BOYZONE

All that ya need 2 know 'bout them :

Group Info
Achievements
Members Info
Albums
Lyrics
Songs

Group Info 
 
 

Boyzone were formed in November 1993, when Louis Walsh, a Dublin club owner put a notice out saying he needed young, talented and good-looking lads to audition for a boyband. Three hundred guys turned up to show their talents but only Shane, Mikey, Ronan, Stephen and Keith were picked. They recorded a cover song, Working My Way Back To You for their demo tape.

The critics didn't like the Boyz at all, saying they were 'just another boy band'. However, the lads had built up a bit of a fanbase in the UK and Working My Way Back To You reached number 3 in the UK chart. Louis Walsh was surprised the Boyz were doing so well and their second single, Love Me For A Reason went straight into the chart at number 1.

Louis decided that, since Boyzone were so successful with cover versions that they should keep on recording covers. But they also wrote a few songs themselves and their first original single, Key To My Life was the first release from their number one debut album Said And Done. When the boys reached their second album, A Different Beat they had matured a lot and it showed in the music. At this stage, the boys had really made it big worldwide and with the success came tabloid stories and rumours.

Maybe one of the biggest rumours was that Eternal scandal. The tabloids kept printing that Easther and Shane were an item, as well as Vernie and Ronan. Both bands denied that they were anything more than good friends but the stories continued for over a year. New pictures appeared of Shane and Easther out shopping, on holiday together and at a celebrity party. Finally the tabloids got fed up of trying to prove the stories were true and the rumours stopped.

The boys then went on to record a third album, Where We Belong. This again was more serious and the boys had matured since A Different Beat. It contained the hits "Picture of You", "Baby Can I Hold You", "All That I Need" and the Andrew Lloyd Webber written song "No Matter What" which was voted single of the year. 1998 also saw three of the boys get married, Ronan, Keith and surprisingly, Shane, who admitted the rumours about him and Easther were indeed true after all.

Then the boys released a greatest hits album, By Request, fuelling rumours that they would split. The boys assured fans they would not be splitting in the near future and are planning another album and a film...

Achievements 

The birth of boyzone at the end of 1993 saw the Irish music well and truly broken. Following the huge success of U2 and the Cranberries, critics gave the five boys from Dublin little hope of ever leaving the Emerald Isle - let alone make it across the water.

However, when their debut single "Love Me For A Reason" crashed into the charts at no.2 in '94 it ensured that Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham became the most promising and exciting Irish export since….well …Guinness!

They won the Smash Hits Award for Best New Act shortly afterwards but a betting man still would have given you even odds on them going the distance. It's a jungle out there, after all.

But, Boyzone's assault on the charts continued healthily with singles "Key To My Life" and "So Good", both of which went to number 3. Their acclaimed cover of Cat Stevens classic "Father and Son" proved even more popular, hitting the number two spot and showing no immediate inclination to move down. The pin finally dropped when boyzone scored their first number 1 hit in December 1996 with "Words".

Since then boyzone have become the first act in Chart history to reach the top 3 with their first 14 singles. Remember the good old days when records stayed in the charts for more than the blink of an eye? Stephen Gately does: "We just kept working, and working really hard back then. There will always be people trying to knock you down but you just have to rise above that. boyzone are boyzone and we enjoy what we do".

We all know the story from here onwards. While the press have been poring over the band's marriages, babies and the colour of their socks, boyzone have been busy recording three number one albums.

Their last long player "Where We Belong", saw the boys increasing their share of the creative pie. Much of the album was written by the band and showcases their work with the likes of Ray Hedges, Stirkin, Rogers (most noted for their stirling work with Annie Lennox) and Johnny Douglas who has worked with All Saints and George Michael. The album has now gone five times platinum, topping the charts on two separate occasions.

Despite the huge increase in musical respect now afforded to the band, it wasn't until they walked home with the ultra-prestigious Ivor Novello Award for "Picture Of You", (the lead song from the Mr Bean movie) that they were notably evolving and were taken seriously by their peers and steadily maturing, but loyal fans.

