The stars of Westlife have said their reunion is not about making money, and that they previously turned down an offer worth millions to reform.
The Irish boy band – Kian Egan, Nicky Byrne, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan – split in 2012 after 14 years together, but recently reunited with plans for a tour.
They have also just released their first single in eight years, Hello My Love, and have plans for a new album later this year, their first since 2010.
The foursome have denied reports that their split followed a falling-out, and also that the reunion is because they have run out of money.
The new single ‘Hello My Love’ is out now! Stream and download here: https://t.co/JPRqqHbg7A pic.twitter.com/eKZr45ik1i
— Westlife (@westlifemusic) January 22, 2019
Filan told the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine: “We were offered a deal a few years ago, worth millions, and we turned it down.
“It wasn’t right then. I hate this attitude of, ‘Ooh Westlife, they’re only making music again because the cash has gone dry.’ No one says that about Elton John.
“Isn’t it beautiful that we can earn money? None of us needs to do it, but we’re in a band that can generate money, and that’s a bonus.”
Egan said they are doing it “for the glory” and because they are “old enough and wise enough to take the second chance when it’s offered”.
Byrne said that the band originally parted ways because they had started taking their success for granted.
He said: “It wasn’t about falling out. We had rows every day, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed.
Seven years after they split, @westlifemusic are back. Today they tell Weekend why they quit, what made them re-form – and reveal the very unlikely superfan who’s their secret weapon pic.twitter.com/f8A2dBL9um
— Weekend Magazine (@weekendmagazine) January 26, 2019
“By the end we disrespected what we had. Maybe we all became a bit arrogant. We’d done it for so long we took it for granted. We were still lighting the fire on stage, but how long can you fake it for?”
The singers, who rose to fame back in 1998 in the pop group alongside former member Brian McFadden, also admitted to wanting to experience a normal life.
Byrne said: “It can screw you up, being so removed from reality.”
Westlife notched up 14 number one singles in the UK, including Flying Without Wings, Fool Again and World Of Our Own, before they split.
Their Twenty Tour kicks off in May in Belfast.