Boyzone
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| Boyzone | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genre(s) | Pop |
| Years active | 1993-2000 2007- |
| Label(s) | Universal |
Boyzone are a popular Irish boy band of the 1990s. They had major success in the UK and Ireland and differing levels of success in parts of Europe and Asia with six #1 hit singles in the UK. By 2007 they had sold over 15 million records.[1]
Boyzone was put together in 1993 by Louis Walsh who is also known for managing Johnny Logan and Westlife. Before even recording any material they made a now infamous appearance on RTÉ's The Late Late Show. Their first album Said and Done was released in 1995 and the following two studio albums in 1996 and 1998. Four compilation albums have been released, the latest being The Silver Collection in summer 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Band history
Boyzone was formed in 1993 by Louis Walsh through an advertisement calling for auditions to form a new all-male 'boy band' vocal group: 'the Irish Take That'. About 300 singers tried out and initially, six were selected. They made their first appearance, only a day after being formed, on Ireland's top-rated Late Late Show dancing to a backing track before a somewhat bemused audience in a TV moment which has often been re-played to the embarrassment of the band members who later found fame.
With some of the original members fading away and others being brought into the group, it took some time before Boyzone settled down into its most recognisable 5-member line-up of Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch. They played through 1993 and in the early parts of 1994 all over Ireland, mainly in pubs and clubs, before Polygram signed them up in 1994 and released the cover version of the Detroit Spinners hit Working My Way Back to You, featuring Graham and Gately on lead vocals. It reached No. 3 in the Irish Charts.
The release of their cover version of the classic Osmonds' hit, Love Me for a Reason, paved the way for Boyzone to break the British Charts. The song hit No. 2 in the UK and was included in their 1995 hit debut album Said and Done. The album reached the No. 1 spot in both UK and Ireland.
The band's second album - A Different Beat - was released in 1996 and contained their first UK number one single, a cover of the Bee Gees hit Words. The album also contained the hit singles A Different Beat, Isn't It a Wonder and Picture of You (which became the soundtrack of Mr. Bean, The Ultimate Disaster Movie). Ronan Keating - who by now had emerged as the band's lead singer and front-man - won the Ivor Novello award for songwriting in 1997 for Picture of You.
Their third studio album, Where We Belong, was released in 1998 and showcased Boyzone's writing abilities. The album further widened their fan base due to the more mature songs. It contained the hit singles All That I Need (which stayed for 6 weeks in the MTV Asia charts), Baby Can I Hold You and No Matter What. Originally written for the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical Whistle Down the Wind, No Matter What was the group's best ever selling single and was voted Song of the Year, 1998.
In 1999, their greatest hits compilation - By Request - was released and was followed by another tour. Also, during this time, due to the threat of a tabloid expose, Stephen Gately revealed that he was gay and was in love with the ex-Caught in the Act member Eloy de Jong. It was also during this year when Ronan Keating released his first solo single, When You Say Nothing at All. By this time, after six years together and amid growing tensions behind the scenes, the band members had decided to take some time off from Boyzone to pursue solo projects.
The group performed together for the last time in January 2000. In the seven years that they were together (1993 - 2000), they had gone from being dubbed the "most promising band of the year" by the British magazine Smash Hits in 1995 to realising their full potential with huge popularity and a string of hits.
What initially started on that (by now infamous) Late, Late Show appearance, became a massively successful pop group phenomenon which sold more than 10 million records in total. All sixteen of their singles reached the UK top five and they became the first Irish act to have four number one hits in the United Kingdom charts. Their 1998 tour of Ireland shattered all sales records when 35,000 tickets were sold out in four hours. At their height, Boyzone were one of the biggest-selling artists in music. Along with Take That they spearheaded the growth of the 'boy band' movement which transformed the industry in the 1990s.
The band has been commemorated by the London's Rock Circus by inviting them to place their hand prints on the "Walls of Hands" beside the likes of Eric Clapton and Michael Jackson. Also, wax figures of the boys were made beside U2 in Dublin.
Boyzone were always active supporters of charity works. They appeared on the Childliners record The Gift Of Christmas alongside acts such as Backstreet Boys, MN8, E.Y.C., Sean Maguire, Deuce, Ultimate Kaos, Sonia, Heaven 17, Peter Andre, Michelle Gayle, Dannii Minogue and many more.
[edit] Reunion
For seven years after their split in 2000 the band members had mixed success in their individual careers. Keating in particular remained a force in the music industry as he continued writing and managing other bands. Gately also continued his career as a solo artist, appearing in a number of West End stage musicals, and Duffy had some success as an actor (including a role in the TV soap Coronation Street).
While Boyzone's fan base remained loyal however, and their records continued to sell and were often heard on radio and in pubs and clubs, the band's reputation suffered to some extent from rumors of feuds and ill-feeling among the former band members, which undercut the image of a clean-cut 'best of friends' group of fun-loving Irish lads.
Then in the early 2000s, Take That re-formed and had considerable success with some new record releases, a number of TV appearances and a national tour. Just as it had in the 1990s, the model of Take That proved an inspiration to Boyzone. Putting their differences aside, they announced in 2007 plans for a high-profile re-union tour the following year.
The Boyzone re-union tour began in May 28th, 2008 and was set to last for a month but now has been extended to three months.