The very same fans also ensured that boyzone ran home with the Record of the Year award for "No Matter What" at the end of '98. From school to cool in a moment. Who says awards don't mean anything?

It has all meant a lot to Ronan: "We are really proud of all our work, but especially the last album "Where We Belong". It is slightly more 'grown-up' than our previous material. We have taken a step away from the boy-band thing lately. We want to bring in an older audience without alienating the younger one".

Shane goes on to say "Boy bands usually flop after the first album, but boyzone are still going strong after three. We never forget where we started from, here's to the fourth". So it is all change in the boyzone camp. If you actually listen to the music, it's not too hard to hear why popular opinion has changed so massively.

For 5 years now, boyzone have been dominating the radio play list, the TV, and most importantly the charts. They have been the face and voice of Pepsi. They have 4 Irish Music Awards under their belts.

Ronan has presented The MTV awards, Miss World, the Eurovision Song Contest as well as the recent BBC1 talent show "Get Your Act Together". Shane races rally cars for Ford, beating British rally car champion Alistair McRae in his first ever race! Stephen presented the 1998 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party, Child-Line show and is currently working on the sound-track for the film Watership Down.

Keith is turning down modelling offers from the likes of John Rocha and caused a stir at the '99 Brits by playing drinking games with buddy Robbie Williams, and Mikey has been seen Kick-Boxing on an underground Irish film.

Collectively, Boyzone have earned themselves fans including the all important Mr. Bean and Israel's Miss World - not to mention George Michael, Brian Kennedy, Bono, who asked the band to appear in U2's "Sweetest Thing" video, the Bee Gee's, Pavarotti and David Bowie, who recently did a web-chat with Ronan.

Pretty good for a band who have never taken their success for granted, aren't constantly surrounded by a fog of controversy and according to Mikey "Still go to the supermarket, sweep the floors and do the washing up!".

As if that lot isn't enough to make the whole planet realise the boyzone are in for the duration, they are also the first group form Ireland to have 6 number ones. Leaving Shane's sisters' band B*witched in second place with 4 and U2 with 3.  And one particular TFI Friday (the ultimate barometer of late 90's cool - probably), is noted for Chris Evans' public apology to the boys for the past years of p**s-takes and put-downs. "Nuff said!"

There are plans to commit the boyzone story (so far) to film this year and a new deal with Mercury Records should ensure the bands attempts to crack America are well supported. Boyzone are also embarking on a their Greatest Hits Tour this summer, which kicks off in Brighton on May 4th. The tour travels all around Britain including Wembley on May 17th, 18th and 19th before moving on to Europe and featuring a spectacular open air-gig at the RDS in Dublin to celebrate the album launch on the 30th May.

Keith says: "I am really looking forward to it. Touring is the part that we enjoy best in this business. Going back to some of the old stuff is going to feel strange, but that is what the Greatest Hits is all about - being able to look back and realise how far we have come."
'By Request' certainly proves how far boyzone have come and the album seems to be the perfect way to kick-start the second chapter of this bands' shining career.
So, as we head speedily towards the Millenium, we can rely on Ronan, Stephen, Keith, Shane and Mikey's unique brand of perfect pop not to lose any of its fizz. You can be rest assured that boyzone's Platinum disc's will be occupying wall space well into the 21st Century.

Members Info 

15 Facts about Ronan:

1.  His father, Gerry, works in a bottling company. His mother, Marie, used to own a beauty saloon. She recently passed away.

2.  He's the youngest in his family. He has three older brothers and an older sister.

3.  New York is like Ronan's second home. Two of his brothers live there.

4.  Ronan's third brother Kieran, that stayed in Dublin, manages the new boy band Brother 2 Brother.

5.  Ronan was kicked out of the church choir because the teacher wasn't satisfied with his singing.

6.  He defines himself as sensitive, paranoid, quiet when he feels like it, and considerate of other people.

7.  As a young boy, he was the best at track running and won a few races in his time.

8.  The first time Ro got drunk was when he was 14. One of his brothers took him out for a beer and in the end Ro had to be carried back home. Ronan admits that that it doesn't  take him long to get drunk so he's very careful.

