What’s better than news of a boy band reunion? A boy band reunion that’s happening with the help of Ed Sheeran.
After six years of silence, Irish boy band Westlife will reunite for new music and a stadium tour in 2019, they announced on Wednesday. Westlife’s original members — Shane Filan, Kian Egan, Nicky Byrne and Mark Feehily — have decided to get back together for the first time since they split in 2012. Fifth member Brian McFadden left the band in 2004 to pursue a solo career and will not participate in the reunion.
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Westlife confirmed their long-speculated reunion in a playful video that is also a nod to their past. After warmly greeting each other, the members take their seats on stools and declare, “Hi, we’re Westlife,” just as Byrne rises from his seat. “I thought we were doing the key change,” Byrne jokes, referring to the band’s signature group dance move of rising to their feet to indicate a coming key change.
In an interview with The Sun, the “Swear It Again” singers revealed that their new comeback single was written with the help of Ed Sheeran to “give them a contemporary edge.”
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“We genuinely missed each other and missed the buzz of performing onstage together to all our fans,” Shane told The Sun. “We still have a lot we want to achieve as a band and we want to bring our new music to fans all over the world.”
Watch Westlife’s reunion announcement below.