"On set they were a pleasure to work with and were naturals when it came to acting. They had a lot of fun larking around with Wooly and Worth." Fans will be able to download Westlife singing 'White Christmas' exclusively from http://www.woolworths.co.uk for 59p on the day the ad launches.

The Woolies ad is their first foray into acting. Earlier in the year Shayne Ward made his acting debut alongside Wooly and Worth in Woolworths' Easter TV campaign. Shayne's album debuted at number one the week after the ad.

Westlife speaks up for Delta Goodrem

Kinda of a no brainer that this story is. I mean they sing song #3 of the album with her. duh. Apparently the group spoke up for Delta Goodrem, saying that Delta is actually the victim in the messy affairs between Brian McFadden and Kerry Katona (the couple divorced a while back). Nicky told Closer magazine, "We feel sorry for Delta. People blame her but she's the victim in this."

Delta sang on their latest album and they are still pals with Brian but the boys said they still speak to Kerry too. Mark said: "I was texting Kerry last week. She's been doing well, although she's been in hospital. But we don't like to read about Brian and Kerry's lives in the newspapers. They're our friends so we call them up and talk to them just like other friends."

Westlife boys also say they didn't realise that cracks were appearing in the relationship.

"Hindsight is a great thing. Even when Brian was in the band, we didn't realise there was anything wrong with his marriage," added Nicky. "Perhaps if we had we could have helped them more, but we did everything we could. We even offered to take them to counselling."

Westlife and Take That?

Somehow I can't see this one happening...but, there's this story on the net.

Mark apparently said, "Take That were one of the bands that inspired me to do this and All Saints were and extremely cool band too. I'm always up for a collaboration, maybe on a new uptempo kind of song with Take That. In the past we've done duets with girls like Delta Goodrem and Diana Ross, but it'd be a nice change."

Westlife support Upper Street

On the day of their single release, Upper Street got an encouraging message from Westlife. Nicky said, "It's brilliant that you have all these bands coming back. If I'd been out of the business for ten years I'd really miss it and I'd be dying to get back into it."

Mark added, "We know Bradley and Dane - they're really great guys." And Kian chipped in, "I'm really happy for Bradley. Ever since S Club ended he's been really keen to keep the music going. Out of everyone in his old band he was the one who seemed to really want it."

Westlife speak up for All Saints

Somehow, I didn't quite get that there was a Girls Aloud/All Saints battle going on. Of course neither group is known in the states. But Kian apparently waded in, noting, "I think Girls Aloud should shut up - that's my opinion."

Mark chimed in with, "I just don't think there's any need for (bad-mouthing another band). Girls Aloud should look and learn from All Saints. They have the experience and have made amazing music. " Mark added.

Shane noted, "People who slag you off don't go on to sell even a tenth of the albums (of the band they diss). Someone will be smiling at the end of this."

The battle of the girl bands was sparked earlier this month when Cheryl told us All Saints' new song 'Rock Steady' sounded like a Girls Aloud tune. "They must have looked at what's working at the minute and thought, 'We'll go that way'," she said. All Saints responded by saying, "They are stupid little girls and we don't really give a f***."

10/06/06

A Westlife Interview

They're all in their late twenties and one is even a happy, nappy-changing dad, but you can still call Westlife "a boy band" and get away with it.
That's what Prime Time Morning discovered in an exclusive interview with the Irish group who were in Singapore for their "Face to Face" album tour. When asked about being called a 'boy band' Kian cheekily stated "just don't call us a girl band".

At the same time, he was serious in maintaining that the group doesn't find it offensive being called a 'boy band' since that is indeed what they are. "We started off ... we were young at that time, we're a bit older now but we still do the same thing, we stand on the stage,sing songs, we do dance routines... we're a pop band."

Kian went on to say that "we don't really care what people call us because when people have something negative to say about Westlife it's because they don't really like Westlife and we're not really interested in those people..."

Westlife which is touring Asia with the launch of 'Face To Face', says the album is a collection that has their best material so far.

Speaking on Prime Time Morning, Shane said, "this album really says what Westlife is all about" and the single "You Raise Me Up" which comes from the album "is exactly the type of music we want to sing", he adds.

