Kian John Francis Egan (born 29 April 1980) is an Irish

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

singer, songwriter and musician, best known as a member of pop group

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporar ...

. Westlife has released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours, and won numerous awards, becoming one of the most successful musical groups of all time. Egan was a judge and coach on '' The Voice of Ireland'' and won the thirteenth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' in 2013.

Music career

1997–2012: Westlife and Wonderland

In his early musical years, Egan was part of a rock band named Skrod. He can play at least five musical instruments, including guitar, piano, and drums. He is a grade 8 pianist and was taught piano by his brother Gavin Egan, a university music graduate and full-time teacher of music in the UK. Before he was in Westlife, Egan was part of a pop group called Six as One, which later changed its name to IOYOU, with fellow Westlife members Mark Feehily and

Shane Filan Shane Steven Filan (born 5 July 1979) is an Irish pop singer. He is one of the two lead singers of pop vocal group Westlife, which was formed in 1998, disbanded in 2012, and regrouped in 2018. Westlife have released thirteen albums, embarked on ...

, alongside Graham Keighron, Michael "Miggles" Garrett and Derrick Lacey. After IOUYOU was signed by

Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later be ...

, its lineup changed to include Egan, Mark Feehily,

and two new members - Nicky Byrne and

Brian McFadden Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer and television presenter who rose to fame in 1998 as a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. Following his departure from the group in 2004, McFadden released his debut solo ...

. The band's name changed to Westside and later to

. Westlife split up in 2012 after a Greatest Hits Tour. During a year long hiatus from Westlife in 2008, Egan launched a new venture with

to put together and co-manage girlband,

Wonderland Wonderland may refer to: Places Municipalities * Wonderland, California, a ghost town in Plumas County * Wonderland, Ohio, a ghost town in Columbus, Ohio, U.S. Roads, streets, and trails * Wonderland Avenue, a roadway in Laurel Canyon, Los A ...

, which included

Jodi Albert (born 22 July 1983) is an English actress and singer, best known for playing Debbie Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', as a member of Simon Cowell's British girl group Girl Thing, and as a member of Irish girl group Wonderland. E ...

, who later became Egan's wife. Wonderland's debut album reached number 6 on the Irish Albums Chart and number 8 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, however, just four months later, they were dropped by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

and eventually split up.

2014: ''Home''

In January 2014, Egan signed with Rhino Records of

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

and his debut album ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. ...

'' was released on March 14 of that year in Ireland and March 17 in the UK. His debut single "

", a cover of a song by band Daughtry, had its first exclusive play on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

on lunch time with

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 week ...

's show. The album has peaked at number 2 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

and number 9 on the

. In May 2014, Egan released the second single from the album, " I'll Be", a cover of the track by

Edwin McCain Edwin Cole McCain (born January 20, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His songs " I'll Be" (1998) and "I Could Not Ask for More" (1999) were radio top-40 hits in the U.S., and five of his albums have reached the ''Billboard ...

2018–present: Westlife reunion

In October 2018, Westlife announced the group's reunion as a four-piece. In 2019, the group headlined " The 20 Tour", named in honour of Westlife's 20th anniversary since its formation and the release of its first single, " Swear It Again", in 1999. In addition to touring, Westlife also released new music. " Hello My Love", the first single from the group's upcoming album, debuted on ''

The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton ...

'' in January 2019.

Television career

Egan was one of four coaches on '' The Voice of Ireland''. However, his dreams of winning the show went to tatters as he threw his lot in with Jim Devine, from Northern Ireland. This immediately put him at a disadvantage to the other contestants as, ahead of the final, viewers in Northern Ireland could not download his single, the tally of which contributed to his vote. Egan was left fuming and in need of support from

Sharon Corr Sharon Helga Corr MBE (born 24 March 1970) is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician, and television personality. She is best known as a member of the pop-rock band The Corrs, which she co-founded in 1990 with her elder brother Jim and younger si ...

as he expressed his opinion on the unfairness of it all and had "huge rows" about it but to no avail. In June 2012, Egan announced in an interview with the Sunday Life that he was "looking at doing a TV show with Sky on surfing". Later reports suggested that the show would be eight episodes long and would broadcast on Sky1 later in the year. In July 2012, Egan presented the British programme '' This Morning's Hub'' on a regular basis, standing in for the regular hosts. Later that year, every Friday morning in October, he began giving reports on another British programme '' This Morning'' about the remaining contestants in the ninth series of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'', before the competition's live shows that weekend. On 21 October 2012, Egan co-presented the revamped version of '' Surprise Surprise'', but did not return the following year. In 2013, Egan appeared on the thirteenth series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!. He was ultimately crowned King Of The Jungle, which contributed to an invitation to being signed by Rhino Records to create his Home album. From 5 to 9 January 2015, Egan and

Angela Griffin Angela Mellissa Griffin (born 19 July 1976) is a British actress and television presenter who has been active on British television since the early 1990s. She is best known for portraying the roles of Fiona Middleton in the ITV soap opera '' ...

co-hosted ''Fat Pets: Slimmer of the Year'' on ITV.

