Westlife give Top Of The Pops first interview after shock departure of Bryan

After the announcement that Bryan McFadden had done a ‘Geri’ and quit the band, neither the group, nor Bryan was willing to comment. Now, almost two months later, both Bryan and the new quartet, Westlife, give their exclusive first interviews about Bryan’s leaving.

When did you find out that Bryan was leaving?
Shane: Less than an hour before the press conference. It was as much of a shock to us as it was to the fans.
Kian: We didn’t know what to think. We knew things had been a bit strained between us all, but we’d gone for 7 months without one day off, and we were all a bit stressed and very tired. We thought that after we’d had a holiday everything would be back to normal.

Were you given any reason?
Nicky: None. He told us that we’d grown apart and that he didn’t feel he could work with us anymore, but that was the first we’d heard of it. That’s all we’ve heard from him directly since he left.
Kian: We wish we were. We didn’t know what to think. It could have been something we’d done, something Bry felt. We just don’t know.

Kian, what about the rumours that Bryan left because he didn’t like your new girlfriend?
Kian: That hurt us both Anna and myself a lot. We knew nothing about that at all. I’d been seeing Anna for all of a day the last time we saw Bryan, and they hadn’t spent more than 2 hours in total in the same room together. I don’t know if he liked her or not, but I don’t think he knew her well enough for her to make him leave.
Mark: Anyway, Anna’s a good friend of all of us. There’s nothing about her you couldn’t like!

Do you think you’ll ever be friends with Bryan again?
Mark: Maybe if he gives us a reason for what he did. And if he sorts his life out. But to be honest, it’s two months on, and we haven’t heard anything from him, apart from lawyer’s letters, and I think our friendship’s gone beyond repair.
Shane: I totally agree. I think too long has passed for us to go back to being friends now. He hurt us all too much.

Will the group ‘Westlife’ continue now?
Kian: Definitely. If anything, Bryan’s departure has made us even closer friends. Because we had to be totally united after he left, to show the press we were still together, we actually did become closer. We’re better friends now than we ever were.
Mark: Yeah. We know each other a lot better now, and we’re a lot more open with each other. We made a pact to tell everyone if something’s bothering us, and so far it’s worked.

Nicky, how do you feel being the only ‘Dublin lad’ left in the group?
Nicky: It doesn’t bother me at all. It doesn’t make a difference. We’ve spent so long together now that the fact I didn’t know the guys originally makes no difference. Maybe if Bryan had left right at the start of the group, I would have cared, but not now. I’m happier now in the group than ever.

Do you think Bryan’s departure will make Westlife stronger in the long run?
Shane: I don’t know. It could go either way. I guess the real test will be the next single, but until then, it’s hard to know how it’s going to affect us.
Kian: I think as people it will definitely make us stronger. It probably has already. But for the band’s popularity? Who knows. I hope so.
Mark: Westlife were getting constantly bigger all the time, whilst Bryan was still in the group, and I don’t see that that should stop now.

How have the fans reacted so far?
Shane: It’s hard to tell really. Like I said, the new single will be the big test. We haven’t really has much time with the fans since he left, as we’ve been on holiday. But the concert on the night he left was the best we did! The audience came totally alive, and I think that was the boost we all needed.


Now we’ve heard their side of the story, what about Bryan? We spoke to him whilst he was at home about his side of the story...

Why did you decide to leave the group, Bry?
I don’t think I could say it was because of one thing. There had been a lot of friction between all of us for the few months before I left. Nicky and Mark got closer, as did Shane and Kian, and more and more I felt like the odd man out. We had lots of differences.

Were any of the guys responsible for you leaving?
Not directly, no. I don’t think any of them meant to, but I felt left out. They would constantly criticise me, and I didn’t like it. Also, I didn’t like the affect some of the people they spent time with had on them. We were all changing, but they were changing differently to me.

How have things been since you left?
Weird. I laid low for a couple of weeks afterwards, to give everyone a chance to digest it, but as soon as I started going out more, all the fans were fantastic. I’ve had almost all support from the fans - they’ve been fabulous.

Why do you say ‘almost all’?
Because not everyone’s response has been what I hoped for. That’s to be expected though.

Will you stay in touch with the other guys?
I doubt it. The things that made me leave the band would still be there if we tried to be friends. I don’t think we could ever regain the closeness we used to share.

What about the future?
Who knows?! I want to take a few months off. I need to get some self-respect back. Also, I’m not really sure what I want to do with myself. I need time to clear my head and think about my options.

Any chance of some solo work?
Possible. I’m certainly considering it. I’d like to look into the writing and producing side of the industry, and maybe I’ll do some solo work at the same time.

Do you regret leaving now you’ve had time to think about it?
No way! I’m more relaxed now than I have been since before I joined the band. I feel more happy with myself now. I was starting to really question where I was going before I left. I’m still doing that now, but only because there are lots of options open to me now, whereas before I had none.