Westlife have opened up about why the reunion wouldn’t have worked with Brian McFadden.
Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Markus Feehily announced last month that they are getting back together.
While fans all over the world were immensely excited by the news, some fans did question why Brian wasn’t part of the band.
Speaking at their first press conference since the reunion announcement, the singers admitted it wouldn’t be right to have him back after such a long time.
“The way we look at it we finished the band as a four-piece, we were together for over eight years after he left, so a lot longer than when we were with Brian,” Shane Filan explained.
“He decided to leave the band in 2004 so for us we were always a four piece after that. Brian left the band fifteen years ago y’know,” he added.
Mark Feehily also added that it just feels right as a foursome.
“I don’t think we feel like anybody’s missing here today,” he said.
“And that’s not in any bad way, that’s just what Westlife is to us now.”
The band are set to go on tour this summer and have a new album on the way with songs penned by Ed Sheeran, and with the reunion came plenty of rumours about deals to include Brian.
“The rumours about Simon Cowell offering tours with Brian is simply untrue. We did meet Simon but we discuss the tour as a four-piece it was never with Brian,” Nicky Byrne explained.
Brian took to Twitter to wish the boys well last week, something Nicky said he appreciates.
“He tweeted a lovely tweet during the week, and as Shane said there is no ill feeling with any of us, and it was actually nine or nine and a half years since he left. The dynamic in Westlife changed because they had to, five became four so in many ways we all had to stand up to the plate; vocally, our personalities etc.
“Brian left when we were in our very early 20s and I’m forty last week so time moves on. We’d like to put on record there is no hard feeling but to put Brian back into the band would be strange for us to have to adapt to that.”
Tickets for the band’s Croke Park date go on sale Thursday 25th October at 9am.