Rescheduled Australia tour

Westlife had to postpone their original September tour dates because of delays in recording their new album. Tickets and seating allocations for the September shows are still valid for the re-scheduled shows, in every city except Melbourne. The Melbourne show has been re-located from Rod Laver Arena to the adjacent Vodafone Arena. As such, ticketing company Ticketek will contact ticket holders for the original Melbourne date to provide them with new tickets for the Vodafone Arena show.

Westlife Tour Dates:

Perth – Wednesday Feb 21 @ Challenge Stadium
Adelaide – Friday Feb 23 @ Entertainment Centre
Melbourne – Monday Feb 26 @ Vodafone Arena*
Brisbane – Wednesday Feb 28 @ Entertainment Centre
Sydney – Tuesday Feb 27 @ ACER Arena

Westlife in South Korea

Encouraged by the warm reception from Korean fans, superstar Irish group Westlife promised they will be back for another concert next year.

Screams and cheers greeted Westlife members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily and Kian Egan when they finally appeared on stage at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium, southern Seoul, Wednesday evening. Wearing all-white outfits, Westlife opened the show with their hit song ``Flying Without Wings,'' followed by ``When You're Looking Like That,'' and ``Amazing.''

Westlife apologized to their fans for canceling their concert in 2004. ``We're sorry for canceling our shows here in the past. For some reason, we weren't able to make it… But we're so happy to be here now. And we're planning to come and tour South Korea again next year,'' Byrne said.

Their versions of ``Uptown Girl,'' ``Mandy,'' and ``Seasons in the Sun'' also impressed the crowd. Girls went crazy when Westlife showed off some sexy dance moves while performing Justin Timberlake's ``Senorita,'' Robert Palmer's ``Addicted to Love'' and Pussy Cat Dolls' ``Don't Cha.''

The song that elicited the most cheers would have to be ``You Raise Me Up,'' which gained popularity in Korea during the World Cup. During a press conference, Westlife thanked Korean fans who have supported them since their debut.

``Korea has been great for Westlife. We found it hard to go back to Korea and Asia because of our commitments in the U.K and Europe. Our record company didn't want us to go back, but we took a big stand to go back to Asia. We're delighted to be here again,'' Kian said.

Westlife will release their next album, ``The Love Album'' on November 6. Shane said they consider November as a ``lucky'' month, since all of their albums have been released during that month.

Kian noted``The Love Album'' will feature some of the best-known love songs. ``It's basically an album of some of the best love songs ever written. Some are well known and some are not. All are cover versions,'' he said.

When asked why Westlife continues to release remakes of old songs, instead of writing their own music, Shane said they are ``singers, not songwriters. We want to have the best pop album out, and if that means remaking old songs or having songwriters write for us, we'd rather have the quality of the album than have songs that are 60 percent good. It's not fair to our fans. We want to maintain top quality songs."

Westlife in Cardiff

Westlife will play Cardiff International Arena on March 19 as part of their 2007 tour. The band will be performing tracks from their forthcoming new studio album The Love Album, which is due for release this November, as well as all the hits and favorites from over the years. The Irish vocal group, comprising Kian, Mark, Nicky and Shane, played four dates in Cardiff this year as part of the Face To Face 06 Tour, playing three consecutive nights at the CIA in March and once at Coopers Field in July as part of the Summer Nights series of outdoor concerts. The band has performed 384 shows together since 2001 and the last tour was particularly memorable for them as they made history by playing at Wembley for the 21st time, becoming the pop act which has performed there the most times in the history of the venue. Tickets will cost £29.50 and can be purchased from the CIA box office on 029 2022 4488.

Jodi on Kian

Jodi Albert is every fella's fantasy in saucy basque and suspenders - but her Westlife lover Kian Egan doesn't even get to see her in the sexy gear.

The former Hollyoaks beauty sends temperatures soaring with her provocative undies as hooker Hayley in TV sitcom Respectable. But she declares: "I certainly wouldn't wear them outside as they are too revealing. I spend so long wearing them for filming that I wouldn't want to keep them - they remind me too much of work."

