Kian Egan | |
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![]() Egan in 2021 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Kian John Francis Egan |
Born | Sligo, Ireland | 29 April 1980
Genres | Pop |
Occupations |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | |
Member of | Westlife |
Kian John Francis Egan (born 29 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as a member of the pop group Westlife. Westlife have released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours, and won numerous awards, becoming one of the most successful musical groups of all time. Egan was a judge and coach on The Voice of Ireland and won the thirteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2013.
In his early musical years, Egan was part of a rock band named Skrod. He can play at least five musical instruments, including guitar, piano, and drums. He is a grade 8 pianist and was taught piano by his brother Gavin Egan, a university music graduate and full-time teacher of music in the UK. Before he was in Westlife, Egan was part of a pop group called Six as One, which later changed its name to IOYOU, with fellow Westlife members Mark Feehily and Shane Filan, alongside Graham Keighron, Michael "Miggles" Garrett and Derrick Lacey.
After IOUYOU was signed by Louis Walsh, its lineup changed to include Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan and two new members - Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden. The band's name changed to Westside and later to Westlife. Westlife split up in 2012 after a Greatest Hits Tour.
During a year-long hiatus from Westlife in 2008, Egan launched a new venture with Louis Walsh to put together and co-manage girlband, Wonderland, which included Jodi Albert, who later became Egan's wife. Wonderland's debut album reached number 6 on the Irish Albums Chart and number 8 on the UK Albums Chart, however, just four months later, they were dropped by Mercury Records and eventually split up.
In January 2014, Egan signed with Rhino Records of Warner Music Group, and his debut album Home was released on 14 March that year in Ireland, and on 17 March in the UK. His debut single "Home", a cover of a song by the band Daughtry, had its first exclusive play on BBC Radio 2 at lunchtime with Terry Wogan's show. The album has peaked at number 2 on the Irish Singles Chart and number 9 on the UK Albums Chart. In May 2014, Egan released the second single from the album, "I'll Be", a cover of the track by Edwin McCain.
In October 2018, Westlife announced the group's reunion as a four-piece. In 2019, the group headlined "The 20 Tour", named in honor of Westlife's 20th anniversary since its formation and the release of its first single, "Swear It Again", in 1999. In addition to touring, Westlife also released new music. "Hello My Love", the first single from the group's upcoming album, debuted on The Graham Norton Show in January 2019.
Egan was one of four coaches on The Voice of Ireland . [1] However, his dreams of winning the show went to tatters as he threw his lot in with Jim Devine, from Northern Ireland. This immediately put him at a disadvantage to the other contestants as, ahead of the final, viewers in Northern Ireland could not download his single, the tally of which contributed to his vote. Egan was left fuming and in need of support from Sharon Corr as he expressed his opinion on the unfairness of it all and had "huge rows" about it but to no avail. [2] [3]
In June 2012, Egan announced in an interview with the Sunday Life that he was "looking at doing a TV show with Sky on surfing". Later reports suggested that the show would be eight episodes long and would broadcast on Sky1 later in the year. [4]
In July 2012, Egan presented the British program This Morning's Hub regularly, standing in for the regular hosts. Later that year, every Friday morning in October, he began giving reports on another British programme This Morning about the remaining contestants in the ninth series of The X Factor , before the competition's live shows that weekend.
On 21 October 2012, Egan co-presented the revamped version of Surprise Surprise , but did not return the following year.
In 2013, Egan appeared on the thirteenth series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!. He was ultimately crowned King Of The Jungle, which contributed to an invitation to being signed by Rhino Records to create his Home album. [5]
From 5 to 9 January 2015, Egan and Angela Griffin co-hosted Fat Pets: Slimmer of the Year on ITV. [6]
Egan was born to Kevin Egan (1945–2009) and Patricia Egan (née Moore). He is the fifth of their seven children. His older siblings are Vivienne, Gavin, Fenella, and Thomas, and his younger siblings are Marielle and Colm. He attended Summerhill College secondary school in Sligo, where he met fellow band members Mark Feehily and Shane Filan. He is the cousin of Filan's wife, Gillian Walsh. [7] Before Westlife, he worked at a jeans store.
