| Shane Filan | |
| Birth Date: | 1979 7, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Sligo, Ireland |
| Alias: | Shane Steven Filan |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Years Active: | 1997–present |
| Current Member Of: | Westlife |
Shane Steven Filan[1] (born 5 July 1979) is an Irish singer. He is one of the two lead singers of the pop vocal group Westlife, which was formed in 1998, disbanded in 2012, and regrouped in 2018. Westlife has released thirteen albums, embarked on twelve world tours, and won several awards, becoming one of the most successful musical groups of all time.
Filan has released three solo albums: You and Me (2013), Right Here (2015), and Love Always (2017). He has appeared sixteen times in the UK Singles Chart with number-one hits, making him one of the most-appeared Irish music artists in British music number-one singles history.[2] [3]
Shane Filan was born on 5 July 1979 in Sligo, Ireland.[4] He is the son of Peter (1942-2020) and Mae Filan (née McNicholas) (1937-2019), natives of Roscommon and Mayo respectively.[5] Filan is the youngest of seven siblings; he has three brothers and three sisters. From a very early age, Filan worked behind the counter of his parents' business - a diner in Sligo called the "Carlton Café". He attended primary school at a local Catholic school, and secondary school at Summerhill College, with future Westlife bandmates Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. All three of them participated in a school production of Grease. The Hawkswell Theatre became a significant part of their careers.
Filan was a fan of Michael Jackson as a child and claimed the singer inspired him to pursue a music career.[6] Before Westlife, he studied business and accounting.
See main article: Westlife. Before Westlife, Egan, and Feehily were with Filan in a band known as Six as One and, later on, IOYOU, with other Sligonians Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron, and Michael "Miggles" Garrett. He co-wrote the IOYOU song "Together Girl Forever." For six months, Shane's mother, Mae Filan, tried to phone Boyzone manager Louis Walsh, eventually succeeding in talking to him about her son's band. Three of the members were dropped and the other three, Filan, Egan, and Feehily, joined in finding two more singers for the band. The members that joined were Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden, forming Westside. The name of the band was subsequently changed to Westlife as there were already several bands with the name Westside. Filan, along with Feehily and McFadden, became the co-lead singers of the band. Their first album was released in November 1999, titled Westlife.
With Westlife, Filan has received twenty-eight platinum discs and sold 55 million records worldwide.[7] In his 2014 book My Side of Life, he revealed that in 2001, he had been the first member of Westlife to be offered a solo record deal, but that he had rejected it, as he was scared of going solo.[8]
On 20 October 2011, Westlife announced that they had decided to split and go their separate ways at the end of their 2012 Farewell Tour. Filan showed interest in being a solo music artist for his daily living. In December 2011, press reports announced Filan was close to signing a solo deal with one of several potential competing UK record labels. Filan and his manager Louis Walsh, had been in talks with several of the labels at the time. "There's four, possibly five labels so far who have made it clear that they want to sign Shane," said a music source to showbiz writer Paul Martin.[9] [10]
In a March 2012 interview with Paul Martin, Filan said he would be signing within the next few weeks.
"It's exciting but, of course, I'll be nervous. It's only natural when you're coming out of a band after 14 years, you don't know where your life's going to take you [...][11]
In 2013, Filan announced he had officially signed a record deal with UMG subsidiary London Records worth 20 million British pounds. UMG had previously offered him a solo deal in 2001; the first member of Westlife to have received such an offer, but turned it down. For the new deal, Filan stated that he had spent the past 12 months in both US and UK writing songs and recording, and that a forthcoming single and an album would be released later in the year.[12]
On 10 May 2013, he announced that his first single would be released, along with three other tracks,[13] later revealed in July to be "Everything to Me", and "Everytime", "Today's Not Yesterday" and "Once", respectively. The release date was announced as 25 August.
