Shane '¨can't wait '¨to be Right '¨Here

Luckily for Shane Filan, ‘Filaners’ are rejoicing in their droves that he’ll be returning to the stage in March with his Right Here UK and Ireland tour.

But his devoted following are not the only ones 
who are happy.

The former Westlife frontman says he feels “unbelievable” about being back on the road, and can’t wait to play the venue for his only Scottish tour date and the final venue of the 
entire tour.

Shane said: “This will be my first time playing the Clyde Auditorium and that’s a big deal for me. Whenever I drive through Glasgow, I drive over the bridge and see it and I’ve always wanted to perform there.

“Westlife obviously played all the big arenas including the SECC but not the Clyde Auditorium.

“It’s going to be a serious party in Glasgow that night, and a few beers will be had.”

Right Here is Shane’s second album since going solo.

Following the first, You and Me, Shane admits that this album is “more ballad heavy”.

He said: “Making my first album was nerve-wracking, but I think making the second was even more 
nerve-wracking.

“The fans love it and that’s what I want to do: write songs that the fans love. I’m very proud of it.

“I think it’s the best album that I could have 
possibly made.

“The first album was very upbeat, and happy in general.

“This one is a bit more serious, and there’s more love songs.

“They are songs about not just my life but everyone’s life.”

When he was penning the songs for the new album, he used his ever-reliable soundboard – his wife and children.

“Gillian and my kids always tell me the truth,” laughs Shane.

“Gillian will tell me, ‘that’s not great, like’ and she’s always right.

“If Gillian and the kids like the song it does very well, and that’s the way it’s always been.”

The Right Here tour, which kicks off in March, follows a memorable winter for the 36-year-old.

At Christmas, Shane’s charity single, When I Grow Up, reached number four in the Irish charts, raising vital funds for two Irish children’s hospitals.

He was supported on the single by ten-year-old Grace Lee, who has had ten heart procedures for congenital heart disease and suffers from chronic lung disease.

She said: “Grace has been through hell and my daughter is also ten and I just thought how lucky am I. I just wanted to do what I could to help and raise 
some money.

“I visited the hospitals and I also go to meet the parents of these kids.

“Sometimes when you look at the children, you don’t know how ill they are, but their parents know, and you can see that it’s tearing them apart.

“I did what I could to cheer them up; some of the mums were Westlife fans and even Shane fans so just being there and having photos taken was great.”

He also recently teamed up with Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle to record I Could Be which Shane calls one of his favourite on the 
new album.

He said: “Nadine’s an amazing girl and an 
amazing singer.

“I Could Be was a song I wrote in Denmark and I needed a great girl to sing and she nailed it.

“It’s one of my favourite songs, probably because it is my first duet.

“The song came together in one day, and it was an amazing song to write and it’s a amazing song to 
perform.”

Despite being firmly established as a solo artist, Shane says he finds it difficult to compare it to life with one of the most successful boy bands in a recent years.

Westlife sold 50 million records between 1998 and 2012, earning them 14 number one hits.

Shane said: “Westlife was phenomenal, even more so now when you look back because when you’re in it, you don’t realise what a big 
success it is.

“It’s difficult to compare being in Westlife and being a solo artist but doing you’re own thing and starting to make your own history is incredible.

“Westlife definitely made history, but now I’m doing brand new things and moving forward with what I 
want to achieve.”

He added: “The Glasgow concert is going to be a great show, and it’s a night that I can just spend with the fans.

“So, come and have a party with me!”

Shane Filan will play Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium on Tuesday, March 29.

For tickets and information, visit www.shanefilan.com.