Egan married English actress and Girl Thing and Wonderland member Jodi Albert on 8 May 2009. Due to illness, Egan's father was unable to attend the marriage ceremony after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumor and died shortly after. On 31 July 2011, the couple announced they were expecting their first child. [8] Westlife's official Facebook page announced that Albert had given birth to a baby boy, Koa, on 20 December 2011. [9] On 15 November 2014, the pair announced they were expecting their second child in the spring. On 21 May 2015, Egan and his wife welcomed a second son, Zekey. [10] Their third son, Cobi, was born on 29 September 2017. The family lives in Strandhill, County Sligo. [11]
Egan spoke of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa but said he would not go after the Republic of Ireland national football team was eliminated from the tournament after Thierry Henry's handball. [12]
Egan was ranked number five on Ireland's Sexiest Man of 2014. [13] As of 2017, his net worth is 18 million euros. [14]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
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IRE [15] | UK [16] | SCO [17] | ||
Home |
| 2 | 9 | 6 |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IRE [15] | UK [16] | ||||||||||||||||
2014 | "Home" | 89 | 156 | Home | |||||||||||||
"I'll Be" | — | 71 | |||||||||||||||
"—" denotes a single that did not chart. |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2010 | Louis Walsh & Kian Egan's Next Big Thing – Wonderland | Co-star | With Louis Walsh |
2012–2016 | The Voice of Ireland | Coach/Judge | |
2012–2014 | This Morning | Hub presenter and reporter | |
2012 | Surprise Surprise | Reporter | |
2013 | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | Contestant | Won the series |
2015 | Fat Pets: Slimmer of the Year | Presenter | With Angela Griffin |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Smash Hits Awards | Best Haircut | Won |
Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 after 14 years and later reunited in 2018.
Shane Steven Filan is an Irish singer best known as a member of the pop vocal group Westlife, which was formed in 1998, disbanded in 2012, and regrouped in 2018. Westlife has released thirteen albums, embarked on twelve world tours, and won several awards, becoming one of the most successful musical groups of all time.
Brian Nicholas McFadden is an Irish pop singer and television presenter. He rose to fame in 1998 as a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. Following his departure from the group in 2004, McFadden released his debut solo album, Irish Son. He has since released four studio albums: Set in Stone, Wall of Soundz, The Irish Connection, and Otis.
Jodi Albert is a British actress and singer, best known for playing Debbie Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, as a member of Simon Cowell's British girl group Girl Thing, and as a member of Irish girl group Wonderland.
Markus Michael Patrick Feehily is an Irish singer, best known as a member of the pop vocal group Westlife. Westlife has released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours and won several awards, becoming one of the most successful musical groups of all time. With 15 number one appearances, Feehily is also the highest-charting LGBT performer on the UK Singles Chart.
Nicholas Bernard James Adam McGarry Byrne Jr. is an Irish pop singer, songwriter and radio and television presenter. He is best known for being a member of the pop group Westlife; Westlife has since released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours, and won some awards, becoming one of the most successful Irish boys groups of all time.
"You Raise Me Up" is a song composed by Rolf Løvland and written by Brendan Graham. It was first recorded by Secret Garden, in collaboration with Brian Kennedy. Although the original version was not a major hit, the song has since been recorded by more than a hundred other artists, most notably American singer Josh Groban in 2003 and Irish group Westlife in 2005.
Girl Thing were a British–Dutch girl group, consisting of members Jodi Albert, Michelle Barber, Anika Bostelaar, Linzi Martin, and Nikki Stuart. They were formed in 1998 by Simon Cowell and were originally intended to rival the Spice Girls, but their success was minor and short-lived before disbanding in 2001.
"Queen of My Heart" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 5 November 2001 as the first single from their third studio album, World of Our Own (2001). It was released as a double A-side single with "When You're Looking Like That" in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
"Home" is a 2007 song by American rock band Daughtry from their self-titled debut album. The song had been climbing up the U.S. charts for a few weeks before the song was announced as the second single from the album. The song was covered by Irish musician Kian Egan that served as the lead single from his debut album also titled Home.