Personal life

Egan was born to Kevin Egan (1945–2009) and Patricia Egan (née Moore). He is the fifth of their seven children. His older siblings are Vivienne, Gavin, Fenella and Thomas, and his younger siblings are Marielle and Colm. He attended

Summerhill College Summerhill College (aka The College of the Immaculate Conception) is a Roman Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys located in the town of Sligo in northwest Ireland. History The school was founded in 1857 by then-Bishop of Elphin, Dr L ...

secondary school in Sligo, where he met fellow band members Mark Feehily and

. He is the cousin of Filan's wife, Gillian Walsh. Before Westlife, he worked at a jeans store. Egan married English actress and Girl Thing and

member

on 8 May 2009. Due to illness, Egan's father was unable to attend the marriage ceremony after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, and died shortly after. On 31 July 2011, the couple announced they were expecting their first child. Westlife's official Facebook page announced that Albert had given birth to a baby boy, Koa, on 20 December 2011. On 15 November 2014, the pair announced they were expecting their second child in the spring. On 21 May 2015, Egan and his wife welcomed a second son, Zekey. Their third son, Cobi, was born 29 September 2017. The family live in

Strandhill Strandhill or occasionally Larass () is a coastal town and townland on the Coolera Peninsula in County Sligo, Ireland. , the population was 1,753, an increase of 10% from the 2011 Census. The old name appears to be Ros Dragnige (see Killaspug ...

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

. Egan spoke of the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

in South Africa but said he would not go after the

Republic of Ireland national football team , FIFA Trigramme = IRL , Name = Republic of Ireland , Association = Football Association of Ireland (FAI) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , website fai.ie, Coach = Stephen Kenny , ...

was eliminated from the tournament after

Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...

. Egan was ranked number five on Ireland's Sexiest Man of 2014. As of 2017, his net worth is 18 million

euros The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . Th ...

Philanthropy

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Selected filmography

;Television ;Guest appearances *''

Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong ''Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong'' is a game show on Channel 4, presented by Alan Carr. During the first series, voice-over commentary in between rounds on the scores is provided by Leslie Phillips. From Series 2, the announcer is Peter Dic ...

'' (31 October 2008) – Guest *''

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

'' (15 November 2010, 7 March 2011) – Guest *''

Celebrity Juice ''Celebrity Juice'' is a British television comedy panel game on ITV2, broadcast since 24 September 2008. The show is written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon, and its current team captains Laura Whitmore ...

'' (23 December 2010, 5 April 2012, 13 March 2014) – Panellist *''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

'' (14 November 2011) – Guest *'' Daybreak'' (9 November 2012) – Guest *'' Fake Reaction'' (24 January 2013) – Guest *''

8 Out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' is a British comedy panel show broadcast on Channel 4 and its sister networks, airing since 3 June 2005. The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr; the current team captains are Rob Beckett and Katherine Ryan. The show is based ...

'' (8 February 2013) – Panellist *''

Your Face Sounds Familiar ''Your Face Sounds Familiar'' ( Spanish: ''Tu cara me suena'') is a Spanish interactive reality television franchise series where celebrity contestants impersonate singers. The format, similar to Dutch television series ''Soundmixshow'', was ...

'' (27 July 2013) – Guest judge *''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and l ...

'' (19 December 2013) – Contestant with Rebecca Adlington *'' The Cube: Celebrity Special'' (22 February 2014) – Contestant *''

The Wright Stuff ''The Wright Stuff'' is a British television chat show which was hosted by former tabloid journalist Matthew Wright from 2000 until 2018. It aired on Channel 5 on weekday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am. The series characterised itself as "Br ...

'' (28 March 2014) – Panellist *''

The Guess List ''The Guess List'' is a British comedy game show that was broadcast on BBC One from 12 April to 24 May 2014. Presented by Rob Brydon, it features two contestants competing for a prize specially selected for them. Production The pilot episode ...

'' (3 May 2014) – Guest *'' Sunday Brunch'' (4 May 2014) – Guest *'' Weekend'' (10 May 2014) – Guest *'' TV OD'' (5 June 2014) – Guest *''

All Star Mr & Mrs ''All Star Mr & Mrs'' is a British television show which first began airing on 12 April 2008 on ITV. It is a celebrity revival of the original '' Mr and Mrs'' that aired on ITV from 1968 to 1988 with two separate revivals in 1995–1996 and 1 ...

'' (25 June 2014) – Contestant *'' Through the Keyhole'' (20 September 2014) – Panellist *'' Would I Lie to You?'' (26 September 2014) – Panellist

Honours and awards

References

External links

Official website
*
Westlife's Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egan, Kian 1980 births Living people Talent managers The Voice of Ireland Westlife members I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) winners 21st-century Irish male singers 20th-century Irish male singers Ballad musicians Irish male singer-songwriters Irish pop musicians Pop rock musicians Power pop musicians Folk-pop singers Pop rock singers RCA Records artists Rhino Records artists Sony BMG artists Syco Music artists People educated at Summerhill College Warner Music Group artists World Music Awards winners Irish pop singers People from Sligo (town) Irish tenors Irish baritones Participants in Irish reality television series Reality show winners Irish television personalities Irish male dancers Irish male film actors Irish male stage actors Irish male musical theatre actors Participants in British reality television series