On 10 September 2013, Filan released About You, the second single from his album You and Me,[14] followed by the album shortly after.[15]
After the Westlife split, bankruptcy, the You and Me Tour, and his debut autobiography My Side of Life, Filan announced on 13 March 2015 that he was working on his second studio album, Right Here.[8] The album was mostly recorded in London and Denmark, and featured collaborations with Cutfather (The Saturdays, JLS), Jez Ashurst (Will Young, Gabrielle Aplin), Jon Maguire (Union J), Tre Jean-Marie (MNEK, Jason Derulo), and Girls Aloud.[16] The album was released on 25 September 2015, reaching #1 on the Irish Album Charts during its first week.[17]
On 25 August 2017, Filan released his third studio album Love Always.[18] and announced his next tour, the Love Always Tour 2017.[19] [20] [21]
Previously, in April 2010, an unreleased solo song by Filan called "Beautiful in White" leaked on the Internet, but was incorrectly credited as being recorded by Shayne Ward instead of Filan. During this time, Filan also did a duet with Irish country singer Nathan Carter. The album reached #5 in the UK Album Charts, making it his highest-charting album in the United Kingdom, and therefore making him the most successful Westlife member as a solo artist in the charts to date.
In 2018, Filan also had success in Asia, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea.[22] [23] [24] Beautiful in White was particularly successful in Asia.[25]
On 3 October 2018 Westlife announced their reunion as a four-member band. In 2019 four singles were released, penned by Ed Sheeran. The group embarked on a hugely successful 50 date tour called "The 20 Tour", in honour of Westlife's 20th anniversary since the release of their first single in 1999. On 15 November their 13th studio album, Spectrum, was released.
Filan married his childhood sweetheart, Gillian Walsh, on 28 December 2003 at Ballintubber Abbey, followed by a reception at Ashford Castle, Ireland.[26] Gillian is the cousin of fellow band member Kian Egan, making Filan and Egan cousins-in-law.[27] They have three children: daughter Nicole Rose (born on 23 July 2005 in Sligo, Ireland) and sons Patrick Michael, (born on 15 September 2008 in Sligo, Ireland) and Shane Peter (born on 22 January 2010), who is named after his father.
He and his eldest brother, Finbarr, ran Shafin Developments – a property development company. The company was placed in receivership in May 2012[28] and Filan was declared bankrupt a little over a month later after suffering losses in Ireland's property crash.[29]
See also: Westlife discography. Filan has released three studio albums, eight singles, and two featured songs.
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRE [30] | UK [31] | SCO [32] | ||||||||||||||||||
| You and Me |
| 3 | 6 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Right Here[33] |
| 1 | 11 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| Love Always |
| 5 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRE | UK | SCO [34] | ||||
| 2013 | "Everything to Me"[35] | 7 | 14 | 9 | You and Me | |
| "About You" | 60 | 54 | 39 | |||
| "Knee Deep in My Heart" | 92 | 69 | 72 | |||
| 2015 | "Me and the Moon"[36] [37] [38] | — | — | — | Right Here | |
| "I Could Be" (featuring Nadine Coyle) | — | — | — | |||
| 2017 | "Unbreakable" | — | — | — | Love Always | |
| 2018 | "Back to You" | — | — | — | ||
| "Beautiful in White" | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "When I Grow Up"[39] (The Association of Irish Musical Societies featuring Shane Filan & Grace Lee) | rowspan="2" |
| 2017 | "Bridge over Troubled Water" (as part of Artists for Grenfell) |
| Year | Director | |
|---|---|---|
| "Everything To Me" | 2013 | |
| "About You" | Jason Ell | |
| "Knee Deep in My Heart" | Warren Smith | |
| "Me and the Moon" | 2015 | |
| "Unbreakable" | 2017 | Jonathan Lambert |
| "This I Promise You" | ||
| "Back to You" | ||
| "Beautiful in White" | Jonathan Lambert |
Sources: APRA, ASCAP,[40] BMI, OSA,[41] SESAC,[42] SOCAN, SUISA Repertoires. In SESAC, Filan uses John Francis Filan as an alias.[43] Filan has co-written a number of songs including:
– Songs were found to be Filan's co-written songs during his time with Westlife. No other details whether it's for Westlife or not.
