Ronan answers questions about Boyzone, Westlife, his new solo project and of course his own career decisions.

Ronan: The biggest achievement so far .. ah I�ve been lucky in my career to have many achievements. When you start off in a band it�s all about your first magazine cover, your first Top of the Pops, your first No. 1 you know. Personally for me it has to be my family I have to say. I have been lucky enough to go on to have a wonderful baby child.

Phang Y Yin: Any suggestions on motivating ourselves to reach for our dreams/career?

Ronan: Well hopefully me doing this is the motivation. If I give people enough information for them to go: well hang on a second he�s right maybe I should do that.So that�s why I became the ambassador so I could help.

Rachel Davis: If Boyzone hadn't made it would you have gone back to school or college?

Ronan: Well my mother did say to me when I left school, if it all falls apart I could go back to school and I did promise her that. I think I�m all right now though. I think I�ve convinced them all now :o)

Rabbial Amiss: If in the future Jack got the opportunity to become a singer in a band, would you encourage him to follow his dreams (as you did) or would you insist that he finished school first?

Ronan: Well, I would ask him to finish school, I think it is very important, I was one in a million. I was very lucky to make a decision to leave school and join a very successful band. It was a big risk but it doesn�t always happen that way. You know, if he came to me and asked me about something he was passionate about something and he believed in it, I would have to trust him.

Cliona Harrington: Is this the life you always dreamed of?

Ronan: Absolutely, well look at me! I have a smile on my face all the time. I�m a very happy man. My career has gone so well and my personal life. I�m a very lucky person!

Joel Banjo Johnson: Is there a time where you feel you are unable to perform because of the amount of stress you might have? If so, how do you handle the stress?

Ronan: Eh no, I�ve never been.. nothing has ever got in the way of me before, thank god. Unless it�s health reasons if I�m sick or something, but ah you deal with stress and just get on with what you do. It�s a wonderful life, you have to appreciate it for what it is and just keep going you know, dig your heals in and just work as hard as you can.

Tasha Gallivan: Ronan, you are a popstar, manager, husband and daddy! Are there any other goals which you want to achieve in the coming years?

Ronan: To be recognised, as a solo artist is very important to me. My new album will be coming out next month July 31st. You know it�s very important to me to be recognised and successful as a solo artist. More than anything else.

Lucy Starbuck: You took quite a gamble, giving up your education to join Boyzone, which luckily paid off! Do you feel it is important for young people to take chances with their career in order to follow the career path they REALLY want to, rather than sticking to the 'safe' route and ending up in a job they are mildly interested in but with guaranteed success?

Ronan: Yeah, I think it is very important to be in a career that you are passionate about and that you really want to do, you know. There is nothing worse to be stuck in a job that you don�t enjoy. You become depressed and things get harder and harder. You�re not happy anymore and it�s very difficult to live your life that way. So yeah it�s important to take risks, but I use the words calculated risks if you know what I mean!

Carley Segwin: Who has inspired you?

Ronan: Ah I�ve got a lot of people who have inspired me along the way and continue to inspire me. I think it�s very important to have somebody that you admire in what they do. George Michael is someone musically I have always admired coming from Wham and becoming one of the biggest solo artists in the world.

Joanne Severn: What advice would you give someone who wanted to be either a singer or something along the lines of that career?

Ronan answers: As I said earlier, I believe in following your dreams. Advice - well, I�m not really the person to give advice. It�s a very difficult situation. It�s all about finding the right manager. Finding a road you want to follow in music, as there are so many different styles of music. It depends on what your taste is. Finding the right look and finding the right music and whether you can sing or whatever it may be. Maybe you are into dance music or playing the keyboards and samples and what not. Its all about finding the right road for yourself.

Vicki Mann: If you were sent to a desert island what would you take?

Ronan: (laughs) Well I�d need a very powerful mobile phone for a start and a very large music collection :o) After that whatever you want food definitely :o)

Sammy: Your cheerful nature is so inspiring. What keeps you smiling?

Ronan: I love what I do. It�s important to be passionate about careers. I�ve seen unhappy people in the industry and that�s terrible, it can get so negative. . It�s very important to keep the fans happy too, without fans there�s no success, so it�s important to have a good fan base and to stay in touch :o)

Tim Moffitt/Sky: Reach for the Sky is about making peoples dreams happen. How did you make yours happen?

