RONAN KEATING, DESTINATION DOWN UNDER
-- June, 2002
Ronan Keating is a boyband survivor. His boyband band Boyzone sold over 12 million albums. After Boyzone broke up, Ronan went solo with a hit album Ronan and sold another 4.4 million albums. He has lapped a few world tours and recorded the lead song in the Hollywood big budget flick "Notting Hill".
Now 25 and married with children, the career of Ronan Keating is heading to a new podium. His new album Destination is a joint creation with New Radical Greg Alexander and is set to establish Ronan at that next music tier, away from his original pop star origins. Here is a guy
totally comfortable with who he was and who is has become.
He sat down for a round table discussion with Undercover Executive Producer Paul Cashmere, MX Journalist Carla Danaher and Shane Cooper.
Carla Danaher: With everything you've done Ronan,
don't you think you
should
be retiring about now?
Ronan Keating: Oh no. It is only the beginning. I know
people say "you
are
25, you are married, you have kids, you have done
this, you have done
that"
but it is only the beginning. I was only learning when
I was in
Boyzone. It
was a stepping stone to do this for me. This album I
feel is my first
album.
With the other albums I was trying to find my feet
musically with
producers
and songwriters. I feel now I have finally found a
sound I am
comfortable
with. People are only starting to get to know me now.
When you are in a
band, it is five people's opinion. When you are in a
boy band you get
labeled as being in a boy band and people don't allow
you to be
anything
else. So it takes time for people to find out who you
are and I think
it is
only happening now.
Shane Cooper: I was so surprised to hear you are only
25. Had you ever
dreamed you would sell 16 million records?
Ronan Keating: No. I was in a band before Boyzone. I
was in a rock
band. We
didn't have a deal. We were only kids at school. I
wanted to do it. I
wanted
to be out their like Jon Bon Jovi rocking. I never
imagined I could do
it. I
never imagined I could be in Australia and people
would know my name.
It is
the oddest thing in the world. I love it. I have a
passion for it. I'm
a
lucky fella.
Paul Cashmere: On to the album "Destination". It is a
joint piece of
work
with Greg Alexander, who we all know here as the guy
from New Radicals
and
that bloody Mitsubishi ad on TV.
Ronan Keating: Did it make an ad, that song?
Paul Cashmere: Yeah, the Mitsubishi ad. Considering
the sound he has
which
is so dominant, was it a concern for you when you went
into the studio
that
his sound would over take yours?
Ronan Keating: Yeah definitely. When you work with any
producer that
can
happen to be honest. Not so much with songwriters, but
producers when
they
work always have the same sound. I worked with Pat
Leonard on the first
record and he had worked with Madonna and on so many
records. I worked
with
so many people with different sounds. With Greg or
with any producer
you
have to make the record sound like your own. The one
thing that people
say I
have is a distinctive voice so people know it is me.
Then, I got
involved
with the production of the record as much as I could
so this time round
it
is a body of work with a consistency through the
album, a similar
sound. I
have never had that before. The albums I have made in
the past, because
I
had so many song writers and producers, the sound went
all over the
place.
With this one it is for me this time around.
Paul Cashmere: I have heard you refer to him as ...
Ronan Keating: Bernie, I call him Bernie.
Paul Cashmere: Okay, well I have also heard you refer
to him as your
Guy
Chambers.
Ronan Keating: People always compare me with Robbie
(Williams) and I
hate
that because people always want to wrap you up in the
same blanket as
other
people if they come from the same area. Whatever.
Robbie has had Guy
Chambers through his whole career and has helped him
become who he is
today.
Again, definitely, as a songwriter myself I need
someone like Greg to
help
me and to take some of the songs out of me because I
can't do it all
the
time. He helps me. Just like Elton John needs Bernie
Taupin, I need
Greg.
Carla Danaher: The album leads off with a country
ballad "If Tomorrow
Never
Comes". That is an interesting choice.
Ronan Keating: It is an interesting choice. For me the
first single was
going to be "Love Don't Work If We Don't Try". We had
done the whole
thing,
even the artwork had "Love Don't Work If We Don't Try"
on it. We were
ready
before Christmas. I spent time with the album, I
listened to the record
over
Christmas and I thought there was something not quite
there. I went
back to
the drawing board and I listened to the first album
and I just thought
that
I was missing that one sound that I had had for 9
years. You know that
Boyzone ballad type of song. I had heard Garth
(Brooks) perform live 6
years
ago in a football stadium. I am not a fan out country
music but when
Garth
Brooks came to Dublin everybody went. He did like
three nights in a
football
stadium. It was like Michael Jackson. So we went
along. It was a
massive
production and he walked out into a little circle on
the stage with a
guitar
and sang this song and I thought I have to record that
tune. So I did
just
shortly after that. It never saw the light of day, so
I thought this
was a
perfect time for it to happen. It is the first single
off this album.
