A Minute With: Irish pop group Westlife on 25 years, new music and tour

LONDON: Westlife celebrate 25 years with a new album and tour they say will take fans down memory lane as well as treat them to “the best show” the Irish pop group have ever done.

The boy band, formed in 1998 when its original five members were teenagers, has sold more than 55 million records and scored 14 UK No. 1 hits with songs such as “Swear It Again”, “Flying Without Wings” and “Uptown Girl”.

A foursome since 2004, members Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily parted ways in 2012 before reuniting in 2018.

They released single “Chariot” last month, one of four new songs on upcoming album “25 – The Ultimate Collection”, out in February. They also expanded their 2026 “Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour”, which marks 25 years since their first world tour.

Feehily, who in recent years has suffered health-related issues, is not joining them on tour but features on the album.

In an interview with Reuters, Filan, Egan and Byrne spoke about the tour, recording with Feehily and looking back on 25 years.

Below are excerpts edited for length and clarity.

Q: What can fans expect from the tour?

Filan: “We want to put on our best show we’ve ever done … probably picking the setlist is always the hardest part because every fan has a different memory for that song. But it’ll be full of hits, obviously, but we’re going to elevate it from a kind of visual aspect as well.”