After 14-years in the limelight, the immensely popular Irish boyband Westlife have officially announced that they will going their separate ways in the next year.
The band are best known for their original tracks ‘Flying Without Wings’, ‘Swear it Again’, ‘My Love’ and ‘World of our Own’.
In a statement, band-mates Nicky Byrne, 33, Kian Egan, 31, Mark Feehily, 31, and Shane Filan, 32, who sold more than 44 Million records as Westlife, made it clear that the split was “amicable” as they seek out a “well-earned break and look for new ventures.”
The foursome will release a ‘Greatest Hits’ collection next month before beginning a farewell tour in May 2012 that will mark the end of the record-breaking boyband forever.
In a statement announcing the split, the band said: “Over the years Westlife has become so much more to us than just a band. Westlife are a family. We would like to thank our fans who have been with us on this amazing journey and are part of our family too.
“We never imagined when we started out in 1998 that 14 years later we would still be recording, touring and having hits together. It has been a dream come true for all of us.”
Rumors of the split have been circulating for years, and intensified after the release of their last studio album, ‘Gravity’, in 2010.
Originally a 5-piece, Westlife’s fifth member Brian McFadden left the band in 2004 to pursue solo projects and spend time with his then wife Kerry Katona and their two daughters.
The band was signed to X-Factor creator Simon Cowell’s Syco record label, and managed by X-Factor judge Louis Walsh for their entire careers. The boys will move to the Syco sister label RCA Records for their final release.
Westlife’s ‘The Greatest His Collection’ is due for release on November 21.
Watch the video for Westlife’s most popular track to date, ‘Flying Without Wings’, below:
