Shane Filan FRANCES MANGOSING/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines— “I was very scared to do it.”
Former Westlife lead singer Shane Filan had apprehensions when he decided to go solo after his band split two years ago.
“The music industry is not easy. Westlife was definitely amazing. I don’t think most people realize how big we were, how lucky we were to have the success we did but when you’re out there it’s crazy. It’s hard. You gotta really work hard. You try to pick the right songs all the time. It’s a bit scarier on your own,” he said in an interview Sunday evening.
Filan is in Manila to promote his album “You & Me” and at the same time announce his concert on October 1 at World Trade Center as part of his Asian tour.
“It’s also amazing you get to travel and you get to see places like Manila three times in one year (third in October). To do things like that and call it a job it’s something special,” he said.
He first visited the Philippines as a solo artist last September to promote his first single, “Everything to Me,” which he also wrote.
The singer was part of Irish boyband Westlife that went on for 14 years. The band had 10 albums and sold 50 million records and dozens of chart-topping hits.
The band announced an amicable split in 2011, breaking the hearts of their devoted fans.
“A lot of people asked me back a few years ago if I wanted to go solo and I think I never would…Not that I had no choice but I wanted to keep singing,” he said.
Shane Filan FRANCES MANGOSING/INQUIRER.net
Today, he has not looked back from his decision to have a solo career and is proud of it.
“I’m very proud I actually went solo because I was very scared to do it..I think you just gotta go for it and not be scared and I hope to continue doing it as long as I can,” Filan said.
His album, which was released November last year, is a mix of up-tempo and mid-tempo songs, a reflection of his own record collection, with touches of pop, soul, country and traditional Irish music.
“I love ‘All You Need to Know.’ This is a personal song to me. I think ‘About You’ is a great radio-friendly song. ‘Everything to Me,’ my first single that’s always gonna be special to me because it’s my first ever single,” he said.
Filan, who will turn 35 next month, was greatly influenced by Michael Jackson during his younger years.
“He definitely inspired me to sing. I wanted to become a performer. [I watch] him on TV and his concerts [and I tell] my mom that’s what I wanna do when I get older. She was like, ‘Don’t be silly,’ but it’s always I dreamt about doing,” he said.
He plans to release more albums in the next few years. “To be able to sing for my job is a great thing to be able to do. I just wanna keep singing it’s one thing I love to do,” he said.
Although he seems at ease being solo, Filan doesn’t discount the possibility of reuniting with his former band members in the future.
“I think it is possible, there is a possibility but I can’t guarantee. I can’t speak on behalf of everybody. But it’s something that does happen nowadays, they reunite like Take That….I’m sure we’ll do something together again someday,” he said.
So what can the fans expect with his concert in October aside from a few Westlife songs in between? It’ll be something “very good.”
“It’s probably I’m most nervous about last February when I did my first show because you used to be on stage with the lads…But I find myself having a lot more fun. I chat with the crowd a lot more…
So far the reaction had been amazing. The United Kingdom and Ireland tour was sold out. I think they were quite surprised…It’s really a fun show, quite an upbeat show,” Filan said.
Tickets for his You & Me Tour Live in Manila 2014 will be sold starting June 16 through SM Tickets, Ticketnet and TicketWorld outlets.
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