9.  When Ronan first joined Boyzone, he didn't know how to swim! So the other lads took up the opportunity, or rather challenge, to teach him. They gave him lessons in all the pools in all the hotels they stayed in during their tours!

10.Like Mikey, he has a lot of scars. One on his hand and a few on his head from the time that a large rock accidently fell on him.

11.He always wears a band-aid on a finger on his right hand for luck.

12.At the beginning of his life as a singer, he had a girlfriend named Georgina. They's been dating for a year and a half but the enormous amount of pressure that was laid on him affected the relationship and they eventually broke up. Georgina was Ronan's first love, even until this day.

13.His first job was working in a shoe store in Dublin. If only Bundy would've had the break he got.

14.His first kiss was at a party when he was 13. A mysterious girl just went up and planted one on him. He never saw her again after that.

15.One of the boys' most favorite games during their tours is...a burping contest. It isn't clear how you play it, yet, but according to reports Ronan usually wins.

15 Facts about Stephen:

1.  He has two older brothers, a younger brother and a sister.

2.  His mother, Margaret, is a school teacher while his father, Martin, is a former painter and an interior designer.

3.  His grandmother lives with his parents and sleeps in his room when he's not home.

4.  As a kid, he wasn't allowed to hangs posters on the walls of his room, so...he drew on them instead.

5.  He has a tattoo on his thigh.

6.  Stevie was only 16 when Boyzone first started.

7.  He had to pass FOUR auditions until he was accepted into the band. The other lads didn't have to.

8.  He's the shortest of the boys. Only 5"7 (1.70 meters).

9.  He tends to sleep with the lights and even the TV on!

10.He still keeps in touch with the first girl that he kissed. They were only twelve when they started dating. They went to a movie on the first date.

11.During the first few months that he teamed up with Boyzone, he still worked at a clothing boutique in Dublin. His first fan letters were sent to the store's address! Keith also worked there for a brief period of time.

12.He and his mother were in a small scene of the movie "The Commitments". We're talking about the two second market scene at the beginning of the film, here.

13.Since he's been with the band, he's gotten dozens of movie offers for some reason. But he turns them all down because of the band's tight schedule.

14.He's positive that there are ghosts and monsters in his bedroom.

15.In July 1999, he confirmed that he is in fact gay and has always felt that way since he can remember, yes, even throughout his entire career as a member of Boyzone.

15 Facts about Keith:

1.  Keith's mother, Pat, is a librarian. His father, Sean, works in a department store.

2.  He has two younger brothers.

3.  He has a panther tattoo on his right shoulder and a celtic cross design on his right bicep.

4.  The first time he remembers himself crying was when he was seven years old and his grandfather had passed awway. Keith had been extremely close to him.

5.  He charmed his girlfriend Lisa when he sent her eleven red roses. Roses usually come in a dozen, so he arrived at her doorstep and gave her the twelfth rose in person (awwww..). In interviews, when asked who his girlfriends were, he always mentions Lisa first, because he wants her to know that she's always on his mind all day.

6.  Keith was totaly pissed off when he found out that the press had published pictures of him and Lisa sunbathing at the beach. He always trys to keep them off her back as much as he can.

7.  Both Keith and Mikey smoke.

8.  Whenever he books a hotel room, he tends to use the name.."Tom Cruise"..

9.  He amuses himself at his hotel rooms by throwing fruit and plastic bags out the window to the street.

10.His first kiss was at the age of twelve. He was babysitting together with a girl from his class, and they just kissed.

11.He always used to get in trouble at school. He was even suspended once for being caught throwing three stink bombs.

12.His first job was as the guy who collects the golf balls off the golf-course. He wanted to save
enough cash to buy himself a mountain bike, then quit.

13.He used to wrestle frequently, but quit after he hit his head and had to be put in a hospital.

14.He used to date Shane's sister, Allison! The two dated for three weeks.

15.He used to be quite the drinker, but lately, after the birth of his son, he gave it up. He wants to be a good dad and he knows that wild nights out and bad drinking habits won't  help him in that matter.

