Westlife History



It begins in a town named Sligo in the west of Ireland, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan had performed in the school musical together, and after their success on stage, they decided to form a band.

They were 6 back then but 3 guys left the band. The band had a different name back then I.O.U but after those 3 guys left the band 2 other guys (Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden) joined it….

The group first supported the Backstreet Boys in Dublin, and then toured the UK and Ireland with Boyzone in November 1998. They stunned audiences on the Smash Hits Tour around the UK, winning "Best New Tour Act" at the Smash Hits Awards in November 1998.

Well back then their name was Westside but then they changed the name again because they found out there was another band already named Westside.. but then the Westlife journey started….

Westlife went on to release their first single Swear it Again in April 1999 which went straight to the top of the British and Irish charts, becoming the biggest-selling debut single ever in Ireland!!.....

in November 1999, double A-side single I Have a Dream and Seasons in the Sun becoming the UK Christmas number one of 1999. Westlife won Record of the Year for Flying Without Wings in 1999….

Winning numerous awards left right and centre, it is clear that Westlife have achieved much acclaim and enjoyed a lot of success. Already in their brief career Westlife have broken records as fast as they have set them - their second album, Coast To Coast went triple platinum in Ireland after only one day of release, and their seventh single release, My Love, gave them a place in chart history as they became the only band in UK chart history to have their first seven singles debut at number one…

the group release their first Greatest Hits album, and Westlife's subsequent album, Turnaround, released November 2003, continued Westlife's success..

In March 2004, a new chapter begin for the group as Bryan McFadden announced his departure from the band, citing his desire to spend more time with his young family..

Westlife remain Ireland's most well-known and biggest selling pop export and undoubtedly one of the world's biggest pop groups.

With soulful harmonies, magical voices, very deep lyrics, and the management of pop svengali Louis Walsh behind them, their much-anticipated world tour in 2008 means that Westlife look set to enjoy chart success for many years to come…….