IN their 14-year career, Irish boyband Westlife had 14 chart-topping singles and 44 million sales. The band earned millions, yet just a few months after they played their final concert in June 2012, lead singer Shane Filan was declared bankrupt.
The recession and fall of the Celtic Tiger meant a huge Irish property investment he had made in his hometown of Sligo fell through and left him in financial difficulty. But supported by family, Shane says he was "lucky" to have still had his health and voice. And rather than dwell on his misfortune, he picked himself up and launched his solo career.
"Things happen in life. I've had some amazing things happen in my life, and with Westlife all my dreams came true. Everybody can have problems no matter how big a star they are. Thank goodness I had financial problems rather than sickness. You see others sick and realise how lucky you were. But it’s learning from the difficult times and picking out the positives that brings you out the other side.”
The singer’s 2014 debut solo album, You and Me, was a very personal and therapeutic album reflecting upon everything that had happened him, but he admits that his new album Right Here, which came out back in October, has challenged him more as a songwriter. "This album is more current. It's about real life and hopefully the songs will mean something to people in the audience.”
He describse Right Here as a "good pop/folk album" and says he made a conscious decision to change the tempo on this album and include more ballads.
“As a solo artist it takes you time to find your sound. Fans love the ballads we did with Westlife and I missed singing them. This album is more me vocally."
The album features a duet with his friend and former Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle. “Nadine is an amazing girl and it was fun to work with her. I Could Be is a big vocal song and she absolutely nailed it.”
Filan, who plays Belfast's Ulster Hall next month, is looking forward to getting back on the road with his Right Here tour and re-uniting with his fans in Belfast.
“For me, there is nothing quite like the moment I see the audience singing along to the songs I wrote. I can’t wait to go on tour, that’s the fun part and what all the hard work has been towards.
“I’ve a lot of history in Belfast. I've some amazing memories of playing the Odyssey with Westlife and when I did my first solo gig there two years ago at the Waterfront Hall the intensity and volume was the loudest I’ve ever experienced. I guess that's because in the massive arena venues the sound is absorbed," says Filan, who will be throwing some old Westlife hits into the set list.
So what have his music industry experiences been like second time around?
“Westlife were such a massive success and achieved that success so fast – but that brought its own pressure. We had to keep up that momentum and if we didn't achieve number one with a single then that was viewed as bad, which is insane looking back on it.
“The music industry is very difficult now but you just need to focus on yourself and your music. I’m proud of my music and finding my own niche and just want to give the fans a great show.”
He is still managed by former X-Factor judge Louis Walsh, who also managed Westlife and speaks to him a couple of times a week. "Louis has been with me 100 per cent along the way, trusting in me and fighting my corner."
Filan is very proud of his three children Nicole, Patrick and Shane and wants them to find their own direction in life. However, he does admit that his daughter is showing steps of following in her father's footsteps by attending the same drama and stage school in Sligo that he went to as a child.
I had to end our chat by asking him the inevitable – is there any chance of Westlife following in the footsteps of other boybands like Take That and making a comeback in the future?
“We are still in touch, though we rarely see each other. You can never rule it out but it’s not fair to give false hope by promising we definitely will sing together again some day. I don’t know is the honest answer."
:: Shane Filan plays The Ulster Hall in Belfast on Tuesday March 15 at 8pm. Tickets (£35.50) from www.waterfront.co.uk or www.shanefilan.com