Shane Cooper: Is it a little frustrating when radio
chooses to play the
dance mixes?
Ronan Keating: Yes it is. I didn't make this record
for it to be turned
into
a dance record but there is nothing I can do about it.
Even if I choose
to
say no to it someone will do it and it will be turned
into a dance
record
somewhere. They will just do it anyway. At the end of
the day, there
are
certain markets that aren't fond of ballads. It
happened in Europe as
well.
I remember hearing Enrique's "Hero" record around
Europe. I was
travelling
and hearing this dance remix of Hero being played. It
is such a
beautiful
song, why would they want to do that to it? There is
nothing you can do
about it. I hope people like the song enough to go and
by the single
and
hear the song in it's true form.
Shane Cooper: Do you get to choose who remixes your
singles?
Ronan Keating: I did on this one. Someone was going to
do it anyway, so
I
had to agree to it. We did it through the London
office. My A&R guy
would
get in touch with a few people. It is the same guy who
did Enrique's
one.
That's why I chose to do it.
Paul Cashmere: On your forthcoming tour, will you be
sourcing the
entire
catalogue and dipping into the Boyzone material?
Ronan Keating: No, I might do one or two more than
what I have done in
the
rest of the world because I haven't had a chance to
tour here. Boyzone
didn't tour here so I might do a few of the Boyzone
songs for that
reason.
Boyzone obviously toured in the UK and Europe and the
fact I have done
two
or three tours in the rest of the world as a solo
artist now, I think I
should do a couple of Boyzone songs when I come down.
I think it is
only
right. Maybe "No Matter What" or "You Needed Me", some
of my
favorites."Picture of You", who knows.
Paul Cashmere: That Boyzone split. Is it totally over.
Ronan Keating: Yeah. We are over. We had six great
years. We went out
on top
with a number 1 album and single. We had 4 #1 albums.
We were very
lucky.
Not a lot of bands can say that.
Paul Cashmere: The U2 video was a marvelous marketing
exercise. They
benefited from your younger audience and you benefited
from their
credibility.
Ronan Keating: Exactly, very much so. There was a lot
of cred there to
be
put in the same video as the lads. They just called. I
remember talking
to
Bono at a social do. He said he was making this video
and the whole
idea was
for his wife because he had missed her birthday. He
was trying to make
a
video that said "sorry". We had worked with Ali his
wife quite a few
times
and she is very much involved in Ireland with various
charities. She
was
quite fond of Boyzone, so, it was a bit of a joke
between us all. He
sent us
this brilliant fax after the video with 5 rings, one
for each of us. It
said
"what do you call 5 guys who pull you out of a rut
when you are in
trouble
with your Misses... Boyzone". He drew this picture of
5 lads, little
stick
men. It was really cool. It was a great honour to be
in the video.
Shane Cooper: Are you aware of a gay following left
over from your
Boyzone
days?
Ronan Keating: Yeah. At least with every album I get
the chance to do
the
G.A.Y. show in the UK. It is a club show that we do.
Boyzone did it,
and I
did it on the last album and I am sure it will be
coming up soon. It is
great fun. I know the promoters very well. Every night
you can be sure
of
one of the best audiences I can play for. They love
all that. It is
great
fun. With Boyzone, there was a very large gay
following. Then, when
Stephen
came out it opened it up even more. I don't know if I
see it as much
now as
a solo artist as I did with Boyzone. I don't know if
it has faded away.
I
don't see it as much but I support it as much as
possible.
Carla Danaher: How is your acting career going. Didn't
you try out for
Moulin Rouge?
Ronan Keating: I did try out for Moulin Rouge. I was
in New York when
Baz
Lurhmann called and asked me to try out for it. I was
a fan of the
Romeo and
Juliet movie so I went along and sang a few songs and
read from the
script.
I was crap. So I didn't make it. Ewan got it. He told
me I did well but
I
know he was lying. I met him at the Grammy's in
February and he said he
had
another project coming up and would keep me in mind.
We'll see what
happens.
Paul Cashmere: Well, you did have success in a movie
in Notting Hill.
Ronan Keating: Yeah with the song "When You Say
Nothing At All". It was
a
great moment for me. This is why I became a solo
artist. Richard Curtis
came
to me after the 3rd Boyzone album, going into the 4th.
He asked me to
record
the song for the movie, not an album, just a song. A
voice that fits
the
shoes. He knew where the song was going. I knew the
song, the Alison
Kraus
version, so I went in and it just took off. They asked
me then to do
promotion for the single and go to the premieres. It
was a smash around
the
world. Even the US it fed into. The company then came
to me and asked
me to
make a record. It was something I wanted to do but
didn't know when the
right time was. It was perfect. It just happened.