[edit] Band members
- Ronan Keating 1993-2000,2007-
- Stephen Gately 1993-2000,2007-
- Mikey Graham 1993-2000,2007-
- Shane Lynch 1993-2000,2007-
- Keith Duffy 1993-2000,2007-
[edit] Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | ||||
| 1995 | Said and Done | 1 | ||
| 1996 | A Different Beat | 1 | ||
| 1998 | Where We Belong | 1 | ||
| 1999 | By Request | 1 | ||
| 1999 | The Singles Collection 1994-1999 | 129 | ||
| 2003 | Ballads - The Love Song Collection | 6 | ||
| 2006 | Key To My Life: Collection | 8 | ||
| 2007 | The Silver Collection | - | ||
| 2008 | TBA | - | ||
[edit] Singles
- 1994 "Love Me for a Reason" #2 UK
- 1995 "Key to My Life" #3 UK
- 1995 "So Good" #3 UK
- 1995 "Father and Son" #2 UK
- 1996 "Coming Home Now" #4 UK
- 1996 "Words" #1 UK
- 1996 "A Different Beat" #1 UK
- 1997 "Isn't It a Wonder" #2 UK
- 1997 "Picture of You" #2 UK
- 1997 "Baby Can I Hold You/Shooting Star" #2 UK
- 1998 "All That I Need" #1 UK
- 1998 "No Matter What" #1 UK, #2 AUS, #12 US Adult Contemporary Chart
- 1998 "I Love the Way You Love Me" #2 UK
- 1999 "When the Going Gets Tough" #1 UK
- 1999 "You Needed Me" #1 UK
- 1999 "Everyday I Love You" #3 UK
[edit] The Year 2000 and beyond
Boyzone opened the door for fellow Irish boy band, Westlife. Since Boyzone split in 2000, Ronan Keating has made a career from going solo and has released five albums, also achieving countless hit singles such as When You Say Nothing at All; Stephen Gately released a modestly successful solo album and is now pursuing a career in stage acting and particularly West End musicals, starring in the Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"; Mikey Graham has also pursued solo projects and now works as a music producer; Keith Duffy has appeared in the British Soap "Coronation Street" as well as a number of theatre productions in Ireland and Wales ; Shane Lynch recently appeared on the Reality TV Shows, "Celebrity Love Island" and "The Games".
[edit] The Re-Union
In 2003 rumours of a Boyzone reunion began to circulate. Following the success of fellow Universal artists Take That's reunion and subsequent sell-out tour in 2006, these rumours came to a head and in early 2007 there were news reports that all five members and their manager, The X Factor Judge Louis Walsh, had met in Dublin to discuss and organise a comeback tour.
In February 2007 more details of the reunion were announced. [2]
On 8 March 2007 former Boyzone manager Louis Walsh was sacked from the ITV show The X Factor (UK), saying by way of explanation that "I will be having the busiest year of my career with Westlife, Shayne Ward and the re-launch of Boyzone" [3]
On 8 April 2007 several UK newspapers widely reported that the rumored reunion was cancelled due to the lack of financial investment. The papers stated that no recording company or investors were willing to back the act to guarantee a comeback success experienced by Take That.
On 11 October 2007 Louis Walsh was interviewed on The Graham Norton Show, when asked by Graham Norton whether there was going to be a re-launch of Boyzone he replied 'I think so'.
On 5 November 2007 Ronan Keating confirmed that Boyzone will reunite for a special appearance on the BBC's annual fundraiser, Children in Need, performing a medley of hits, although have not yet commented on the possibility of a new tour or album. This was seen on 16 November 2007 on BBC1 at 21:00. [4]
On 14 November it was reported that all five original members of Boyzone are to begin a UK tour in May, which will be their first in seven years. Ronan Keating, who left the Irish boy band to pursue a solo career, will join the group for the series of concerts.
On 16 November 2007 all five members of Boyzone made a comeback appearance as part of Children In Need on BBC1 in the UK , with an Irish and UK tour in June 2008. The band sold 200,000 tickets for the tour within 3 hours and sold 20,000 tickets on the first day of them going on sale for their concert in the RDS Dublin. Ronan assured Boyzone fans that the group are taking their comeback tour plans "very seriously". The five-piece announced last week that they will be going on tour next summer 2008, and the boys are now visiting the gym on a daily basis to get fit.Ronan told the Daily Star: "We've been taking it easy on the Guinness and been out for dinners and just a couple of drinks. We're taking the tour plans very seriously." "We're all on diets and we've been training in the gym every day. I'm probably the fittest now that I've ever been. I think we all look better now than before.""We each went to see Take That on tour at different times and started talking to each other again, but Take That were the icing on the cake that made us decide now was the time to reform."We're very aware of how good Take That are, and know we have to be on a par with them. There won't be a flat, boring stage. We're all dancing again and learning different things we've never done before to rival their pole dancing and stuff."
"We've been talking about getting back together for some time now. I can't wait to be back on the road and all the guys feel the same." Keating said.
The 29-date tour, taking in Cardiff, Newcastle, Liverpool, London at the O2 and Wembley,Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Aberdeen,Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Edinburugh Castle and the RDS in Dublin. The tour began on 25 May at Belfast's Odyssey arena and finishes at Newmarket racecourse in August. The boys were very emotional during their first two gigs, especially Stephen.
[edit] References
- ^ "Ronan: How I lost my way", Daily Mail, 2006-06-05. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
- ^ "Boyzone to reunite as Ronan Keating says 'Yes'", Fashion.ie, 2007-01-09. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
- ^ "X Factor to replace Kate and Louis", MSN Entertainment, 2007-03-08. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
- ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Boyzone back for Children In Need
[edit] External links
- Boyzone Official Tour Website
- Billboard Artist Chart History — retrieved January 1, 2006
- Ronan Keating - Le Site Francophone
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