Amazingly, superstar singer Kian doesn't mind. And it's a tribute to the strength of the couple's love that he isn't the least bit jealous at millions of male viewers ogling his scantilyclad girlfriend surrounded by sex toys.

Jodi, 23, giggles: "Whenever I speak to him on my mobile at lunchtime, he wants to know what I'm wearing, whether it's stockings, short skirts or high heels. Some of the basques are absolutely beautiful, more Agent Provocateur than Ann Summers. I eat lunch in them between takes and sit there in my French knickers. But nobody bats an eyelid because they're so used to seeing me waft around in them on the set."

Jodi, who has been dating hunky Kian for six years, adds: "He knows that wearing revealing gear in this series is part of the deal. But he's not jealous. He feels flattered that other men might fancy me. Our relationship is too strong for him to feel insecure about me. He came to a screening of the show and thought it was fantastic. He told me I looked great."

In her Five show, Jodi's character comforts bumbling, married Michael - played by Justin Edwards, 34 - who is infatuated but too polite to ask her for sex at the Debonnaire, a "respectable" suburban brothel. Cheating is all part of the plot but the real-life relationship between brunette Jodi and X-Factor mentor Kian, 26, is rock solid. They share a £1.4million love-nest in south west London.

"You have to have trust when you're with someone in this industry," says Jodi - voted sexiest female at the British Soap Awards last year. "If there were the slightest doubt about each other's loyalty we wouldn't be together. We spend long periods apart through our work but Kian and I aren't the types to be unfaithful. It's not in either of us to do that."

But in her most revealing interview to date, Jodi tells The People that she has no plans to wed.

"People have been saying we're getting married," says the actress. "But we're not ready for that yet. Both of us have been too busy to even think about weddings. We don't want children yet, either. Our Maltese puppy Prince is our surrogate child. He's so gorgeous that we love him as if he really were a baby."

Jodi was 15 when she was introduced to Kian in 1999 by music mogul Simon Cowell - who promptly warned off the Westlife star. At the time Jodi was with Cowell's band Girl Thing on the same record label as Kian. She recalls: "Simon introduced us at Party In The Park. The other boys in Westlife lined up to shake hands first but it was Kian I was waiting for. I'd seen pictures and thought he was cute. When he shook my hand, we held each other's gaze for several seconds. But suddenly I felt really shy, took my hand away and turned on my heels. Kian asked Simon, 'Wow, who was that?' To which Simon replied, 'No darling, not that one. You can't have her'. Simon was very protective because I was too young to get involved with anyone. Kian and I kept in touch but I was really jealous when I was introduced to his girlfriends. I hated them because I knew I was too young to be with him and they were with the guy I wanted to be with. ut Kian was right not to go near me. He was a gentleman and I respect him so much for that."

Four years later in May 2003, Kian finally made his feelings known.

"He was doing a concert in Manchester and asked me to come to see him," says Jodi. "I told him my sister was with me and he said, 'Cool, bring her with you. After the concert, he told me, 'I really want to be with you. It feels right now'. I'd been going out with my girlfriends and was having fun being single but he just blew me away. I always knew we'd end up together."

Two months later, the couple jetted to Barbados for a romantic holiday. "That's when he told me he loved me," says Jodi. "I told him I felt the same. It was so perfect, a beautiful moment. I'd never felt anything like it - I just loved the way he loved me. No one had ever cuddled me or pampered me the way he did. He's so grounded and earthy and I couldn't be with anyone arrogant. I've always been fussy with men. Before Kian I'd only had one serious boyfriend. I tend not to givemy heart away, but when I do it's completely. No matter where I went or who I met, Kian was always in the back of my mind. Now we miss each other totally when we're apart. He recently went on a surfing holiday with one of his closest friends from Ireland. He'd only been away for a week when he told me he couldn't wait to get back home - not because he wasn't having a good time but because he missed me so much. He's very romantic. He'll bring me bunches of roses because he knows I love them."

Jodi shot to fame as Hollyoaks honey Debbie Dean and went on to guest star in Casualty before landing the role of Hayley. She says: "There's nothing dirty or tacky about this series, just comic scenarios. They certainly made Kian laugh, anyway."