Ronan: I didn�t know what I wanted to do when I was younger and there didn�t seem to be much help available. All I was really into was music and there was the sports thing. I joined the band and that turned out to be very successful. Its worth doing even if it�s a garage band. I was never academic and there weren�t many opportunities � that still goes on today but it�s a very delicate matter. I�m very proud to be involved with this project and to be able to give people �inside information� into all the different careers from fashion to music.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: What advice did you give Westlife?

Ronan: Well I always try and pass on the things that worked for us with Boyzone. But basically, treat people with the same respect you want to be treated with. The lads have a wonderful talent and I just want to be there for them.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: What is it like being a manager?

Ronan: I�m not the ordinary type of manager you�d get with a record company, who deals with things everyday. But I do stay in contact with guys. I want to encourage them to write together and stick to developing as a band. When it comes to getting involved with America and so on, which is very important to the guys, you need someone to really take the reins.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: What about the US?

Ronan: As I was saying, it�s very important for Westlife to break America. The guys have had unbelievable success both here and the rest of world and they were the 2nd biggest selling record in the US this week. There can be difficulties, when music is taken the wrong way or perceived differently. Pop music is not that deep you know, you don�t have to think too hard to enjoy it. Entertainment, that's what it is about. And about enjoying the music.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: How about the future of Boyzone?

Ronan: Boyzone are still together, very much so and we�ll have a tour coming up next summer.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: Do you think boybands will always be with us?

Ronan: Well, It�s all about timing and I was really lucky with Westlife, it was just the right time. But I don't think there are many massive boy bands coming up in the next few years. They were really lucky to have got in when they did and very lucky to had such a have great relationship with media.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: Do you use the Internet?

Ronan: Yes I do, a lot. I usually use it for email when I travel, and check out the new sites - also Reach for the Sky! :o). The spirit of the net is very cool, with open free information for everyone.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: How about the future of the net?

Ronan: That's a worry especially the new laws coming into the UK and US with MP3�s and copyright for music and so on. People can download any music they want and record companies aren�t happy �coz funds for new music depend on proper sales and that can affect musicians.

Stephanie: Would you accept a role as a representative ambassador for modern youth...to talk to world leaders about young peoples needs and concerns?

Ronan: Yeah, I would like to do that, it would be a lot of fun. But it�s a delicate thing, trying to enforce views on people is wrong. It�s far more important to listen to what people want and be their voice. That�s more what I�d like to do.

Suzanne: Ronan, I am 14 and completing my final school year. I have just recorded a demo CD and would love for you to listen to it and guide me further. Is this a possibility? I need all the help I can get!

Ronan: Try to find a manager and go to record companies. Make sure you feel your demo CD is good enough. It�s great that you�ve created your own music and created a CD but the first step is the most difficult - finding a record co. who trust and believe in you.

JWB asks: What is your view of fans� personal websites around the world?

Ronan: I think it�s great. It�s wonderful to have places to go where fans can enjoy talking between each other about their favourite artists.

Hayley: Ronan, I want to be a singer/songwriter, should I follow a career in the music biz before anything else?

Ronan: As a singer/songwriter you should really learn to play an instrument, read a lot poetry and plays and books to inspire you. Reading everything like that teaches you to use words in loads of different ways.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: Will your solo album be much like Boyzone?

Ronan:No my solo album is more up tempo and has more energy. It�s just different. It�s a very organic album with loads of live instruments, I hope it�ll appeal to a much wider audience. I think people will be surprised.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: When Stephen came out ...what did you think?

Ronan: Yeah. What Stephen did was very courageous. It was a big risk and wonderful thing for him to do. A lot of young people find it so hard to tell their parents and friends. It can be hard for people to deal with their sexuality and hate themselves because they feel it is wrong. He should be very proud of himself (Stephen) it was an emotional time. And I�d like to think he had friends (us) there and family. Stephen has even more fans now being out.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: What�s been your most memorable time?

Ronan: Most memorable time? A lot of different and important things have happened but I think it has to be our First No.1.

Tim Moffitt/Sky: Do you think you ever grow tired of the music biz ?

Ronan: No I don�t think so, maybe one day when I�m old and grey but I�m very happy to be doing this for a long time - as long as they want. :o)