Boyzone star Keith Duffy admits the boyband sensations didn’t have the time to “stop and enjoy” fame as he opens up about the difficulties of stardom.
Keith rose to fame in the 1990s alongside Michael Graham, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch and the late Stephen Gateley. They secured nine number one singles and three number one albums in the Irish charts.
The band sold around 25 million records as of 2013. However, being an internationally recognised boyband came with its difficulties, says 50-year-old Keith.
Speaking to Hello! magazine, he revealed he soon realised the band’s time was seen as a “sellable commodity”. He explained: “You’ve got a shelf life.
“There’s not a lot of time to eat well, or to exercise - it’s just a conveyor belt. And it’s a shame because you’re lucky to have been given that opportunity, but you don’t have enough time to stop and enjoy it. It’s a pressure cooker.”
Keith says that while the band knew “how lucky they were” and “appreciated” the stardom, they were “too tired” to fully enjoy the popularity. Bandmate Shane Lynch says the group were “always in a rush”.
Keith added: “It’s not that you wake up and don’t know what day it is; you wake up and don’t know what country you’re in. But it’s great, looking back; we were very appreciative.”
Boyzone’s stardom is the feature of a new three-part Sky documentary, Boyzone: No Matter What. It will examine the group’s rollercoaster journey, which includes sell-out tours, dealings with Louis Walsh, two splits, and the heart-wrenching loss of Stephen.
While Keith, Ronan and Shane have reunited to promote the documentary, Mikey has been notably absent. He admits he hasn’t spoken to his former bandmates since the final performance on the Thank You and Goodnight tour, which took place more than five years ago.
He says he doesn't want to "waste my future looking back at my past" after admitting to struggling with their management’s decision to replace him as lead singer. Mikey was the main vocalist on the band’s first single, Working My Way Back To You.
But was replaced by co-leads Stephen and Ronan on their breakout hit Love Me For A Reason. While the new documentary has seen the band reflecting on their time together, Shane admits they are unlikely to ever make music again.
Speaking on ITV ’s Lorraine, he said: “We’ll always be a band called Boyzone. But we'll never be a band again, I don't think we’ll never make music again. It's not our territory as a world.
“We've been there and done it. But to share a stage together, we’d be more than up for it."
English (United States) ·