MOST people assume being in a boyband means
being told what to do by record company execs while looking pretty for the
fans.
And
while Westlife's Mark Feehily admits some people tried to take them for a ride
during their early days, he says after several years in the business they are
firmly in the driving seat.
"I'm
26 now, I've been doing this job for eight years and no-one tells us what to
do," he insists.
"Nobody
would try to tell us what to do, but it's sensible for us to work with our label
and our management and make sure we see eye to eye.
"We
don't get told what to do, but we certainly do respect and listen to the record
company's opinion. It's in our interests to work with them instead of getting
stroppy and constantly challenging what they
say."
During
the early days the boys were just teenagers. They emerged from their roots in
Sligo, northwest
"I've
learned so much about the music business, but there's still so much more to
learn," says Mark. "I came from secondary school straight into record contracts
and lawyers and business deals talking about thousands of pounds; it was a very
scary thing for me at the time. So one thing I've learned is to control myself
and calmly make decisions about money and other important
things.
"We've
certainly had people in the past who took advantage of our naiveté and the fact
we didn't really have a clue, but on the other hand we were very lucky we had
people close to us who were very protective.
"But
although we were 18 or 19-year-olds we weren't brought up to be walked all over
and we dealt with it, basically by firing anyone near us who was trying
to."
The
one question Mark always dreaded from journalists was: "So where's your
girlfriend then?"
It
was inevitable for a singer in a band like Westlife,
who are loved by thousands of screaming female fans across
But
he dreaded what would happen if his secret relationship with another man got
out.
While
the rest of the group were courting glamorous girls - Kian is dating former Hollyoaks
babe Jodi Albert and Nicky is married to Irish PM Bertie Ahern's daughter Georgina - Mark had found love with
Kevin McDaid, a singer in another boy band,
V.
In
August last year he decided to come out in an article in The Sun. The reaction
he got gave him renewed faith in the band's fanbase.
"I
got so many letters off fans and also people weren't necessarily Westlife fans, but had been touched in some way by what I
did in coming out," he says. "I really haven't had one negative comment and I
can say that with my hand on my heart. I think it speaks volumes about the
progression in modern society - it really doesn't affect anybody. Our fans
aren't like pop fans from the past; they don't want to marry us. It's not like a
few years ago, when fans didn't see the reality of a pop
act.
"At
the moment we are all in long-term relationships and it hasn't affected
anything.
It
was no big deal. It might have been a bigger deal a few years ago, but people
just literally said: 'So what?'" The story did nothing
to dent the band's sales and their album Face to Facelater that year duly hit the top spot in the
charts.
But,
as well as the public reaction to his decision to come out, Mark says it has
also made a great difference to him personally.
"It's
a relief to be able to talk about it. It's just something off my shoulders," he
says. "I never spoke too much about my private life and I still don't intend to,
but it's definitely a relief I don't have to fend off questions any more about
where my girlfriend is. I can just ignore those questions now, I can stand up
and be proud and say, 'Actually I'm going out with a fella'.
"It's
been nothing but positive in terms of the reaction I've had and the effect it's
had on my life."
Mark
had become used to seeing his face in the newspapers since the band first broke
out of
Much
of the media speculation recently has centred around
rumours of the band splitting.
Since
they released a Greatest Hitsalbum in 2002 and Bryan
McFadden parted company with them in 2004 Westlife have been dogged by reports that they
quitting the music industry.
"I
think the nation's hearts have been broken twice before by two of the biggest
pop acts the
"Robbie
left, Geri left and it all kind of went down hill for Take That and the Spice
Girls, so of course when Bryan left our band they just assumed we were going to
go down the exact same route. But personally I think we have got stronger since
he left."
At
first the rumours were hurtful to the band members, especially since their fanbase showed no signs of abating. But they soon learned to
deal with it and now it's a regular joke between the members whenever they get
together. In a way, says Mark, it's a compliment because it shows they are
defying people's expectations.
"We
are always going to get asked the question because once we got past the greatest
hits album we are in uncharted territory for a boyband, so everybody is always wondering when we are going
to split up. We could tell people we were going to split up in five years and
they would still ask us every day of that five- year period if we were splitting
up. It's just something we've learned to deal with.
"When
people first started saying it, it freaked us out because we were thinking,
'Seriously, why are you saying that? Where are you getting this information
from?' We thought the press must know what they're talking about, maybe they're
right but we're the ones who decide if we're going to split up so no matter how
many people suggest we might be, at the end of the day it's up to
us."
Westlife
are at Audley End on Sunday. To book tickets visit the
website at www.picnicconcerts.com
Westlife
will also be at Newmarket Nights in August 18.
Credit/Source:
www.cambridge-news.co.uk