Jodi is now filming Brit flick Popcorn with ex-EastEnder Jack Ryder and model Sophie Anderton. Whatever the role, Jodi knows she can always count on Kian's support.

"He's very proud of me," she says with a smile of contentment.

Nicky on Westlife

Nicky Byrne of famed boy band Westlife clarifies that recent developments in his group do not indicate an impending break up.

"As long as we still enjoy being in Westlife, we’ll hold on to it," says he during a recent phone interview. "Of course, we eventually will part ways but not for a long, long time."

Speculations about Westlife disbanding started circulating when ex-member Brian McFadden released a solo album and still-member Mark Feehilly came out of the closet around the time their latest album "Face To Face" under Sony BMG Music Entertainment was expected to hit shelves but did not.

"The only reason our new album took time to get released is because we wanted to make sure we have got the best materials that top the last CD," says Nicky. "Seven years in the business can be tiring so we have to make sure that songs we do now are ones we really enjoy. After all, we have to sing them night after night!"

He adds: "Besides, the longer an act stays the more important coming up with hit songs is so people do not lose interest."

The breakthrough song that told Westlife they have an album worth making is "You Raised Me Up," a remake. When asked if they got the idea of doing the song from hearing the version of Secret Garden or Josh Groban, Nicky avers.

"The song was proposed to us by our manager, Lou Walsh," says Nicky. "The song was written by an Irish guy and has been recorded at least a hundred times. That means that it’s as much as our song as it is Josh Groban’s or Secret Garden’s."

Another remake in "Face To Face" sees Westlife paired with a diva. "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" features legendary songstress Diana Ross. In a previous album, Westlife had collaborated on a remake of "Against All Odds" with Mariah Carey.

"We both enjoyed working with them and though they both were diva-ish, it wasn’t something that got in the way of good working relationship. At the end of the day, even divas are normal people who like to talk about regular things like world affairs, family and music."

Nicky says that they got Diana involved when their manager Lou met her at a party. Lou opened the idea of Diana working with Westlife on a track to her which the former agreed to easily because her daughter is a fan of the group.

"We didn’t get to record together, though, as she was in Los Angeles while we were in London. We only got to meet her when we shot the video for the song," says Nicky. Was Westlife worried when they heard that "American Idol" had also put out a version of the song?

"No. I, for one, didn’t even know that they did," he says.

As for other members striking out solo eventually, Nicky thinks the possibility is slim. "The way I look at it, we have been extremely successful together and as history has proven several times, doing it solo after coming from such success does not ensure the same. If ever we decide to walk out of Westlife, we’ll make sure we do it with our heads held high and with no falling out among us," says Nicky.

He explains: "Brian left because he said it was time for him to move on. He was no longer connecting with the group and was, in his words, being complacent. It’s fine. We all are still very good friends and have remained in touch."

When he does leave Westlife, Nicky will pursue an acting career. "I actually have taken up acting lessons in New York during our last vacation. It was fun letting myself out and making lots of good friends. Yeah, movies I’d like to do next," he says.

We asked Nicky to assess the evolution of Westlife and he puts it straightforwardly. "Vocally, we have matured a lot especially after doing the Sinatra-tribute album, ‘Allow Us To Be Frank.’ I’d also like to think that the songs are of the same level; adhering to the same high standards. Considering that we don’t write our own songs, we have been extremely lucky to chance by good ones consistently."

What does he remember of Manila?

"Manila is crazy, if not a bit manic, that’s why we always enjoy being there. The fans at the airport, the energy fans give us during the shows….we always look forward to coming back," Nicky ends.

Westlife after 8 years

Has Westlife really been around for eight years? You bet. While the average boyband has a lifespan of about five years, these unlikely contenders for pop chart longevity have survived the loss of a member and their shunning of slickly choreographed moves to become the only survivor of the boyband crop of the late '90s.

"It is quite long for a band like Westlife to be doing what we do," said Kian in a phone interview with Today from his home in Sligo, Ireland. The former quintet — now a foursome made up of Egan, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily and Nicky Byrne — will hold their third concert here next month at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Westlife have seven albums to their name, 14 No 1 singles in the United Kingdom alone and have collaborated with the likes of Donny Osmond, Donna Summer and Mariah Carey.