See also: Westlife tours.
| Year | Title | Duration | Number of shows | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | You and Me Tour | 20 February 2014 – 5 December 2014 | 52 | ||
| 2016 | Right Here Tour | 3 March 2016 – 4 December 2016 | 33 | ||
| 2017-2019 | Love Always Tour | 16 July 2017 – 16 March 2019 | 65 |
Support acts
| Date | Country | City | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg One: Europe | ||||
| 20 February 2014 | United Kingdom | Liverpool | Philharmonic Hall | |
| 21 February 2014 | Birmingham | Symphony Hall | ||
| 22 February 2014 | Reading | Hexagon Theatre | ||
| 24 February 2014 | Manchester | Bridgewater Hall | ||
| 25 February 2014 | Glasgow | Glasgow Concert Halls | ||
| 26 February 2014 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | ||
| 27 February 2014 | York | Barbican Centre | ||
| 1 March 2014 | Blackpool | Opera House Theatre | ||
| 2 March 2014 | Cardiff | St Davids Hall | ||
| 3 March 2014 | Nottingham | Royal Concert Hall | ||
| 5 March 2014 | Bournemouth | Bournemouth Pavilion | ||
| 6 March 2014 | Southend-on-Sea | Cliffs Pavilion | ||
| 7 March 2014 | London | Hammersmith Apollo | ||
| Leg Two: Asia | ||||
| 13 September 2014 | Indonesia | Jakarta | Upper Road Annex Building | |
| 16 September 2014 | Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City | Cargo Bar | |
| 21 September 2014 | China | Shanghai | Shanghai Grand Stage | |
| 23 September 2014 | Beijing | Workers Gymnasium | ||
| 25 September 2014 | Guangzhou | Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall | ||
| 26 September 2014 | Nanjing | Wutaishan Gymnasium | ||
| 27 September 2014 | Chengdu | UESTC Gymnasium | ||
| 29 September 2014 | Hong Kong | Asia World Expo 10 | ||
| 1 October 2014 | Philippines | Manila | World Trade Center Metro Manila | |
| Leg Three: Europe | ||||
| 23 October 2014 | United Kingdom | Portsmouth | Portsmouth Guildhall | |
| 24 October 2014 | Tunbridge Wells | Assembly Hall Theatre | ||
| 25 October 2014 | Worthing | Assembly Hall | ||
| 26 October 2014 | Bradford | St. Georges Hall | ||
| 28 October 2014 | Motherwell | Motherwell Concert Hall | ||
| 29 October 2014 | Aberdeen | Aberdeen Music Hall | ||
| 30 October 2014 | Kilmarnock | The Grand Hall | ||
| 31 October 2014 | Carlisle | Carlisle Sands Centre | ||
| 2 November 2014 | Barrow in Furness | The Forum | ||
| 3 November 2014 | Brighton | Floral Pavilion | ||
| 5 November 2014 | Leicester | De Montfort Hall | ||
| 6 November 2014 | Bolton | Albert Halls | ||
| 7 November 2014 | Rhyl | Pavilion | ||
| 9 November 2014 | Warrington | Parr Hall | ||
| 10 November 2014 | Crawley | The Hawth | ||
| 11 November 2014 | King's Lynn | Corn Exchange | ||
| 12 November 2014 | Lowestoft | Marina Theatre | ||
| 14 November 2014 | Porthcawl | Grand Pavilion | ||
| 15 November 2014 | St Albans | St Albans Arena | ||
| 16 November 2014 | Cheltenham | Cheltenham Town Hall | ||
| 17 November 2014 | Croydon | Fairfield Hall | ||
| 19 November 2014 | Weston-super-Mare | Super Mare Playhouse Theatre | ||
| 20 November 2014 | Margate | Margate Winter Gardens | ||
| 21 November 2014 | Basildon | Towngate Theatre | ||
| 23 November 2014 | Stevenage | Stevenage Leisure Centre | ||
| 24 November 2014 | Cambridge | Cambridge Corn Exchange | ||
| 25 November 2014 | Ipswich | Regent Theatre | ||
