From Westlife to solo artist Brian McFadden has experienced a rollercoaster ride of entertainment highs and lows. Belinda McCammon of NZPA talks to the Irish singer and songwriter about what comes next.
Irish singer and songwriter Brian McFadden blames his perfectionism for the three year gap between the release of his debut album and his second offering Set in Stone.
In New Zealand on a promotional tour, including a stint hosting an Auckland radio breakfast show, McFadden says he wrote about 150 songs before he felt he had the right combination of tracks.
"I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I was just never really satisfied with the material.
"I had 150 songs and at that stage I still wasn't happy.
"Artists change their mind and where they want to go every five minutes.
"I just took that long until I was completely satisfied."
McFadden, 28, is best known for his time as a member of Irish boy band Westlife.
He spelt his name Bryan then but reverted back to Brian when he abruptly left the group on the eve of the band's 2004 tour to spend more time with his family and work on solo projects.
His first single Real to Me, released that year, went straight to No 1 on the UK charts and his debut album Irish Son charted in the Top 30.
Since then McFadden has collaborated on several songs, including with his fiance, Australian singer Delta Goodrem and written songs for artists including Girls Aloud and Il Divo.
McFadden's latest single Like Only a Woman Can reached the No 1 position on the Irish singles chart.
While it took McFadden three years to compile material for Set in Stone, which was released in April, he says he will start work in the next several months on his next album, which he thinks will take about a year to do.
McFadden says timing, as well as strong material, is a factor.
"When is the right time to make the record and when is the right time to release it?
"There's loads of different factors."
When McFadden left Westlife he started working on his debut solo album almost instantly, promoted it and then went on tour.
"I never really got a break, so there was no rush for my second solo album and plenty of time for me to sit back and relax and take some time for myself."
McFadden, who has been in Australia since February, says he is pretty familiar with this part of the world now thanks to his relationship with Goodrem.
"This is pretty much home now, this part of the world."
Among the attractions of being based in Australia, apart from it being the home of Goodrem, is the fact the paparazzi keep away.
McFadden is no stranger to the tabloids with a very public divorce from his ex-wife, British television presenter and former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona, with whom he has two daughters.
It's fair to say McFadden has been through a lot since leaving Westlife, with the breakdown of his marriage and his public courtship of Goodrem.
His time in Westlife he says gave him a solid foundation to base his solo career on, one he knows he has to continually work at.
"It's a growth period. I learnt so much from Westlife, how to promote and market.
"And obviously as an artist I learnt how to sing on stage, how to hold a crowd.
"When it came to do my own stuff the hard part was out of the way...I didn't have to worry about performing the music or worry about anything else.
"All I had to do was concentrate on creating the album."
While other artists releasing their debut album are often overwhelmed, McFadden says he was already one step ahead.
"When you're in a band and you make a mistake you have four people coming down on you.
"But when you make a mistake yourself you've only got yourself to blame."
While creating music and touring are important to McFadden, he is not sure what he wants to achieve in the future.
"Doing gigs, making albums, I think I'd like to do that for the rest of my life.
"I don't have any massive aims.
"I achieved so much with Westlife that I want to maintain that success for the rest of my life."
McFadden also denies he is financially set for life thanks to Westlife.
"Things change, you get married, you end up having kids. You've got to think of the future, I'm still really young."
McFadden says after mixed fortunes as a solo artist he knows he won't always be at the top of his game.
"But as long as I can mosey along and do gigs for the next 10, 15 years, I'll be happy."
While McFadden loves the studio and creating music, its on stage where he gets the biggest thrill.
"The actual performance part is the best."
After more than 10 years of performing he no longer gets nerves but admits to still getting a kick out of live concerts.
While McFadden comes across as laid back he admits to be ambitious for his future.
"I just enjoy plugging along doing what I do but if an opportunity comes along I'll have a go."
It's an approach which led him to Australia, a place he never had any plans to be based.
"Westlife weren't successful there so there was no reason for me to go there.
"But it was a new territory, a brand new beginning and I decided at the end of last year I was going to do it and I've spent most of this year there.
"Who knows where I'll be next year."
* McFadden performs in: Wellington, October 3; Auckland, October 4.
