Analysis: The band's longevity, and the loyalty of their global fan base, shows just how they were able to adapt and evolve
It feels like more and more Irish people are thinking about starting, or growing, their own businesses. I often have conversations with them. A question I frequently ask is "what would Westlife do?" I don't mean acting suave, doing synchronized dad dancing, getting out the stools, turning up the charisma and being eternally cheerful. I mean building from scratch, being laser-focused on your target audience, adapting to global markets and adjusting to changing circumstances.
Lots of people are put off starting a business because they don’t have the funds, but that shouldn’t be an obstacle. You just have to be clever. The pop world illustrates this perfectly. Here, the act with the best story has a big advantage. Even before Westlife started, the story of boybands in Ireland, thanks to Boyzone, was: "we can do it! Ireland can compete at the highest level."
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From RTÉ Archives, Westlife perform on The Late Late Show in 2003
It’s worth noting that there were very few believers in the concept at the start of the Boyzone project. But two of them, manager Louis Walsh and reporter Katie Hannon, spun a story that captivated the country. These days, Hannon is acknowledged as a broadcaster of outstanding ability, and the incoming co-host of RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime.
Back then, the Kerrywoman was a cub reporter for a Dublin evening newspaper who crafted a story in the showbiz pages about the band involving grit and graft, sweat and hormones, having a laugh and taking a risk. It was a tale of a few young lads who were ready to sing and dance their way to stardom. In any case, the lesson is clear. It’s not that any publicity is good publicity. It’s that when you are starting off, nothing beats free publicity.
Boyzone enjoyed major international success, but Westlife went even further. Boyzone scored seven Top 10 albums in Ireland. Westlife have had 14 Top 10 albums at home so far. And just like the boyband that came before them, Westlife began with almost nothing.
Where did Westlife get the start?
Naturally, well-known music entrepreneurs Walsh and Simon Cowell get a lot of credit for the success of Westlife. But the group members did a serious amount of do-it-yourself music activity before they ever met Walsh or Cowell. This is a reminder that young people often have the drive, and the business skills, to develop their own talents while they wait to be 'discovered.’
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From RTÉ Archives, Eileen Magnier reports for RTÉ's Nationwide on a visit to children at Sligo hospital in December 1997 by new band I,O.U who later went on to become Westlife
Shane Filan's parents ran a successful small business in Sligo so he understood the graft and passion that goes into any commercial project from an early age. Kian Egan got piano lessons from his older brother as a youngster, while his sister staged local variety shows in community halls. Together, Egan and Filan appeared in the musical, Grease, staged by Mary McDonagh in the local Hawk's Well Theatre. The venue was funded by the local council, the tourist board and the Arts Council and it gave the youngsters a platform for developing their stagecraft and to learn how to captivate a live audience.
The resources provided in Sligo by cultural and civic organizations were vital in the development of the future members of Westlife. They began to write songs with other local youngsters, and together with McDonagh, they released a CD. Local and national media outlets gave them free, positive publicity.
Filan’s mother tenaciously contacted Louis Walsh’s office in an attempt to get him to see the young group. It took time, but she succeeded and the outcome was positive. Walsh got the young group the opening slot on the Backstreet Boys' Dublin concerts, the perfect way to see if they would appeal to the teen, and pre-teen, audience. In the wider business world, we call this offering a free sample to potential future buyers.
Westlife discuss their early years in Sligo
The band made lots of fans at the concerts, and Walsh decided to invest his time in them. He made major changes to the line-up and, with his music insight and network, he was able to secure them a major international record deal with a record label that took them seriously. You could fill a book with Walsh's business acumen, but Westlife’s global success was built on the foundations that they developed at home in Sligo.
Why change is good for you
In 2004 Westlife released their fifth album ...Allow Us to Be Frank. It was a nostalgic nod to Frank Sinatra, Las Vegas and the Rat Pack group of night club entertainers. It was not the band’s best-selling or best-loved album, but it illustrates a key point: you can’t be the plucky young upstart forever. At some stage, your business has to grow up,
The world of boybands, just like the world of start-up businesses, can feel like a Neverland where you can be Peter Pan forever. In some cases, the ruthless minds behind some groups put commerce before loyalty. Menudo, formed in 1976 by Edgardo Diaz, were Latin pop teen sensations. The hits kept coming, but the band members kept going. Pre-teen youngsters, including Ricky Martin, were recruited to replace ‘older’ group members who were approaching their late teens. By 1998, Menudo had been fronted by 33 different singers. It’s a business model that’s now used with J-Pop girl groups including AKB48.
Westlife's Ain't That A Kick In the Head from the ..Allow Us to Be Frank album
Luckily for Westlife, the boyband model in Ireland isn’t to replace members when they start shaving or hit their late teens. On the ...Allow Us to Be Frank album, Westlife were trying to be grown-up. Maybe they were trying a bit too hard, but it was time to change, as the music landscape was certainly changing.
Standing still and doing the same old things weren’t viable options so Westlife had to be open to change. Their longevity, and the loyalty of their large global fan base, proves that they were able to adapt and evolve. It’s a lesson that future boybands and any start-up business should learn.
Michael Mary Murphy is the co-author (with Jim Rogers) of Sounds Irish, Acts Global: Explaining the Success of Ireland's Popular Music Industry (Equinox) which looks at how Irish artists have competed globally
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Dr Michael Mary Murphy is a lecturer in the Department of Humanities + Arts Management, Entrepreneurship at the Institute of Art, Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