| 27 November 2014 | Hull | Hull City Hall | ||
| 28 November 2014 | Redhill | Harlequin Theatre | ||
| 5 December 2014 | Ireland | Sligo | Knocknarea Arena | |
Support acts
| Date | Country | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg One: Europe | |||
| 3 March 2016 | United Kingdom | Reading | Hexagon Theatre |
| 4 March 2016 | Nottingham | Royal Concert Hall | |
| 5 March 2016 | Northampton | Royal and Derngate | |
| 7 March 2016 | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | |
| 8 March 2016 | Bournemouth | Bournemouth Pavilion | |
| 9 March 2016 | Cardiff | St David Hall | |
| 10 March 2016 | Southend-on-Sea | Cliffs Pavilion | |
| 12 March 2016 | Eastbourne | Congress Theatre | |
| 13 March 2016 | London | London Palladium | |
| 15 March 2016 | Belfast | Ulster Hall | |
| 18 March 2016 | Ireland | Cork | Cork Opera House |
| 19 March 2016 | Dublin | Olympia Theatre | |
| 21 March 2016 | United Kingdom | York | Barbican Centre |
| 22 March 2016 | Manchester | Bridgewater Hall | |
| 23 March 2016 | Llandudno | Venue Cymru | |
| 25 March 2016 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | |
| 26 March 2016 | Birmingham | Symphony Hall | |
| 28 March 2016 | Liverpool | Philharmonic Hall | |
| 29 March 2016 | Glasgow | Clyde Auditorium | |
| 30 March 2016 | Inverness | Inverness Leisure | |
| Leg Two: Asia | |||
| 29 September 2016 | Indonesia | Jakarta | Colosseum |
| 30 September 2016 | Medan | Retrospective | |
| Leg Three: Europe | |||
| 12 October 2016 | United Kingdom | Dundee | Caird Hall |
| 13 October 2016 | Motherwell | Motherwell Concert Hall | |
| 14 October 2016 | Newcastle | Tyne Theatre and Opera House | |
| 16 October 2016 | Hull | Hull City Hall | |
| 17 October 2016 | Bradford | Alhambra Theatre | |
| 18 October 2016 | Peterborough | The Cresset | |
| 19 October 2016 | Watford | Colosseum | |
| 21 October 2016 | Tunbridge Wells | Assembly Hall Theatre | |
| 22 October 2016 | Portsmouth | Portsmouth Guildhall | |
| 23 October 2016 | Stoke-on-Trent | Victoria Hall | |
| Leg Four: Asia | |||
| 4 December 2016 | Indonesia | Manado | Megamas Marina Plaza |
Support acts:
| Date | Country | City | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg One: Asia | ||||
| 16 July 2017 | Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City | Lan Anh Stadium | |
| 22 July 2017 | Indonesia | Surabaya | Surabaya Convention Hall | |
| Leg Two: Europe | ||||
| 29 July 2017 | Ireland | Naas | Punchestown | |
| Leg Three: Asia | ||||
| 18 August 2017 | Indonesia | Jogjakarta | Prambanan Jazz Festival | |
| 19 August 2017 | Bandung | Trans Studio | ||
| Leg Four: Europe | ||||
| 20 September 2017 | United Kingdom | Dundee | Caird Hall | |
| 21 September 2017 | Glasgow | SEC Armadillo | ||
| 23 September 2017 | Edinburgh | Edinburgh Festival Theatre | ||
| 24 September 2017 | Carlisle | Carlisle Sands Centre | ||
| 25 September 2017 | Newcastle | Tyne Theatre | ||
| 26 September 2017 | Halifax | Victoria Theatre | ||
| 28 September 2017 | York | Barbican Centre | ||
| 29 September 2017 | Buxton | Opera House Buxton | ||
| 30 September 2017 | Nottingham | Royal Concert Hall | ||
| 1 October 2017 | London | O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire | ||
| 3 October 2017 | Northampton | Royal and Derngate | ||
| 4 October 2017 | Telford | Oakengates Theatre | ||
