"You Raise Me Up" Full Lyrics - Westlife

Who is Westlife?

Westlife are Kian Egan, Markus Feehily (known as Mark), Nicky Byrne and Shane Filan. Described as one of the most successful musical groups of all time, they originate from Sligo and Dublin in Ireland. Their first single was released in April 1999 and after twenty years they’re still going strong, with a brand new album, Spectrum, released in November 2019, as said by Westlifeweb.

When, where, and how did Westlife form?

Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan met each other at school in Sligo, Ireland. Bonding over a shared love of music, the trio -along with three other school friends – would start their first boyband together under the name Six As One, before changing it to IOYOU.

Showing great potential, IOYOU quickly caught the attention of Boyzone’s manager Louis Walsh, who approached record labels in London.

Simon Cowell, who was then working at BMG, showed interest in the band but insisted that Walsh replace half of them.

Taking Cowell’s advice, three of the group’s original members left, leaving only Egan, Feehily and Filan.

To bolster the groups’s numbers, tryouts were held in Dublin, where Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden successfully auditioned, making them a five-piece.

The group officially changed their name to Westlife in 1998, and with their new line-up secured a huge recording contract with RCA.

They released their first single Swear It Again in 1999, which soared to the top of the charts and made the group the hottest new boyband in the UK and Ireland, according to Ticketmaster.