Brian McFadden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brian McFadden
McFadden in 2012
Born	Brian Nicholas McFadden (1980-04-12) 12 April 1980 (age 45) Dublin, Ireland
Other names	Bryan McFadden
Occupation	Singer television presenter songwriter
Years active	1998–present
Spouse(s)	Kerry Katona ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2004)​ Vogue Williams ​ ​ (m. 2012; div. 2017)​
Children	3
Relatives	Susan McFadden (sister)
Musical career
Genres	Pop soft rock
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Sony BMG BMF Universal

Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer and TV host. He became famous in 1998 as a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. After leaving the group in 2004, Brian released his first solo album, Irish Son. He has released four more albums since then. In 2016, Brian joined with Keith Duffy from Boyzone to form a new group called Boyzlife. They have released two albums together.

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Brian McFadden was born in Dublin, Ireland. He grew up in a Catholic family. From a young age, Brian loved singing, dancing, and playing football.

In early 1998, he started a pop group called Cartel with his friends. They performed in pubs in Dublin. A famous Irish music manager, Louis Walsh, heard about them. Brian was then asked to audition for a new band. This band would later become Westlife.

Music Career Highlights

Joining Westlife: 1998–2004

In June 1998, Brian auditioned for the Irish boy band Westlife. He joined the group along with Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan. When he joined, he changed the spelling of his first name from Brian to Bryan. This was to make it easier for fans to get autographs.

With Brian in the group, Westlife worked with music boss Simon Cowell. They released their first single, Swear It Again. This song was their only single to chart in the US. Westlife also had four No. 1 albums in Ireland. They had a No. 1 greatest hits album too. They released many hit singles, including "Uptown Girl." This song was very popular in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

In March 2004, Brian decided to leave Westlife. He wanted to spend more time with his family. He also wanted to work on his own music. After leaving, he changed the spelling of his name back to "Brian." Before starting his solo career, he helped write a song. The song was "If My World Stopped Turning," sung by Ireland's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004.

Solo Success with Irish Son: 2004–2006

Brian McFadden left Westlife to focus on his family and solo music.

After leaving Westlife, Brian signed with a big record company called Sony BMG. In September 2004, he released his first solo song, "Real to Me." It became a No. 1 hit in Britain, Ireland, Denmark, and Norway. His second song, "Irish Son," also did very well. It reached the top 10 in Britain and Ireland.

Brian's first solo album, Irish Son, came out in November 2004. It reached the top 10 on the Irish album charts. Brian helped write most of the songs on this album. He worked with Guy Chambers, who is known for working with Robbie Williams. The third single, "Almost Here," was a duet. He sang it with Australian singer Delta Goodrem. This song became Brian's second No. 1 hit in Ireland. It was also his first No. 1 in Australia.

Brian also wrote songs for other artists. These included Il Divo and Girls Aloud. He also co-wrote the theme song for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In the same year, Brian sang with American singer LeAnn Rimes on the song, "Everybody's Someone."

New Labels and Albums: 2007–2010

While working on his second album, Brian had some disagreements with his record label. He decided to leave Sony BMG in March 2007. Later that year, he started his own record label. He called it BMF Records. Through his new label, he released "Like Only a Woman Can" in Ireland. This song became his third No. 1 hit as a solo artist in Ireland.

In early 2008, Brian signed with Universal Music Australia. He released "Like Only a Woman Can" there, and it reached the top 15. After this, Brian released his second album, Set in Stone. The album reached No. 5 on the Australian charts. Other songs from the album included "Twisted" and "Everything But You."

In April 2010, Brian released "Just Say So." This song featured American rapper Kevin Rudolf. It went straight to No. 1 on the Australian singles chart. It stayed there for three weeks and was a big hit. After "Just Say So," Brian released his third album, Wall of Soundz, in Australia. The album reached No. 27 on the Australian album charts. "Chemical Rush" was the second song from the album. It reached No. 12 on the charts. In September 2010, Brian released "Mistakes." This was a duet with his fiancée at the time, Delta Goodrem. Brian also recorded a song with Ronan Keating. They covered the Bee Gees' song "To Love Somebody."