| 6 October 2017 | Liverpool | Liverpool Olympia | ||
| 7 October 2017 | Colchester | Charter Hall | ||
| 8 October 2017 | Swindon | Wyvern Theatre | ||
| 9 October 2017 | Peterborough | The Cresset | ||
| 11 October 2017 | Leicester | De Montfort Hall | ||
| 12 October 2017 | Margate | Margate Winter Gardens | ||
| 13 October 2017 | Reading | Hexagon Theatre | ||
| 14 October 2017 | Salisbury | Salisbury City Hall | ||
| 16 October 2017 | Birmingham | Birmingham Town Hall | ||
| 17 October 2017 | Portsmouth | Portsmouth Guildhall | ||
| 18 October 2017 | Cardiff | St David's Hall | ||
| 19 October 2017 | Ireland | Dublin | Olympia Theatre | |
| 22 October 2017 | United Kingdom | Belfast | Waterfront Hall | |
| Leg Five: Asia | ||||
| 4 February 2018 | Singapore | Esplande Annexe Studio | ||
| 6 February 2018 | Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | The Westin KL | |
| 9 February 2018 | Philippines | Manila | Robinsons Mall - Ermita | |
| 10 February 2018 | Cebu City | Robinsons Mall - Cebu | ||
| 11 February 2018 | Quezon City | Robinsons Magnolia | ||
| 4 March 2018 | Indonesia | Surabaya | Ciputra Hall | |
| 10 March 2018 | Singapore | Resorts World Sentosa, Hard Rock Cafe Hotel Coliseum | ||
| 17 March 2018 | Indonesia | Yogyakarta | Sahid Jaya Convention Hall | |
| 18 March 2018 | Palembang | Palembang Sports Convention Centre | ||
| Leg Six: Europe | ||||
| 30 April 2018 | United Kingdom | Gateshead | Sage Gateshead | |
| 1 May 2018 | Leicester | De Montfort Hall | ||
| 2 May 2018 | Sheffield | Sheffield City Hall | ||
| 4 May 2018 | Hull | Hull City Hall | ||
| 5 May 2018 | Birmingham | New Alexandra Theatre | ||
| 6 May 2018 | Northampton | Royal and Derngate | ||
| 7 May 2018 | Ipswich | Regent Theatre | ||
| 9 May 2018 | Tunbridge Wells | Assembly Hall | ||
| 10 May 2018 | Cambridge | Cambridge Corn Exchange | ||
| 11 May 2018 | Guildford | G Live | ||
| 12 May 2018 | Manchester | Opera House | ||
| 14 May 2018 | Swansea | Swansea Grand Theatre | ||
| 15 May 2018 | Liverpool | Liverpool Olympia | ||
| 16 May 2018 | Glasgow | Theatre Royal | ||
| Leg Seven: Asia | ||||
| 27 July 2018 | South Korea | Seoul | Jangchung Gymnasium | |
| Leg Eight: Europe | ||||
| 11 August 2018 | United Kingdom | Doncaster | Yorkshire Wildlife Park(Wildlife Safari Night) | |
| 25 August 2018 | London | Dagenham Central Park(Now That's a Festival) | ||
| Leg Nine: Asia | ||||
| 15 September 2018 | Philippines | Quezon City | Kia Theatre | |
| 16 September 2018 | Davao City | SMX Convention Center | ||
| 31 December 2018 | Vietnam | Hanoi | Hang Day Stadium | |
| 19 January 2019 | Malaysia | Shah Alam | Elmina Central Park | |
| 16 March 2019 | Indonesia | Jakarta | Panin Bank Super Bonanza | |
| 12 April 2019 | China | Chengdu | Hewlett-Packard Event at Shangrila Chengdu | |
| Date | City | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | |||
| 16 June 2018 | Leigh | Leigh Sports Village | |
| 17 June 2018 | Carlisle | Brunton Park | |
| 23 June 2018 | Hove | County Cricket Ground | |
| 24 June 2018 | Wells-next-The-Sea | Holkham Hall | |
See also: Westlife awards.
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | TV Hits Awards | Voice of the 21st century | ||
| 2000 | TV Hits Awards | Good Looking Pop Star | ||
| 2000 | Smash Hits Awards | Most Fanciable Male | ||
| 2001 | Smash Hits Awards | Sexiest Male Celebrity |