Biography
Kian Egan entered the world in Sligo, Ireland during 1980 and rose to prominence as a member of the boy band Westlife by the close of the 1990s, performing alongside Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, and Brian McFadden. The group’s earliest incarnation took shape under choreographer Mary McDonagh, who assembled the lineup first as Six as One and subsequently as IOYOU, a configuration that included Feehily, Filan, and three fellow Sligo musicians—Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron, and Michael Garrett. Progress accelerated only after Filan’s mother contacted Boyzone’s manager Louis Walsh; following Simon Cowell’s advice, Walsh dismissed the three additional Sligo members yet retained Egan, Feehily, and Filan, later adding Byrne and McFadden after Dublin auditions. The resulting ensemble debuted in 1998 under the name Westside, which was altered to Westlife when another act was discovered using the original title. Boyzone’s Ronan Keating joined Walsh as co-manager, and the band issued its first EP, Swear It Again. Commercial dominance persisted through the final years of the 2000s; McFadden’s exit in 2004 produced no measurable slowdown. Multiple multi-platinum albums and extensive tours cemented the ensemble’s status among legendary boy bands, while also granting Egan opportunities to pursue projects beyond the group during its 2008 hiatus. He partnered with Walsh to co-manage the newly formed girl band Wonderland. That act’s debut album climbed to number six on the Irish album charts and reached the eighth position in the U.K., yet Mercury terminated the contract just four months afterward. Following Westlife’s disbandment, Egan turned toward television in 2012, serving as a presenter on This Morning’s Hub and This Morning. He also co-hosted the relaunched British program Surprise, Surprise that year, although he did not continue into the second series. He later accepted an invitation to coach on The Voice of Ireland together with Sharon Corr, Bressie, and Brian Kennedy. National visibility increased further when he competed on and ultimately won the British edition of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in late 2013. Early the following year, Rhino Records announced a recording contract, with plans for Egan’s debut solo album Home to appear later in 2014; its title track, a cover of the Daughtry song, arrived as a single during spring 2014.
Albums