New Music and The Irish Connection: 2011–2015

In June 2011, Brian released two new songs, "Come Party" and "That's How Life Goes." These songs did not become big hits.

On 13 September 2012, Brian announced his fourth album, The Irish Connection. This album featured covers of his favorite Irish songs. It also included duets with Ronan Keating and Sinéad O'Connor. The album was recorded in Sydney and Dublin.

In 2013, Brian joined Ronan Keating on his UK Fires Tour.

Boyzlife: 2016–Present

Boyzlife is a music group made up of Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden. Keith was in the band Boyzone, and Brian was in Westlife. That's how they got the name Boyzlife! In 2020, they released their first album, Strings Attached.

In February 2020, Keith Duffy invited John Junior to join them on stage. John Junior is a Mental Health Activist. He shared his story about mental health with the fans. John travels around the UK with his duck, Charlie. He encourages people to talk about mental health. Keith Duffy supports John's work to raise awareness.

On 19 January 2022, Boyzlife released their second album, Old School.

Television and Radio Career

Brian McFadden has also had a career in television and radio. In 2008, he became a TV host for FOX8's Football Superstar in Australia. He hosted it again in 2009. In August 2009, Brian was a guest judge on Australian Idol.

In 2010, Brian became one of the new judges on Australia's Got Talent. He was a judge for three years.

In late 2008, Brian worked on a radio show. He co-hosted the Summer Breakfast Show on 2Day FM. In September 2009, he returned to radio. He co-hosted the breakfast show on 2dayFM for a short time.

In 2013, Brian and his wife at the time, Vogue Williams, came in second place on the ITV dancing show Stepping Out.

In 2014, Brian co-hosted the Channel 5 dating show Stand By Your Man. In September 2014, Brian started hosting the daytime ITV show Who's Doing the Dishes?. This show was very popular and ran for three seasons. In January 2015, Brian took part in the talent show Get Your Act Together. In December 2015, Brian and Vogue Williams were on a celebrity couples edition of Catchphrase.

In 2016, Brian took part in The Jump on Channel 4. This show involved winter sports. He was the fourth celebrity to leave the show.

In 2019, Brian competed in Dancing on Ice. He skated with professional partner Alex Murphy. He finished in fourth place in the competition.

Filmography

Television

• Australia's Got Talent (2010–2012) – Judge
• Football Superstar (2008) – Presenter
• Summer Breakfast Show (2008) – Co-presenter
• Australian Idol (2009) – Guest judge
• Stepping Out (2013) – Contestant
• Stand By Your Man (2014) – Co-presenter
• Who's Doing the Dishes? (2014–2016) – Presenter
• Get Your Act Together (2015) – Contestant
• The Jump (2016) – Contestant
• Dancing on Ice (2019) – Contestant

Guest appearances

• The Chase: Celebrity Special (27 September 2014) – Contestant
• Catchphrase: Celebrity Couples Special (5 December 2015) – Contestant
• The Chase: Text Santa Special (18 December 2015) – Contestant

Personal Life

Brian McFadden married Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona in 2002. They had two daughters together. They later divorced in 2006. In 2004, Brian started dating Australian singer Delta Goodrem. They even sang a duet called "Almost Here." They were engaged but ended their relationship in 2011.

He married Irish model Vogue Williams in 2012 in Italy. They separated in 2015 and divorced in 2017.

In December 2019, Brian announced his engagement to Danielle Parkinson. They had been dating for three years. In November 2020, Brian announced that he and Danielle were expecting a baby. Their daughter was born on 16 May 2021.

Discography

Solo Albums

• Irish Son (2004)
• Set in Stone (2008)
• Wall of Soundz (2010)
• The Irish Connection (2013)
• Otis (2019)

Boyzlife Albums

• Strings Attached (2020)
• Old School (2022)

Awards and Nominations

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are given out every year in Australia. They celebrate songwriters and composers.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards in Australia. They recognize great music, new ideas, and achievements in Australian music.

See also

In Spanish: Brian McFadden para niños