Shane Filan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shane Filan
Filan in 2021
Background information
Also known as	Shane Steven Filan
Born	(1979-07-05) 5 July 1979 (age 46) Sligo, Ireland
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer Songwriter
Years active	1997–present
Labels	BMG Sony BMG Syco RCA Sony Capitol Parlophone London Ocean Wave Universal Virgin EMI Warner East West

Shane Steven Filan, born on July 5, 1979, is a talented Irish singer. He is most famous for being a member of the popular pop group Westlife. This group started in 1998, took a break in 2012, and then got back together in 2018.

Westlife has released many albums and gone on many world tours. They have won several awards, making them one of the most successful music groups ever.

Shane Filan has also released three solo albums. These are You and Me (2013), Right Here (2015), and Love Always (2017). He has had sixteen number-one hits on the UK Singles Chart. This makes him one of the Irish artists with the most number-one songs in British music history.

Early Life and School Days

Shane Filan was born in Sligo, Ireland, on July 5, 1979. His parents were Peter and Mae Filan. Shane is the youngest of seven children, with three brothers and three sisters.

From a young age, Shane helped out at his parents' diner in Sligo, called the "Carlton Café." He went to a local Catholic primary school. For secondary school, he attended Summerhill College. There, he met his future Westlife bandmates, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. All three of them performed in a school play of Grease. The Hawkswell Theatre became an important place for their early music journey.

As a child, Shane was a big fan of Michael Jackson. He says that Michael Jackson inspired him to become a singer. Before joining Westlife, Shane studied business and accounting.

Shane's Music Journey

Starting with Six as One and IOYOU (1997–2012)

Before Westlife, Shane, Kian Egan, and Mark Feehily were in a band called Six as One. Later, they changed their name to IOYOU. Other members from Sligo, Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron, and Michael "Miggles" Garrett, were also in the band. Shane helped write the IOYOU song "Together Girl Forever."

For six months, Shane's mother, Mae Filan, kept trying to call Boyzone manager Louis Walsh. She finally reached him to talk about her son's band. Three of the members left the band. Shane, Kian, and Mark then looked for two more singers. Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden joined, and they formed a group called Westside. The name was later changed to Westlife because there were other bands already called Westside. Their first album, Westlife, came out in November 1999.

With Westlife, Shane has earned many awards and sold 55 million records around the world. In his 2014 book, My Side of Life, he shared that in 2001, he was the first Westlife member to be offered a solo music deal. However, he turned it down because he was nervous about singing alone.

Solo Career and You and Me (2012–2014)

On October 20, 2011, Westlife announced they would split up after their 2012 Farewell Tour. In December 2011, news reports said Shane was close to signing a solo deal. He and his manager, Louis Walsh, were talking with several record labels in the UK.

In March 2012, Shane said he would sign a deal soon. He mentioned it was exciting but also made him nervous. He had been in a band for 14 years and was unsure what his life would be like next.

In 2013, Shane announced he had signed a record deal with London Records. He had spent the past year writing and recording songs in the US and UK. He planned to release a single and an album later that year.

On May 10, 2013, he announced his first solo single, "Everything to Me," would be released. It came out on August 25, along with three other songs: "Everytime," "Today's Not Yesterday," and "Once."

On September 10, 2013, Shane released "About You," the second single from his album You and Me. The album followed shortly after.

Right Here Album (2015)

After Westlife split and Shane faced some financial challenges, he announced on March 13, 2015, that he was working on his second album, Right Here. He recorded most of the album in London and Denmark. He worked with famous music producers and writers like Cutfather, Jez Ashurst, Jon Maguire, Tre Jean-Marie, and artists from Girls Aloud.

The album was released on September 25, 2015. It quickly reached number one on the Irish Album Charts in its first week.

Love Always Album (2017–2018)

On August 25, 2017, Shane Filan released his third album, Love Always. He also announced his next tour, the Love Always Tour 2017.

Before this, in April 2010, an unreleased solo song by Shane called "Beautiful in White" was shared online. Many people thought it was by Shayne Ward, but it was actually Shane's song. During this time, Shane also sang a duet with Irish country singer Nathan Carter. The Love Always album reached number 5 on the UK Album Charts, which was his highest-charting album in the United Kingdom.

In 2018, Shane also became very popular in Asia, including countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea. His song "Beautiful in White" was especially successful there.

