Westlife is an Irish pop band that was formed on July 3, 1998. The group's original lineup comprised Brian McFadden, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan. Filan and Feehily are the band's lead vocalists. Westlife have had 14 UK number ones and was the first act in British history to have four number one singles in a year. The band is also the only act to have number ones with their first seven singles and to date they have gone on to sell over 40 million albums worldwide.[1]
They were signed on by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. In 2008, they are declared as Ireland's 9th richest celebrities under 30 years old and 13th in general. They garnered 14 number one singles in the United Kingdom, the third-highest in UK history, tying with Cliff Richard and tailing behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The band has also won numerous awards such as the "Best Irish Pop Act" at the annual Ireland Meteor Awards and ITV "Record of the Year" award in the UK. The band has also broken a few top records, including "Music artist with most consecutive number 1's in the UK" and the "Biggest selling arena act in the UK".
Over years of their career, Westlife's music has evolved from teen pop to a pop sound, with an emphasis on ballads. All of the band members are songwriters, although most of their hits have been composed by external writers.
