Irish group in tune with their fans

They told China Daily that they fell in love with the Chinese song, The Ordinary Road, when they first listened to it and they learned the lyrics through English translation, which helped them better understand the essence of the song.

According to WeChat, the virtual concert's organizer, both parties agreed to have a Chinese song included in the concert. The Ordinary Road, which was featured in a Chinese movie, titled The Continent, directed by Han Han and released in 2014, is hugely popular among Chinese music lovers. According to WeChat, the song, which tells the story about growing up and coping with life's experiences, fits well with the music style of Westlife.

"The lyrics are beautiful. We spent countless hours on Zoom with a teacher who helped us all individually to learn our parts. It was a really fun and enlightening process," they explain.

During the virtual concert, they also received messages from their Chinese fans, some of whom have been listening to their songs for 20 years.

"I went to all of their shows when they came to China and I can sing all of their songs. There are lots of memories and it's so exciting to watch their concert online," one of their fans said in a message while watching the virtual concert.

"Due to the pandemic, we cannot have you here in China but it is good to see you singing onstage again for us," wrote another fan. "When you performed the song, The Ordinary Road, I was very touched. Thank you."

Westlife was formed in 1998, with Kian Egan, Nicky Byrne, Markus Feehily, Shane Filan and former member Brian McFadden, who departed the lineup in 2004.Their self-titled debut album, which was released in the United Kingdom in November 1999, was a smash hit. Their records sold more than 55 million worldwide and they achieved 14 UK No 1 singles. In 2019, they toured the UK, Ireland and Asia marking their 20th anniversary. On Nov 26, they released their 12th studio album, Wild Dreams.

As one of the most successful musical groups of all time, Westlife is one of the earliest Western pop bands to become popular in China. For a lot of Chinese fans, born in the 1970s and '80s, the band was their first access to Western pop music.

"We didn't realize how popular Westlife was until we landed at the airport in Beijing. There were thousands of people there waiting for us with greetings," recalled Byrne about their first trip to China during the concert. "Every time we went to China, we went to more and more places, like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou. We got lots of great memories as well."

"When we performed shows in Beijing and Shanghai three years ago, we saw lots of fans waiting in the parking lot after the shows, which was a big surprise," recalled Filan during the concert. "Music for us is all about feeling. We can pass this feeling to our fans. We make them happy, which is the best feeling in the world."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn