First of three Irish No. 1s from Brian McFadden

Just months after quitting Westlife, Brian McFadden soared to the top of the Irish charts with his first solo single in the Summer of 2004.

On this week 20 years ago, “Real To Me” began a four-week run at number one in Ireland. The single also topped the charts in the UK, Denmark and Norway.

McFadden, who had signed a solo contract with Sony BMG on leaving Westlife, co-wrote the hit with Robbie Williams collaborator Guy Chambers and David Merritt.

It was not his first chart success outside of Westlife. He cowrote “If My World Stopped Turning”, Chris Doran’s 2004 Irish Eurovision entry which reached number one in the Irish charts in April 2004, but not was not quite so popular at Eurovision, finishing 22nd out of 24.

“Real To Me” helped Brian McFadden’s debut album “Irish Son” reach No. 6 in Ireland and the top 30 in the UK.

It was the first of three number ones for McFadden in Ireland. 2005’s “Almost Here”, a duet with Australian singer Delta Goodrem, also from “Irish Son”, topped the chart in Ireland and peaked in the top three in the UK.

He was back on top of the Irish charts in 2007 with “Like Only A Woman Can”, an Irish-only release.

Since then, McFadden has failed to trouble the Irish top thirty, though he has had greater success in Australia. In 2010, “Just Say So”, the lead single from third studio album “Wall Of Soundz” featuring American singer-songwriter Kevin Rudolf, was a No. 1 hit Down Under.

Since 2020, McFadden and former Boyzone star Keith Duffy have recorded and performed together as Boyzlife. Just recently they announced a 2025 tour kicking off with January dates in Belfast, Galway, Cork and Dublin.

Side by side with his music output, Brian McFadden has been a regular on TV and radio as a presenter, judge and guest on a variety of shows. His celebrity status and high-profile relationships means he is rarely out of the news.

McFadden married then-Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona in 2002. They divorced in 2006. In 2004, he began dating Australian singer Delta Goodrem. They were engaged but ended their relationship in 2011. He married Irish model Vogue Williams in 2012 in Florence, Italy. They separated in 2015and divorced in 2017.

Since 2019 he has been engaged to PE teacher Danielle Parkinson. Earlier this month they revealed plans to marry next Summer in a private beach ceremony in Cornwall.