Westlife Reunion (2018–Present)

On October 3, 2018, Westlife announced they were getting back together as a four-member group. In 2019, they released four new songs, which were written by Ed Sheeran. The group then went on a very successful 50-show tour called "The 20 Tour." This tour celebrated Westlife's 20th anniversary since their first single came out in 1999. On November 15, 2019, their 13th studio album, Spectrum, was released.

Personal Life

Shane Filan is a Catholic. He married his childhood sweetheart, Gillian Walsh, on December 28, 2003. Their wedding was at Ballintubber Abbey, followed by a party at Ashford Castle, Ireland. Gillian is the cousin of Shane's bandmate, Kian Egan. This makes Shane and Kian cousins-in-law. Shane and Gillian have three children: a daughter born in 2005, and two sons born in 2008 and 2010.

Shane and his oldest brother, Finbarr, used to run a company called Shafin Developments. This company worked on property development. The company faced difficulties in May 2012, and Shane experienced financial challenges shortly after due to Ireland's property market crash.

Discography

Shane Filan has released three studio albums, eight singles, and two songs where he was a featured artist.

Studio Albums

Singles

As the Main Artist

As a Featured Artist

Promotional Singles

Music Videos

As the Main Artist

Songwriting

Shane Filan has helped write many songs, including:

Songs for Westlife (1998–2012; 2018–present)

• "Starlight"
• "Alone Together"
• "Wild Dreams"
• "Lifeline"
• "Rewind"
• "Magic"
• "Always With Me"
• "Take Me There"
• "L.O.V.E"
• "Fragile Heart"
• "Bop Bop Baby" (reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart)
• "Don't Say It's Too Late"
• "I Wanna Grow Old with You"
• "I'm Missing Loving You"
• "Singing Forever"
• "Where We Belong"
• "Never Knew I Was Losing You"
• "Love Crime"
• "How Does It Feel"
• "Crying Girl"
• "Reason for Living"
• "Miss You When I'm Dreaming"
• "A Little Part of Me / Little Part of Me / Extraordinary Love"
• "Love Ain't War"
• "This Life"
• "Closer"
• "Too Hard to Say Goodbye"
• "Last Mile of the Way"

Songs for Love Always (2017–2018)

• "Completely"
• "Eyes Don't Lie"
• "Crazy Over You"
• "Back To You"
• "Girl in My Heart"

Songs for Right Here (2015)

• "I Could Be"
• "Right Here"
• "Better off a Fool"
• "I Can't Get Over You"
• "Effortlessly You"
• "All My Love"

Songs for You and Me (2013)

• "Everything to Me"
• "About You"
• "All You Need to Know"
• "Knee Deep in My Heart"
• "One of These Days"
• "Everytime"
• "Always Tomorrow"
• "When I Met You"
• "Everything's Gonna Be Alright"
• "Coming Home"
• "Baby Let's Dance"
• "In the End"
• "You and Me"
• "Just the Way You Love Me"
• "Once"
• "Today's Not Yesterday"

Songs Written for Other Artists

• "Listen Girl" performed by Johan Östberg
• "Let Me Be the One" performed by Simon Casey
• "Sei Parte Ormai Di Me" performed by Il Divo, in their self-titled album (2004)
• "The Music Won't Last / Music Won't Last" performed by Jerry Given

Concert Tours

Headlining Tours

As Part of a Group

As a Solo Performer

You and Me Tour (2014)

Support acts

• Klarisse de Guzman
• Ben Montague

Cancelled Shows

Right Here Tour (2016)

Support acts

• Joe Miles
• Nikki Loy

Love Always Tour (2017–2019)

Support acts:

• Guy Sebastian
• Matt Gresham
• Max Restaino
• Andy Brown
• Sitti
• Sabrina
• V.O.S.
• Angeline Quinto (replacement for Morissette in the Davao leg)
• Morissette (cancelled due to voice rest)
• Jed Madela

Supporting Tours

Lionel Richie (2018)

Promotional Tours

• 2013–2017 UK and Ireland Tour
• 2013, 2014, 2018 Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore Tour

Awards and Recognition

More About Shane Filan

• Westlife songlist
• Westlife tours
• Westlife awards
• UK Singles Chart records and statistics
• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
• List of best-selling music artists in the United Kingdom in singles sales
• List of artists by number of UK Singles Chart number ones
• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2000s
• List of UK Singles Downloads Chart number ones of the 2000s
• List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2000s
• List of artists who reached number one in Ireland

See also

In Spanish: Shane Filan para niños