(A short version!)
Boyzone were formed in November 1993, when Louis Walsh, a Dublin club owner put a notice out saying he needed young, talented and good-looking lads to audition for a boyband. Three hundred guys turned up to show their talents but only Shane, Mikey, Ronan, Stephen and Keith were picked. They recorded a cover song, Working My Way Back To You for their demo tape.
The critics didn't like the Boyz at all, saying they were 'just another boy band'. However, the lads had built up a bit of a fanbase in the UK and Working My Way Back To You reached number 3 in the UK chart. Louis Walsh was surprised the Boyz were doing so well and their second single, Love Me For A Reason went straight into the chart at number 1.
Louis decided that, since Boyzone were so successful with cover versions that they should keep on recording covers. But they also wrote a few songs themselves and their first original single, Key To My Life was the first release from their number one debut album Said And Done. When the boys reached their second album, A Different Beat they had matured a lot and it showed in the music. At this stage, the boys had really made it big worldwide and with the success came tabloid stories and rumours.
Maybe one of the biggest rumours was that Eternal scandal. The tabloids kept printing that Easther and Shane were an item, as well as Vernie and Ronan. Both bands denied that they were anything more than good friends but the stories continued for over a year. New pictures appeared of Shane and Easther out shopping, on holiday together and at a celebrity party. Finally the tabloids got fed up of trying to prove the stories were true and the rumours stopped.
The boys then went on to record a third album, Where We Belong. This again was more serious and the boys had matured since A Different Beat. It contained the hits "Picture of You", "Baby Can I Hold You", "All That I Need" and the Andrew Lloyd Webber written song "No Matter What" which was voted single of the year. 1998 also saw three of the boys get married, Ronan, Keith and surprisingly, Shane, who admitted the rumours about him and Easther were indeed true after all.
Then the boys released a greatest hits album, By Request, fuelling rumours that they would split. The boys assured fans they would not be splitting in the near future and are planning another album and a film...