Paul Cashmere: Did you go to the cinema to hear the
song?
Ronan Keating: The one I went to was the premiere in
London. I had met
Hugh
Grant before but never Julia Roberts. She came over to
me and gave me a
big
hug and said the song made her cry first time she
heard it. I don't
know if
that is true or not, but she said the song made her
cry. It was really
nice.
She didn't have to say that. It was very kind. It was
like a seal of
approval on the record. It was brilliant. I was
sitting beside Rohan
Atkinson at the premiere (you know Mr Bean). The song
came on and he
starts
nudging me in the seat beside me. It was great. It was
brilliant.
Shane Cooper: How difficult is it to mix family with
being a popstar.
Ronan Keating: I don't spend any more than 10 days at
one time away
from my
family. I didn't get married and have kids to be away
from them. This
is the
end of the trip now. I know I am going home tomorrow.
You know what it
is
like when Christmas comes around. You just cave in. I
am feeling that
now
and can't wait to get home. My wife understands. She
is great. She lets
me
do what we do and then the time we spend at home is
quality time.
Shane Cooper: Was she a fan of Boyzone when you met
her?
Ronan Keating: Possibly not. I don't think so. She was
a bit of a rock
chick. She didn't like my stuff too much. We knew each
other for a few
years
beforehand. We had this great friendship. There was a
group of us who
hung
out in Dublin. We were just good mates, drinking. We
literally just
hung out
together and had a laugh. The more we hung out the
better I got to know
her.
It just happened one night. I got up some Dutch
courage one night and
told
her. It was great having that friendship. There was no
awkwardness.
There
was no first date business. It was lovely.
Paul Cashmere: Your son would almost be old enough to
realize he has a
pop
star father by now wouldn't he?
Ronan Keating: He is three now. He is more into Power
Rangers and Bob
The
Builder than daddy's music. I try not to bring it
home. I don't have
any
discs hanging on the wall. I don't do anything like
that to push it on
them.
Even when I'm out with the kids and people ask for a
photo I say "not
when
I'm with my family". I don't mind signing autographs
but not a
photograph.
It is hard for them to understand. Autographs and
photographs I do all
day
but when I am with my kids it is their time. I try not
to push it on
them.
As hard as it is going to be I want them to grow away
from it.
Shane Cooper: Does he get excited with daddy's video
comes on after Bob
the
Builders?
Ronan Keating: He goes "daddy". Who knows, maybe he
thinks everyone's
daddy
does this. Maybe he thinks I am Bob.
Paul Cashmere: What do you think of the whole Pop Idol
thing? Are you
aware
that Greg Alexander wrote the hit in Australia by the
guy who won here?
(Scott Cain "I'm Moving On")
Ronan Keating: No. He didn't tell me that. Greg wrote
that? Oh f***,
I'm
getting on the phone. He's getting a slagging when I
get home over that
one.
That is mileage for me now.
Paul Cashmere: Your mentoring days of Westlife. Is
that over now?
Ronan Keating: Yeah. I kind of used the term very
loosely. I got them a
record deal and I picked the songs on the first album.
I moulded the
whole
thing at the beginning. After that there was no more I
could do for
them.
They had to learn on their own so off they went. They
have done a great
job.
I am no longer involved. Just good friends.
Paul Cashmere: Would you do it again?
Ronan Keating: I don't know much about management. I
would definitely
help
someone again if I believed in and felt they had a
chance.
Shane Cooper: Who inspires you musically?
Ronan Keating: George Michael is someone I have always
looked up to
from his
transition from Wham to solo artist and right into
today. His has kept
it
real and I am a fan. I loved his last single. It was
as cool as it
gets. It
was great. I am looking forward to hearing the album.
The Daft Punk
stuff he
has done is going to be very exciting. I had older
brothers and sisters
so I
was listening to their music growing up from Cat
Stevens to Squeeze. We
had
everything going on in the house. I liked a lot of
that. The first
record I
ever bought was "Last Christmas" by Wham. There's two
ends of the
spectrum
there from Squeeze to Wham. My record collection is
very mixed.
Paul Cashmere: You new album will be out around the
same time as the
new
Oasis album. You seem to be always competing with
Oasis.
Ronan Keating: Love Me For A Reason came out the same
time as their
first
single in the UK for Boyzone and pretty much since
then we have been
banging
them out at the same time. I don't anyone who would
buy an Oasis album
would
buy my album, so I think we are all right, you know.
Source : Spring at [email protected] and my great friend Shardha Krishnan