Irish pop sensations Westlife are coming back with new music and a tour after more than six years of being apart. The announcement was posted to the band’s official Twitter page Wednesday afternoon.
The ’00s group posted a video, featuring four out of the five original members. Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan appear in the video and say, “Hi, we’re Westlife,” followed by “We’ll be seeing you soon.”
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“New music. New tour. Coming soon,” reads the final caption.
Brian McFadden, the fifth member of the group, did not show up in the video. McFadden left the group in 2004, long before they disbanded. Since then, fans have been anxiously hoping for his return, but as of this writing, it doesn’t appear likely that he’ll be involved in the reunion.
Westlife fanatics were chomping at the bit when the clock struck 8 p.m. in Ireland. The now four-piece was reportedly set to make an official statement at that very time, but old habits die hard. They were late — as they often were when it came to live performances — and the video went public at 8:07 p.m.
#WestlifeReunion was a trending topic on Twitter almost immediately following the announcement.
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This year marks the 20th anniversary of Westlife. It is unconfirmed whether this is a one-off tour or if the band will stay together afterwards.
Westlife sold more than 45 million records worldwide in their 14-year career. They released 10 studio albums; seven of them became No. 1 sellers in the U.K.
The boy band initially broke up in 2012 after some disagreements with their record label, Syco, which was founded by Simon Cowell. After an extensive farewell tour, they each split off and continued to pursue their own solo careers, breaking the hearts of millions of fans worldwide.
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In wake of the reunion, the lads spoke to U.K. publication The Sun about their reunion. Byrne admitted, “While we were away, we realized what Westlife really meant to the fans … and to us.”
Feehily added: “It felt so great to be back in the studio together and hanging out with each other again. It just felt right. We’re fresh, ready and so excited for this new next chapter of Westlife.”
Family man Egan said he was ecstatic to share the band’s legacy with his children.
“This time around our children will get to enjoy Westlife and see their daddies on stage.”
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The details are vague, but we know Westlife is signed up for a deal with Universal and that they’ve already been in the studio to record. They are reportedly set to play Dublin’s Croke Park Stadium as the opening gig for their upcoming tour — the stadium where they played their final show in 2012. It’s unclear at this juncture if the boys men will make it across the pond to North America.
No official statements have been made by the band members or their publicist, however, further details are expected to follow soon.
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