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From humble beginnings in Dublin, Ireland, Keating’s graceful journey to pop super stardom began after seeing an advertisement for an Irish Take That in the shoe shop where he worked. After a gruelling audition process with over 300 hopefuls, 14-year-old Keating impressed pop mogul Louis Walsh, and was offered the role of lead vocalist in the band Boyzone. With the recent fall of Take That, British pop was due to new poster-boy band and Boyzone gladly filled those shoes. Over five years Boyzone released four UK No. 1 Albums, 16 UK Top Three singles, and eventually sold over 27 million records before disbanding in 1999.
Just prior to Boyzone’s seperation, Keating recorded a cover of “When You Say Nothing At All”, which appeared on the 1999 film “Notting Hill”. The single subsequently debuted at No. 1 on the UK singles chart, paving the way for Keating’s successful solo career. A year later, in 2000, the singer-songwriter issued his debut solo album “Ronan”, which topped the UK Albums Chart with sales of over 1.2 million. The album showcased Keating’s classy yet sensual delivery and spawned the further singles “Life Is a Rollercoaster”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, and “Lovin’ Each Day”.
“Destination” arrived in 2002, Keating’s second studio effort, in a collaboration with ex-New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. The album represented a more developed songwriter and singer, and produced the hits “I Love It When We Do” and “I’ve Got My Hear on You”. Keating’s third full-length “Turn It On” appeared in 2004 led by the Terence Trent D’Arby single “Let Her Down Easy”. The singer-songwriter subsequently released the compilation album “10 Years of Hits” in 2005, the full length “Bring You Home” in 2006, and the tribute album “Songs for My Mother”, following his mother’s battle with breast cancer. A compilation of duets aptly titled “Duet” earned its release in 2010 and featured the likes of LeAnn Rimes, Cat Stevens, Lulu, and Elton John. The fruits of a collaboration with composer Burt Bacharach were issued on the record “When Ronan Met Burt” in 2011, followed a year later with Keating’s fifth studio album “Fires”.
Having sold 25 million records worldwide as a part of Boyzone, one of the most successful British boy bands ever, and a further 20 million as a solo artist, it is safe to say that Ronan Keating has indeed had an extremely successful career.
As one of the country's most celebrated boy bands, Boyzone have enjoyed a lengthy career here in the UK. Seeing them live, both when they were at the height of their success in the 90s and recently on their reunion tour, tragically without the late Stephen Gately, it was clear that Ronan is deserving of his place as the frontman of the band. He truly is the voice of Boyzone. That husky tone, complemented by his Irish accent, make his vocals unmistakeable.
Many artists struggle stepping out on their own and trying to carve some sort of solo career, but not Ronan. After stepping away from Boyzone, his solo career went from strength to strength. I have been lucky enough to catch Ronan live a few times, but my favourite time was at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010. Seeing Ronan in such an iconic venue, which is my favourite, was an incredibly special experience. Backed by an amazing live band, he showered us audience with hit after hit, including "Life is a Rollercoaster", "When You Say Nothing At All" and "If Tomorrow Never Comes". His stage presence was faultless and we were up dancing along the entire night.
He truly has made himself some sort of legend in British music and his track record speaks for itself. He is the definition of great pop music and it is seeing him live will only certify this more. If ever you have the chance to, solo or as a part of Boyzone, I recommend it.
lhulbert1
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