Westlife's Kian Egan has previously spoken about the tension that arose when Brian McFadden left the band due to his dislike of their music. Despite this, he continues to perform these songs with his new group. In 2004, at the height of Westlife's fame and just weeks before another world tour, Brian's departure came as a shock. This is being revisited in the Boybands Forever documentary, which continues on Saturday (23 November).
Fans may recall an emotional press conference where a tearful Kian read out a heartfelt message from the band to Brian, expressing their distress. Despite previous denials of any rift, Kian admitted three years ago to the Irish Mirror that there were hard feelings.
In 2021, he elaborated on the group's concerns, saying, "I mean he left us at a time when we were just about to step out on tour and we kind of felt like 'is this the end? ' You know. 'Is it all over now? " He also reflected on how other bands' experiences made them fear the worst: "We looked at bands like Take That and Spice Girls and it seemed to be the case that once one member of the band left it was over. So we definitely felt like our career was dangling and we were very nervous", according to the Irish Mirror.
Westlife's journey as a quartet has been triumphant, as they embarked on their tour without their fifth member and "showed our fans we were just as good as a four-piece."
Almost two decades later, the band – consisting of Kian, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, and Mark Feehily – are hailed as Ireland and the UK's top-selling group of the 21st century. Dublin-born Brian pursued a solo career after his Westlife departure, later joining forces with Boyzone's Keith Duffy to create Boyzlife in 2016, where they perform chart-topping hits from their time in the legendary Irish bands.
Kian voiced confusion over Brian's post-Westlife decisions, stating: "As the years rolled on we didn't have any contact with Brian. He left Westlife, he said he didn't like the music, he said he didn't want to sing the songs, and you know, he didn't want to be going on stage singing the songs we were singing, and he said he's done. And he told us he wanted to go home to be with his family but then a few months later he had a solo album. He said he didn't want to do music, they were his words to us. He sings the Westlife songs now on Boyzlife I believe."
Despite previous rifts, Kian has recently opened up about the deep "family" connection within Westlife, referring to his bandmates as "brothers". Despite the occasional squabble and getting on each other's nerves, their bond remains solid, especially with the release of their 2021 album, Wild Dreams – a special edition deluxe album that includes live versions of their classic hits.
The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! champ discussed the group's dynamics, describing it as a "family relationship" where despite "arguments", they just "get on with it". He also touched on the reasons behind the band's hiatus in 2012, attributing it to "fatigue" after being together for so long, needing different things, and wanting to spend time with their families and children.
Don't miss the final episode of Boybands Forever airing on Saturday 23 November, at 9.25pm on BBC Two
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