"Bop Bop Baby" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife and it was released on 20 May 2002 as the third and final single from their third studio album, World of Our Own (2001). The single peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart; during an interview, the band claimed this was due to the obscure choice of single, as they would have much preferred to release "Why Do I Love You", for which they had recorded a video. It is the band's 18th-best-selling single in paid-for sales and in combined sales in the United Kingdom as of January 2019. Billboard named the single one of the "Top 15 Underrated Boy Band Jams" in 2015.
Wonderland were an Irish girl group formed by Louis Walsh and Westlife band-member Kian Egan. The band were put together after auditions were held for five females in July 2008. Its five members were Jodi Albert, Sharon Condon, Corrina Durran, Leigh Learmont, and Kasey Smith. Wonderland's debut single "Not a Love Song" was released on 25 February 2011 in Ireland and on 6 March 2011 in the United Kingdom. Their eponymous debut album was released on 6 June 2011, the same day as their second single, "Starlight". Wonderland released their third single, "Nothing Moves Me Anymore", in August 2011. The following month, it was announced the band had been dropped by their record label. The group later decided to split up.
"Safe" is a song by Irish pop group Westlife from their tenth studio album Gravity (2010) and this pop rock ballad was released on 14 November 2010 as the album's lead and only single in the United Kingdom. It was written by John Shanks and James Grundler, and the single version was produced by Shanks, Richard "Biff" Stannard, and Ash Howes. This song is the group's last physical single under the tutelage of Simon Cowell, having left Syco and Cowell in March 2011. "Safe" debuted at number four in Ireland. It charted at number ten in the UK, becoming their twenty-fourth and last top ten single, meaning that they had one top ten hit in three different decades. The song was featured in the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson and Morgan Freeman.
The Where We Are Tour: Live from The O2 is a concert DVD by Irish boy band Westlife from their Where We Are Tour.
"Lighthouse" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife and it is the lead single from their second compilation album Greatest Hits (2011). The song is their final physical single after their announcement to disband prior to their 2018 reformation. Also the single is the group's first and last physical single not under the tutelage of Simon Cowell, having left Syco and Cowell in March 2011. The song was written by Gary Barlow and John Shanks, and was released on 11 November 2011. A music video was filmed in South Africa and premiered on 20 October 2011.
"Hello My Love" is a song by Irish pop vocal band Westlife. It was released on 10 January 2019 as the lead single from the band's eleventh studio album, Spectrum, and is their first single to be released under Universal Music Group and Virgin EMI Records. It is also their first official single in eight years since the release of their last single, "Lighthouse", in 2011. The song was written by Ed Sheeran and Steve Mac. As of 30 November 2021, this is their eighth biggest single of all time in the United Kingdom with 54.5 million streams in the country alone as of 30 November 2021.
"Better Man" is a song by Irish pop vocal band Westlife. It was released by Virgin EMI Records on 29 March 2019 as the second single from the band's eleventh studio album, Spectrum. It is their second single released under Universal Music Group and Virgin EMI Records. The song was written by Ed Sheeran, Fred Again, Steve Mac and Wayne Hector. This is the most successful and highest-charting song and single co-written by Gibson for a pop and male band. As of 30 November 2021, this is their twentieth biggest single of all time in the United Kingdom.
Spectrum is the eleventh studio album by Irish pop vocal band Westlife, released on 15 November 2019 through Virgin EMI Records. It includes the singles "Hello My Love", "Better Man", "Dynamite" and "My Blood", and features songs co-written by Ed Sheeran, Steve Mac, Ryan Tedder, Camille Purcell, and James Bay. It is the band's first major album in eight years, and their first album under Universal Music Group and Virgin EMI. The album debuted atop the Irish Albums Chart and UK Albums Chart. It is also the biggest selling album of the record label by a UK signed artist in 2019.
"Dynamite" is a song by Irish pop vocal band Westlife. It was released on 5 July 2019 as the third single from Westlife's eleventh studio album Spectrum. It is their third single released under Universal Music Group and Virgin EMI Records. This is released on band member Shane Filan's fortieth birthday. This is written by Ed Sheeran, Steve Mac, and Andrew Wyatt.
The Hawk's Well Theatre opened in Sligo Town on 12 January 1982. Located next to Sligo's tourist office, it was the first purpose-built theatre in rural Ireland.