Ronan Keating has expressed that the members of Boyzone were “unprotected” and found themselves in “a dangerous space” when they rose to fame over 30 years ago. At the global premiere of “Boyzone: No Matter What,” the 47-year-old singer shared with Sky News, “We just played along with it all. I was just a child at 16, 17, 18 years old.”
Now a father of five, Keating reflected, “As you grow older and your children grow up, you begin to understand what we experienced as kids and how vulnerable we were in that environment.”
In 1993, five working-class boys from Dublin—Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch, and Mikey Graham—were discovered by talent manager Louis Walsh and transformed into stars. They broke into the UK charts the following year and achieved global success by the mid-1990s, with six number one hits and five number one albums, selling 25 million records worldwide.
Walsh, a savvy promoter, worked diligently to keep the band in the public eye, but this exposure came with its challenges. Keating noted that the duty of care for young stars was virtually nonexistent at the time, stating, “Our duty of care would not have been anything. It would never have been taken into account.”
Despite the difficulties, Keating acknowledged the significant role Walsh played in their success: “We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for what Louis did for Boyzone, what he put on the line for us.” He mentioned that while his relationship with Walsh has been strained, he remains grateful for the opportunities provided to him and the band in their early days.
Shane Lynch, now 48, also reflected on the past, saying, “A story’s a story. A paper’s a paper. People enjoy hearing negative things about you. That’s what captivates them and makes their own lives feel more interesting.