"I never imagined we'd be together so long, you know?" said Kian. "I thought we'd get three or four years out of it and then I'd just travel the world and surf."

He speculated that the reason Westlife are still around is that, in other "male vocal groups" (read: boybands), "one guy always thinks it's all about him and wants to go solo". Like Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake and, well, former Westlifer Bryan McFadden?

"The thing with Bryan was that the band didn't want to break up, so we made sure to just go ahead and keep on recording and touring," Kian said.

Bryan's decision to leave the group, he noted, was a professional choice and had nothing to do with any dissension in the ranks.

"He was a very important part of the band so, of course, it was something we didn't want to happen," he said. "But we still hang out, so it's all right."

Besides losing a member, Westlife also gracefully rode out a potential scandal last year when Mark announced he was in a relationship with fellow boyband member Kevin McDaid of V. Kian declined to talk about Mark's relationship, though he did say it is a lively bunch of family and friends that join them on tour these days.

"There's Mark's boyfriend, the wives and girlfriends, so it's really fun," he said. "We're definitely more family-oriented now, not party-oriented."

Nicky is married to the daughter of the current Prime Minister of Ireland, Bertie Ahern, while Filan is married to childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh. For their third world tour, which kicked off in February in Europe, Egan promises an "energetic, powerful concert" that won't involve them merely sitting on stools, a habit they were so fond of that their first world tour in 2001 was unofficially nicknamed "The No Stools Tour". "Everybody who loves pop music will love the concert," said Kian. And how long does he think the group will stay together?

"We enjoy it so much, and the fans enjoy it so much, and we love the lifestyle of course," he said, laughing. "I don't think we're going to stop anytime soon."

No-one Tells Us What To Do (Mark Interview)

Most people assume being in a boyband means being told what to do by record company execs while looking pretty for the fans. And while Westlife's Mark Feehily admits some people tried to take them for a ride during their early days, he says after several years in the business they are firmly in the driving seat.

"I'm 26 now, I've been doing this job for eight years and no-one tells us what to do," he insists. "Nobody would try to tell us what to do, but it's sensible for us to work with our label and our management and make sure we see eye to eye. We don't get told what to do, but we certainly do respect and listen to the record company's opinion. It's in our interests to work with them instead of getting stroppy and constantly challenging what they say."

During the early days the boys were just teenagers. They emerged from their roots in Sligo, northwest Ireland in 1998 and landed a support slot with their heroes Backstreet Boys at a concert in Dublin. They went on to win the best newcomer act at the Smash HitsPoll Winners Party later that same year and were soon on their way towards an unprecedented run of 13 number one singles.

"I've learned so much about the music business, but there's still so much more to learn," says Mark. "I came from secondary school straight into record contracts and lawyers and business deals talking about thousands of pounds; it was a very scary thing for me at the time. So one thing I've learned is to control myself and calmly make decisions about money and other important things.

"We've certainly had people in the past who took advantage of our naiveté and the fact we didn't really have a clue, but on the other hand we were very lucky we had people close to us who were very protective. But although we were 18 or 19-year-olds we weren't brought up to be walked all over and we dealt with it, basically by firing anyone near us who was trying to."

The one question Mark always dreaded from journalists was: "So where's your girlfriend then?"

It was inevitable for a singer in a band like Westlife, who are loved by thousands of screaming female fans across Ireland and the UK. But he dreaded what would happen if his secret relationship with another man got out.

While the rest of the group were courting glamorous girls - Kian is dating former Hollyoaks babe Jodi Albert and Nicky is married to Irish PM Bertie Ahern's daughter Georgina - Mark had found love with Kevin McDaid, a singer in another boy band, V.

In August last year he decided to come out in an article in The Sun. The reaction he got gave him renewed faith in the band's fanbase.

"I got so many letters off fans and also people weren't necessarily Westlife fans, but had been touched in some way by what I did in coming out," he says. "I really haven't had one negative comment and I can say that with my hand on my heart. I think it speaks volumes about the progression in modern society - it really doesn't affect anybody. Our fans aren't like pop fans from the past; they don't want to marry us. It's not like a few years ago, when fans didn't see the reality of a pop act.

