Boy band
30 years ago: Ronan Keating is embarrassed at the Boyzone premiere
Irish singer Ronan Keating was cast in the band Boyzone when he was 16. photo
© Hendrik Schmidt/dpa
“Terrible, terrible, terrible”: Ronan Keating looks back reluctantly on his first Boyzone appearance at the age of 16. 30 years ago today the band presented itself to the public for the first time.
300 boys and young men applied for the casting and had to audition in several rounds over the course of weeks. “I was 16 at the time, I was still a child,” said Keating, who recently joined the jury for the German casting show “The Voice of Germany.” “I have learned a lot and am grateful for these 30 years. I have worked very hard to still be here and have never taken my career for granted. I always try to stay grounded and I give that to my talents with: Stay humble, grateful and treat everyone with respect.”
Band member Stephen Gately died unexpectedly in 2009. “It was never the same after that,” Keating said. “I always looked next to me on stage, but he wasn’t there anymore. It never felt the same as before.”
For the 25th anniversary, the four remaining Boyzone members completed a reunion tour. According to Keating, this will not be available for the 30th anniversary. He will only go out to eat with his bandmates. “We are planning a few things, but no performances and no reunion,” said the 46-year-old, who also enjoyed great success as a solo artist. “However, we want to do something else together, but that will take a while.”