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 45) 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 5 July 1979) is an Irish singer. He is most famous for being a member of the pop group Westlife. The band started in 1998, took a break in 2012, and got back together in 2018. Westlife has released many albums and gone on several world tours. They are one of the most successful music groups ever!

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

Early Life of Shane Filan

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

From a young age, Shane helped out at his parents' diner in Sligo. He even worked there during school holidays. 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 called Grease. The Hawkswell Theatre became a special place for them.

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

Shane Filan's Music Career

Starting with Westlife (1997–2012)

Before Westlife, Shane, Kian Egan, and Mark Feehily were in a band called Six as One. Later, they changed the name to IOYOU. Other friends from Sligo were also in the band. Shane helped write a song for IOYOU called "Together Girl Forever."

Shane's mom, Mae Filan, kept trying to call Boyzone's manager, Louis Walsh. She wanted him to hear her son's band. After six months, she finally got through! Three members left the band. Shane, Kian, and Mark then looked for two new singers. Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden joined, and they formed a group called Westside. They later changed the name to Westlife because another band was already called Westside.

Shane, along with Mark and Brian, became the main singers of Westlife. Their first album, Westlife, came out in November 1999.

With Westlife, Shane has earned many awards and sold over 55 million records worldwide. In his book, My Side of Life, he shared that he was offered a solo music deal in 2001. But he turned it down because he was nervous about singing alone.

Solo Music Journey (2012–2014)

On October 20, 2011, Westlife announced they would split up after their 2012 Farewell Tour. Shane was interested in becoming a solo artist. In December 2011, news reports said he was close to signing a solo deal.

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

On May 10, 2013, he shared that his first solo song would be "Everything to Me." It was released on August 25. On September 10, 2013, Shane released "About You," the second song from his album You and Me. The album came out soon after.

Right Here Album (2015)

After Westlife split, Shane worked on his second solo album, Right Here. He announced it on March 13, 2015. He recorded the album in London and Denmark. He worked with famous music producers and songwriters.

The album was released on September 25, 2015. It quickly became the number one album in Ireland during its first week!

Love Always Album (2017–2018)

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

Before this, in 2010, an unreleased song by Shane called "Beautiful in White" was leaked online. It became very popular in Asia, especially in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea. This album reached number 5 in the UK Album Charts. This made it his highest-charting album in the United Kingdom.

Westlife Gets Back Together (2018–Present)

On October 3, 2018, Westlife announced they were reuniting as a four-member group. In 2019, they released four new songs written by Ed Sheeran. The group went on a very successful tour called "The 20 Tour." This tour celebrated Westlife's 20th anniversary. On November 15, their 13th studio album, Spectrum, was released.

Shane Filan's Personal Life

Shane Filan married his childhood sweetheart, Gillian Walsh, on December 28, 2003. Their wedding was at Ballintubber Abbey in 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.

Songwriting by Shane Filan

Shane Filan has helped write many songs throughout his career.

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

Shane Filan's Tours

Shane has toured both with Westlife and as a solo artist.

Solo Tours

• You and Me Tour (2014)
• Right Here Tour (2016)
• Love Always Tour (2017–2019)

Awards and Honors

Shane Filan has won several awards throughout his career.

See also

In Spanish: Shane Filan para niños

• Westlife songlist
• Westlife tours
• Westlife awards