Brian McFadden admits he likely wouldn’t have walked away from Westlife if the group had taken a short break in the early ‘00s.
The boyband dominated the charts with a string of No. 1 hits following their 1999 debut, but five years into their success Brian departed the group in favour of a solo career.
Now, he’s joined forces with Boyzone’s Keith Duffy for their new duo project Boyzlife and, ahead of the release of their LP ‘Old School’, he looked back on his early success.
Speaking in the May 2022 issue of Retro Pop, the singer-songwriter confesses: “There was a lot of it that wasn’t enjoyable. Because [Boyzone and Westlife] were almost like companies; they weren’t just a band going out and having fun.
“There were so many people – managers, record companies – and they were huge machines. “There were bits that were joyful, but there was a lot of work. There were a lot of people making money from it. So everyone just constantly wanted to just keep going and going.”
He adds: “I probably would have stayed with Westlife a lot longer if we had sat down and said, ‘Let’s take six months off, and let’s smell the roses and enjoy all the success we’ve had’.
“Maybe things would have been different… I’m sure with a lot of bands that had been around in our era, they probably would have lasted a lot longer if they had just stepped back and taken a break.”
Keith had similar experiences when life with Boyzone was “not fun anymore,” however he remains optimistic. “It doesn’t mean it can’t be fun again – you just need a break,” he muses. “You need a rest. You need to gather your thoughts. You need to spend time with your family and your loved ones, maybe go on a holiday, do something different…
“There’s never a need to be final and dramatic [and say], ‘It’s over, it doesn’t work anymore…’. It’s just tired, so have a break and then come back to it. Go and do other things; it’s something you can always go back to.”
Read the full interview in the May 2022 edition of Retro Pop, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store or use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist.
