14:44And playing guitar
14:44And singing
14:45And all that type of stuff
14:46And piano
14:46And you know
14:47The places that I've managed
14:48To be able to bring in
14:49When we performed with Ed Sheeran
14:50You know
14:50He got to see us perform with Ed
14:52And Med-Ed backstage
14:53Like all of our families did
14:54But you know
14:55It's just
14:55It's kind of mad
14:57That they're getting
14:58To see what we're doing
15:00But it's also super important
15:01That we try and keep them grounded
15:02You know
15:02I mean
15:03I think bringing them up
15:04In the same areas
15:05That we grew up in
15:06Has helped with that as well
15:07And you know
15:08Normal school
15:09Normal everyday life
15:10You know
15:11Pluck them out of there
15:12Show them a little bit
15:13And then throw them right back in
15:14And you know
15:14You're passing the baton
15:15Maybe to the next
15:16Next era
15:17Well who knows
15:18It's not a musical
15:19Absolutely yeah
15:19Yeah they are
15:20Jerry my lad
15:21Plays the guitar
15:22It's been documented a lot
15:23Ed sent him a guitar
15:24In lockdown
15:25Then he sent the guitars
15:26To all of our kids
15:27To learn
15:28And again
15:29Shows the measure
15:31The guy
15:31You know
15:31He's a good guy
15:33Came down with the show
15:34We did in Portland Road
15:35With Ed
15:36In Ipswich
15:36Get off the stage
15:38After his soundcheck
15:38Came down
15:39And met all the families
15:40Came backstage
15:40You know
15:41Did all the selfies
15:42With them
15:42He was so nice
15:44Yeah so we were kind of cool
15:45That day with the kids
15:45Yeah we were really cool
15:46Wow
15:47Ed Sheeran knows your name
15:49Ed Sheeran wants to be you
15:51Oh yeah my daughter
15:52Was like
15:52We brought her to Taylor
15:53I was like
15:54How am I going to work that one
15:55How do I
15:55How do I get a picture
15:56With Taylor for Gia
15:57I'm still working on it
15:58We should do a mash up
15:59With one of her songs
16:00Because she commented
16:00On the Backstreet Boy video
16:01This week
16:01I heard that
16:02Do a mash up
16:03And you got Taylor Swift
16:04In your DM
16:05The next time
16:06We'll do Flying the Wings
16:07With Taylor Swift
16:07Yes amazing
16:08On the Backstreet Boy
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