Nicky Interview in Hot Magazine – Malaysia (Older interview)

Dina translated an older interview of Nicky from Hot Magazine (Malaysia). It was done back in 2009 when Westlife were releasing their ‘Where We Are’ album. Thank you very much for sending and sharing it with us Dina.

WHERE THEY ARE

We fall in love with Westlife all over again

It has been about two years since Irish boyband WESTLIFE released a new album, and about 11 years since they ventured into the music business. Now that they are back with spending much of 2009 hidden away in studios, MARK FEEHILY, SHANE FILAN, KIAN EGAN and NICKY BYRNE, are older but still recognisable with their pretty-boy features. (Former member BRIAN MCFADDEN took off for a solo career in 2004.)

The group’s new record features work from well-known songwriters and producers including RYAN TEDDER from ONE REPUBLIC, STEVE BOOKER, LOUIS BIANCANILLO and SAM WATTERS, as well as SHAZNAY LEWIS from now-disbanded All Saints. “We worked with different producers for this album and we’re happy with the results. We were really lucky to have them do that for us. It was a great experience and [it was] really enjoyable,” said Nicky when hot had a chat with him over the phone.

These days, Westlife is loving being on tour as much as they did before. Even as family men, the band still hasn’t lost it, showing their fans that music is what’s important to them above everything else.

Looking back, how do you think the group has matured?
We’re ten or 11 years older than when we first started and we tell ourselves we know we need to work with the best producers and we know what we’re like as a band, what works and doesn’t work. We’re all grown up together and we enjoy what we’re doing. We’re managed to keep it together successfully.

How different is it for you guys to tour and record as four instead of five members?
We’ve done about six tours since Brian left so now it doesn’t feel like it has changed. He was with us from 1998 to 2004 and then from 2004 to 2010 we were without him so now touring with four members instead of five feels perfect. Though we were very sad for Brian to go, we’re pretty used to him not being around.

How do you deal with being away from your family for so long when on tour?
Well, you know what not to say and do with certain people and we know how to handle situations, so it’s not too bad. And we all get along well with each other, which makes a lot of difference.

What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done for you?
I think fans are pretty crazy all over the world. Like when we go to Asia, there are tones of people at the airports. We always fell like proper superstars. We’ll leave our hotels to go for concerts and there will always be a tonne of people. They throw things onto the stage, jump up on stage and do crazy things, but all in good fun.

So far, what has been the best experience you’ve had after being with the the band for 11 years?
I think the whole experience has been the best. I don’t want to generalise things but there have been ups and downs and we’ve enjoyed every moment of it. We’re enjoying it and are really grateful for it and we have the best fans in the world. We’ve also sang with some cool people like MARIAH CAREY and KEVIN SPACEY and won amazing awards from MTV and the Brit Awards, performed in stadiums… it’s been a rollercoaster.

What do you like to do to relax when you have time off?
I play a bit of golf [and] do some boxing training. Being a dad to two young boys takes up a lot of my time; I generally see them two days a week. I’m a family man and we do a lot of thing together.

If you weren’t in Westlife, what do you see yourself doing?
Before Westlife, I was a professional footballer. Maybe I’ll be a police officer because I was doing the exams for that when the opportunity with Westlife came up. Now, I’d like to do a lot of things. I’d like to try acting, maybe a bit of TV presenting. I recently did a little radio presenting on one of Ireland’s national rado stations for four weeks as part of a celebrity-host programme. I had huge reviews and fans from around the world listened to it online.

What about the other boys?
Everyone’s got something of their own going on apart from Westlife. Kian, for example, has just started a girlband with our manager, so everyone’s got fingers in different pies at the moment.

There are many stars who have come up with their own fragrance and clothing lines. Do you see the band going in that direction?
We actually did a fragrance, which is available in the UK and Ireland at the moment, called Westlife X, and you can find it online on our website. We do variations of our clothes at concerts too, and it’s something we might look forward to venturing into the future.

Do you have rituals to keep you looking good?
I train a lot, about three times a week, in weightlifting and boxing and I try to eat healthy. I try to limit fast food to about once a week. I love it, especially chips, but I have to limit myself because you want to be healthy on the inside as well as outside. I also eat lots of vegetable.

Tell us three things about Westlife that fans don’t know.
1) We are happiest when we are on tour; 2) Nicky is the best fighter in Westlife; and 3) We are very vain; we look in mirrors and high-five each other before we go up on stage.

Credit/Source: Hot Magazine / Thanks Dina