From Westlife with ‘Love’ - November 2006

 

After Face to Face, recent Manila visitor Westlife has come up with The Love Album, calculated to surpass the sales of any of the group’s previous albums (put together, they have sold more than 35 million worldwide).

 

Released by SonyBMG, The Love Album carries the following selections: Bette Midler’s The Rose; Lionel Richie’s Easy; Celine Dion’s Because You Love Me; Lonestar’s Amazed; Bryan Adam’s I’m Ready; Maxwell’s Whenever, Wherever, Whatever; Total Eclipse of the Heart; All Out of Love; Light Up My Life; You Are So Beautiful (To Me); Have You Ever Been In Love; Love Can Build a Bridge; The Dance; All Or Nothing; and You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.

 

How’s The Love Album different from other Westlife albums and those of the same genre by other artists?

 

Here’s Westlife’s Shane Filan in a 15-minute exclusive phone interview, talking about love and what the album is all about.

 

The Westlife was in Manila for a concert last September. How was the experience?

"I enjoyed Manila an awful lot this time. I don’t know but it was just different this time. It was really, really good. The reception was very warm, especially at the hotel (Crowne Plaza) where we stayed. I think the concert was excellent. It was the most enjoyable concert we’ve ever done in the Philippines. The fans were just fantastic!"

 

Aren’t you coming back maybe to promote The Love Album?

"Not this year. No, there’s no plan to go back there this year. But we’re planning to go back next year to promote The Greatest Hits album we’re working on next summer. It’s coming out next year. We’re planning to go to a lot of countries, including the Philippines. In 2008, we’re embarking on our Greatest Hits World Tour and it will also include the Philippines."

 

You worked on The Love Album in-between your world concert tour this year. How did you manage to find time for that?

"Well, it was a summer concert which meant that we did it three days during the week but not during the weekend. That’s when we worked on the album. It was tough, hard to do, but we just had to do it."

 

Do you think The Love Album will outsell your past albums?

"I think it’s gonna be a successful album. I don’t know how successful it will be but we are expecting it to be a big album. All the predictions so far are very promising. But then, you’ll never know."

 

Why did you choose to use "Love" in the album’s title instead of, maybe, "Romance"?

"Because it’s exactly what the album is all about – Love. It’s the perfect word for the album which covers so many styles of love songs. I just think it’s a neatly-packaged love album."

 

Were the songs on the album the personal choices of the Westlife guys?

"Yeah. We actually chose from a long list of love songs. Those that made it are our personal choices."

 

The Love Album is touted to be different from all other love compilations we see on TV. How different is it?

(At this point, Shane begged off for a while, "Just a second." After about five minutes, Shane was back on the line, saying, "Sorry, my baby is crying!" So the interview veered toward his being a father.)

 

Oh, your baby is crying! How many kids do you have?

"Just one. He’s 16 months old. We’re in our house in London; it’s 10:55 a.m. here, Tuesday (Nov. 14, 6:55 p.m., same day, Manila time). We have just one kid at the moment, hopefully more in the future."

 

Do you help change his diapers and prepare his feeding bottles?

"Oh yes, I do. He’s crying because he lost one of his shoes and I have to help him find it."

 

Is your wife also in showbiz?

"No, she’s not. She’s from my hometown. Her name is Gillian. We met about 10 years ago."

 

Anyway, a while ago (before that welcome interruption), I was asking you how different is The Love Album from other love compilations...

"I think it’s in the choice of songs. It’s got a good mixture in there. It’s not your karaoke kind of album. Some of the songs are famous, some are not; but they are all beautiful love songs."

 

Interpreted the Westlife way?

"You know, we didn’t try to do the songs too differently from the originals; we didn’t try to change the songs too much because they are famous songs and you’ve got to be careful when singing those songs. I think we just sang them the way us Westlife guys feel it. It’s the Westlife’s tribute to the (singers of the) original songs."

 

The Westlife guys are self-confessed romantics. How romantic are you?

"Very romantic. Ask my wife."

 

What’s your most romantic moment?

"My wedding day three years ago. It was like Christmastime. It was a big event."

 

If you were to court your wife all over again with a song, what would it be?

"Amazed by Lonestar."

 

And what’s your all-time favorite song?

"Also Amazed by Lonestar. I think lyrically, it’s a perfect love song. I wanted to sing it on The Love Album but I got voted out by other people, so maybe I can do it for our next album. Ha, ha, ha!"

 

What’s your favorite line from that song?

"Every line in it. It describes what in a man’s eyes is the perfect woman. Everything about that woman is perfect – her hair, her eyes, her smell, everything about her! In my eyes, my wife is the perfect woman, that’s why I can relate to that song."

 

Speaking for the Westlife, what song do you think does the group want to be remembered for?

"You Raise Me Up."

 

Credit/Source: www.philstar.com