Westlife on their new album Spectrum, Ed Sheeran's song writing and why Brexit 'just needs to stop'

In April 1999 five young men from Ireland burst on to the music scene with their debut single, “Swear It Again”.

Managed by Ronan Keating and Louis Walsh, Westlife’s song became the biggest-selling debut single in Irish history, and would be the first of 14 UK No 1s – only surpassed by Elvis and The Beatles.

After 13 years, 12 albums, 12 tours and performing for hundreds of thousands of screaming fans, the band took a break from the music industry.

Though they deny ever having had a serious fall out, they had grown frustrated by the constant cycle of touring and recording, and could no longer agree on which direction the band should take.

Now, after a seven-year hiatus, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne – the fifth original member, Bryan McFadden, quit in 2004 – have returned with a new album, Spectrum.

It has already proved a roaring success – outselling the rest of the top 10 combined in the mid-week charts after its release last Friday.

Speaking backstage at their recent 20th anniversary reunion tour in London, Kian explains that the decision to return to the charts environment meant they could not get away with a “nostalgia tour” and had to try to become relevant again.

Shane says: “Steve Mac wrote half of our set list, and he told me that Ed Sheeran was a big fan of Westlife and used to learn guitar to our greatest hits album in 2003, when he was about 12.

“One of his [Ed’s] party tricks was playing guitar to Westlife. He was telling us this story and we’re like, ‘F**king hell!’ But he also had a couple of songs written at that time and he played us the songs – “Hello My Love” and “Better Man”.

“Coming back and making new music and competing in the music world, be it iTunes or Spotify, or the charts, we needed something fresh and new, and that’s what Ed Sheeran is the king of,” says Kian.

Indeed, their 2019 reunion tour was the best-selling ever.

Westlife now see themselves more in the mould of a rock band (yes, really) – in that they don’t need to be on the go all the time, but will produce music as and when it works.

“I think we’ll certainly keep Westlife in our lives forever, maybe over every two years, three years, five years, whatever we choose at that time,” says Nicky.

Mark, who recently became a father to daughter Layla via a surrogate with his husband-to-be, explains: “We build Westlife around our personal lives and families, not the other way around.”

But it is not just becoming parents that has changed for some of the band members since 2012.

The MeToo movement has shaken showbusiness, and Shane admits that he “didn’t realise how bad it was” and that the band now aims to make their shows and music more self-aware.

“We’re trying to push more for equality,” Mark says. “One of us is gay, and I think we’re more aware of that. And having kids around makes you more aware of it.”

They were proud to back Ireland’s landmark referendum on marriage equality. “The minority that said no – they are the extremists and there’s been such a huge shift in Ireland,” Mark adds.

All four still live in their home country, so it’s hard to ask about living in Ireland and working in the UK without discussing the inevitable: Brexit.

Nicky, the most politically outspoken of the group, is scathing: “The problem is that everyone who lives in the UK, if you exclude Northern Ireland, don’t know anything about living in Ireland. Particularly the politicians who… wouldn’t have a clue about farming on the (Irish) border.

“It’s a mess, it’s a disaster, it just needs to stop,” Kian chimes in. “How are they still debating not having a second referendum at this stage?”

While resolving the Irish border issue might be a bit of a stretch for four popstars, at least we’ll have another album of Westlife hits to distract us.