Westlife
Westlife is one of the most popular Irish pop groups of all time. Since forming in 1998, this band has not only taken Ireland by storm, but their music has also taken off in other parts of the world as well. Although the group has transformed their sound and target audience time and time again, they always seem to stay at the top of the industry.
Early on, Westlife was more or less a typical "boy band". And when it comes down to it, this worked out quite well for them. Not only did it garner them a lot of attention, but it also helped to sell hundreds of thousands of albums at the same time. Over the past few years, Westlife has transitioned more into the adult contemporary market. The band did not have any problems making this change, and many feel that their current sound is better than anything from the past.
From 1999 to 2006, Westlife more or less dominated the charts in the United Kingdom. During that time the group had 14 number one singles. To get a better idea of how good this is, their total is third best of all time; only behind Elvis and The Beatles.
The current members of Westlife include Nicky Byrne, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Shane Filan. The only member to ever leave the group was Brian McFadden; he departed in March of 2004.
The group has released five albums since McFadden left. They include Allow Us to Be Frank, Face to Face, The Love Album, Back Home, and The Westlife Show Live.
Westlife is currently managed by Louis Walsh after being signed by famed producer Simon Cowell. As long as the group stays together and continues to churn out new albums, it is safe to say that they will always have a place in the music industry; especially in the United Kingdom.
