News

The year is 2001...The Millennium

Ronan row may spell the end for Boyzone

Snub ... Keith, left, was thrown out of Ronan's dressing room after a gig

THE future of Boyzone is in doubt after a blazing row between Ronan Keating and bandmate Keith Duffy.The pair are at war after Keith was thrown out of a party in Ronan's dressing room at a recent gig he did alone with Elton John in New York's Madison Square Garden.Keith has vowed never to watch Ronan perform solo again after his public snub.He claims he boycotted Ronan's gig at London's Albert Hall this month because he was still angry.Keith ranted: "I have no intention of going to see him play again. They treated me like a nobody. Ronan wants the limelight to himself."

Plans for a new Boyzone tour or album look even more unlikely after Keith admitted he hasn't seen the rest of the band for a year.He said: "I'm meeting the boys for a get-together in London soon but Ronan won't be there." Bandmate Mikey Graham also hasn't seen Ronan for nearly 12 months.

But he insists he does not want Boyzone to split. Mikey, who is busy pursuing a solo career, told me: "We haven't all been together as a band since we did some shows last year. I want us to go on until we are 60. We should do an album and tour every year."

He also claimed the band were in early talks about a tour some time next year. But one insider revealed that some of the boys feel overshadowed by Ronan. "Some of them feel Ronan is only concerned with his own success," he said

November 13, 2000

HOT PEOPLE: THE GOLDEN BOYZ
Ronan and band offered pounds 3m to get back on road
BOYZONE have been offered a colossal pounds 3 million to tour the UK next year, I can reveal.
The Boyz decided to get back on the road following the phenomenal success of Irish boy band Westlife.
And if all goes to plan, it will mean even more mega-bucks for Boyzone lead singer RONAN KEATING - who, of course, also made millions by putting together Westlife.
Twenty-five venues are under discussion - one of them being London's Hyde Park.
An insider at the Boyzone camp said: "After the amazing success of Westlife you don't have to be a genius to guess why the money men want Boyzone back and gigging."
Westlife are almost certain to be No 1 later today with their album Coast to Coast...unless the Spice Girls went out yesterday and bought 20,000 copies each of their album.
It's the culmination of 18 months hard work from Westlife, who took over the mantle as the top boy band in the UK after the Boyzone lads decided to take a break to pursue solo careers.
Since then, only Ronan Keating has emerged as a great solo success.
Our Boyzone insider said: "But it will be a great opportunity to show the UK that they were the first and best."

November 10

AN IN-SHANE PARTNERSHIP

The lyrics to RONAN KEATING's version of 'FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK' have been amended to remove lines that may have been offensive - but SHANE MCGOWAN is so happy with it that he's writing new material for the BOYZONE frontman.

Keating's manager, Louis Walsh, says that the alterations have gone down well with the Pogues frontman, adding "Shane has heard it and given it his approval. In fact he's written a new song for Ronan."

Often cited as one of the greatest Christmas songs ever written, the song features lines like "You're a bum, you're a punk/You're an old slut on junk" and "You scumbag, you maggot/You cheap lousy faggot/Happy Christmas your arse/Hope to god it's our last". It hit Number 2 in 1987, and charted again when re-released in 1991.

Keating's version will appear on Ronan's new single The Way You Make Me Feel', and features Clannad's Marie Brennan taking Kirsty MacColl's part. Brennan's last appearance in the charts was last year when she made a guest appearance on Chicane's 'Saltwater'.

November 5

Veteran passes on wisdom

Singer Ronan Keating is only 23 years old, but he's a veteran of the Irish music scene. He's a former member of the Irish boy band, Boyzone, which reached the top of the pop music scene in Europe in 1994, but had difficulty bringing that success to American shores.


Ronan Keating became a global success with the boy band Boyzone and is now managing another Irish band, Westlife

Keating believes one of the reasons their success didn't translate in the United States then is because the band was ahead of its time.

"We were here before everyone, we were here before the Spice Girls and The Backstreet Boys, we were out seven years ago when none of these bands were even heard of. Not one label in America knew what to do with Boyzone, pop music was not heard of in America ... it was a rock scene out here."

But he's not bitter. Keating has moved on with a successful solo career. His album, "Ronan," is currently number 10 on the Global Top 30 chart.

In addition to his solo work, Keating is sharing his expertise and wisdom with another successful boy band, Westlife.

"I met the guys, and I saw in them what we were like seven years ago," he said. "You know they have this hunger and the want and they were so eager and they were nice guys and they had a fantastic talent. So, I thought the least I could do is give them a helping hand."

Apparently, it's working. The five young lads from Dublin have already made significant achievements in their short career. The band's debut album, "Westlife," spawned five consecutive number one hits on U.K. music charts, breaking the world record of four straight hits set by the Beatles and Elvis Presley.

The band releases its new album, "Coast to Coast," on Monday.

Big acts from a small country

Keating is encouraged about the emergence of Irish bands, but says it's hardly a recent trend.

"U2 started it out 25 years ago and ... they're back again, thank God, with a new album. But in the last five years or six years, if you look it was Boyzone, there was Westlife, Samantha Mumba, who's starting now, there's the Corrs, there was the Cranberries. You know it's fantastic, Sinead O'Connor and all of these great artists that have come from Ireland, from such a small country 3.4 million people," he said.

O'Connor is happy with the success of the youngsters in this latest wave of Irish musicians.

November 2

Ronan Wins TMF Award
Congratulations to Ronan who picked up the award for Best International Male at the TMF Awards in Belgium on Saturday 28th October.