"At the moment we are all in long-term relationships and it hasn't affected anything.

It was no big deal. It might have been a bigger deal a few years ago, but people just literally said: 'So what?'" The story did nothing to dent the band's sales and their album Face to Facelater that year duly hit the top spot in the charts. But, as well as the public reaction to his decision to come out, Mark says it has also made a great difference to him personally.

"It's a relief to be able to talk about it. It's just something off my shoulders," he says. "I never spoke too much about my private life and I still don't intend to, but it's definitely a relief I don't have to fend off questions any more about where my girlfriend is. I can just ignore those questions now, I can stand up and be proud and say, 'Actually I'm going out with a fella'. It's been nothing but positive in terms of the reaction I've had and the effect it's had on my life."

Mark had become used to seeing his face in the newspapers since the band first broke out of Ireland in 1998 and become Europe's biggest boyband. Much of the media speculation recently has centred around rumours of the band splitting.

Since they released a Greatest Hits album in 2002 and Bryan parted company with them in 2004 Westlife have been dogged by reports that they quitting the music industry.

"I think the nation's hearts have been broken twice before by two of the biggest pop acts the UK has ever had, Take That and the Spice Girls," explains Mark. "And I think, understandably, people feel bands are just going to go for a while and then split up. They have maybe lost an element of trust in the fact a band can actually be happy and want to continue together.

"Robbie left, Geri left and it all kind of went down hill for Take That and the Spice Girls, so of course when Bryan left our band they just assumed we were going to go down the exact same route. But personally I think we have got stronger since he left."

At first the rumours were hurtful to the band members, especially since their fanbase showed no signs of abating. But they soon learned to deal with it and now it's a regular joke between the members whenever they get together. In a way, says Mark, it's a compliment because it shows they are defying people's expectations.

"We are always going to get asked the question because once we got past the greatest hits album we are in uncharted territory for a boyband, so everybody is always wondering when we are going to split up. We could tell people we were going to split up in five years and they would still ask us every day of that five- year period if we were splitting up. It's just something we've learned to deal with.

"When people first started saying it, it freaked us out because we were thinking, 'Seriously, why are you saying that? Where are you getting this information from?' We thought the press must know what they're talking about, maybe they're right but we're the ones who decide if we're going to split up so no matter how many people suggest we might be, at the end of the day it's up to us."

Kian has blasted the pop industry’s top songwriters-and says a lack of good new material is why his boyband’s next album will be made up of other artists’ hits. Revealing details of the group’s Love Songs exclusively to The Goss, Kian told us: “We decided to do an album of cover versions. When we sat down and listened to all the new songs available, we didn’t like any of them.” Hardest to find were “good uptempo tunes” for Westlife to sing. Kian said: ”They’re just not coming in anymore. Nobody is writing good uptempo songs these days, especially for pop bands like us. That’s why you don’t hear any in the charts.”

Faced with this musical black hole, the four-man group then decided the best thing to do would be to raid their record collections. Kian said: “We each did a list of our favourite songs and then we put all our lists together. I can tell you we got a few surprises.”

Surprises which include Bonny Goldsboro’s 1968 classic Honey (I miss you), which westlife producer Steve Mac is currently re-recording with the group in a London studio. Insiders claim if they pull it off, Honey could be Westlife’s biggest hit ever. Kian said: ”At one stage it was the biggest selling record of all time. So it’s definitely the kind of popular song we should be covering.”

We can reveal the tracks on the album, due out in November, are some smoochy classics. They have done takes on Chicago’s ‘Hard To Say I’m Sorry’, Air Supply’s ‘All Out Of Love’ and Garth Brooks’ ‘The Dance’ aswell as tunes made famous by Celine Dion and Bryan Adams. The lads got a boost this week when manager Louis Walsh revealed he had cancelled plans to launch a new Irish boyband.

Louis told The Goss: “It’s got nothing to do with Westlife. I just can’t be bothered. I’m enjoying life too much right now.” And asked for his take on why Westlife’s new album was all covers, he said: “To sell shaggin’ records. I am the manager you know?”

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