15 Facts about Mikey:

1.  His mother, Sheila, is a housewife and his father is a carpenter.

2.  Mikey is extremely close to his mother. While he travals around the world with the boys, they always remember to send each other postcards and stuff.

3.  Mikey is the youngest in his family among his five sisters and one brother.

4.  He has a scar on his legs due to clumsy falls. He fell once on his ankle and once on a wall. He has scars on his head from the period that he was a boxer.

5.  He used to work out in a boxing gym in Dublin, but he stopped at some point because the pain was too much for him.

6.  Mikey takes his guitar everywhere he goes. The song he likes to play most is Take That's "Back For Good".

7.  Get this! Mikey was originally a Boyzone member's understudy! He officialy joined the band after the original member dropped out in the earlier rehearsals..

8.  His hero is STING.

9.  Mikey is the only one from the band who ever took acting lessons. As a boy he was an  Irish TV star who was in a lot of musicals and commercials.

10.He likes to ride horses, but after a major head injury he decided to give it up.

11.Mikey uses the name "Mike Drake" when he books a hotel room. Apparantly, "Drake", for him, is short for "Dracula". What-EVER!

12.He snores so loudly, that none of the boys are willing to share hotel rooms with him  during their tours!

13.He had his first kiss when he was 10. It happened at a friend's birthday party. Mikey wasn't too eager about the whole thing, but the girl chased him all around the house until she succeeded to pin him down and give it to him.

14.He likes blondes. His girlfriend, Sharon Keen, is one. Mikey met Sharon in '95. She worked in a boutique in Dublin. The two bought a house in Dublin just before their baby girl was born on the 30th of April. He's currently engaged to her.

15.Mikey sees Boyzone as a steeping stone to his future (don't worry--way future) possible solo career. He keep a little notebook with him all the time, where he jots down dozens of ideas for songs and things that he might use in the future.

15 Facts about Shane:

1.  He has five sisters. Two are older and three are younger than him. They're all in an Irish pop group.

2.  His father, Brandon, is an car mechanic. His mother, Nolin, is a housewife.

3.  His first kiss lasted about two seconds. It was during a "Truth or Dare" game, that took place in one of his big sister's parties.

4.  A group of fans once caught him picking his nose and decided to take it as a photographic
opportunity, IF you know what I mean. He says it was one of the most embarrassing moments of   his life.

5.  When Shane got his first big paycheck, he asked his dad if he could drive him to London, where he would buy a shiny new Porsche and drive it back to Dublin.

6.  He has two tattoos; one on his arm and one on his shoulder.

7.  He claims that he lost his virginity at the age of 17 in a car. On MTV, though, he somehow decided to tell Ray Cokes and the 30 million other people that were watching, that he's still a virgin, and he was 19 then. Believe what you will.

8.  His best friend in the band is Ronan. They share hotel rooms and live on the same street  in London.

9.  His first love was a girl that was four years older than him. He name was Gillian Lamb, or
something like that. They dated when she was 21 and he was seventeen. They went dancing in a club on their first date.

10.During Boyzone's first tour Shane would be so homesick that he couldn't even get to sleep. So, he would bother the other four members in their sleep, to amuse himself at whenever he had trouble sleeping.

11.One time he got stuck in his hotel room a few minutes before the boys had to perform, and the
 boys have to break the door down.

12.He used to participate in seances and he claimed once to have contacted a man called Sam, who told him that they would meet in the after-life. What-EVER!

13.When he was a kid, he was sure that by the time he was 22, he would be married with four children. So far, nothing like that has happened.

14.At 14, he worked for his dad's garage. He had plans of becoming a proffesional car mechanic like his old man, but his career in Boyzone killed THAT dream. He loves cars. He admits that if he wouldn't be in Boyzone, he'd probably carry out those plans.

15.He's very proud of the Harley-Davidson he bought his dad. It was his dad's childhood dream to own one someday.

Albums 

Lyrics 

Songs 

Love Me For A Reason	Baby Can I Hold You Tonight
Father And Son	All That I Need
A Different Beat	And I
Ben	No Matter What
Words	I Love The Way You Love Me
Picture Of You	You Needed Me