Why Keith Duffy is still proud to be in a boyband at age of 49
“If you would have told me 30 years ago when I started in this business that I’d still be in a boyband when I was nearly 50 I would have said ‘Nooo'”, admits 49-year-old Irish singer Keith Duffy.
“But I’m looking forward to getting back on the road again. We love what we do and the fact that we still have an audience to play to and people still want to see us – we’re very grateful.”
Duffy, who rose to fame in the Irish boyband Boyzone in the 1990s, has been performing alongside fellow Irish star Brian McFadden of Westlife in recent years.
They first came together for what was meant to be a one-off tour in 2016 which saw them perform hits from both of the Irish groups. It was here that the “supergroup” Boyzlife was born.
The duo went on to release their debut album, titled Strings Attached, in 2020, and followed it up in 2022 with their second record Old School.
Their dulcet vocals and Irish charm continue to draw in fans, with many supporting them since the early days of their careers.
“Most of our fans have been following us for 25-30 years,” Duffy says over a video call.
“If we have new fans, it’s because it’s their children or their grandchildren.”
The singers have continued to adapt as the music industry has evolved during their careers, but they admit they have found the move from physical records to streaming and downloads a challenge.
“The music business has all changed now, and the kids are so clever with online stuff,” Duffy adds.
“But the most valuable marketing tool still to this day is radio. For those guys to play us old farts… it’s very difficult to get on the radio.
“So we have to rely on the nostalgia of our music.”
And there may be no better time for them to lean into listeners longing for the past as there has been a surge in reunions in the last few years. From Girls Aloud and the Sugababes to Blink-182 and Blur, they have all been “getting the band back together” in the hope of recapturing the allure of the 90s and 00s.
Duffy and McFadden are hoping to create their own nostalgic moments on their upcoming UK tour, which will see them celebrating the hits from Boyzone and Westlife that made them.
Along the way, they will be performing at theatre halls and venues which have a special connection to them as they were where Boyzone played when they first got on the road in 1994.
“The special thing, about playing these theatres, you can see the eyeballs of everybody in the audience”, Duffy reveals
“After 30 years in the business, we know most of our fans, we’ve seen them all before, so it’s a much more intimate, personable show that we do.”
Boyzlife are at Scarborough Spa Grand Hall on November 3, York Barbican on February 1, St George’s Hall in Bradford on February 27 and Sheffield City Hall on March 2.