Westlife star, Shane Filan was 'devastated' with 'debt' before 2018 comeback

Westlife star, Shane Filan was hit with a bunch of struggles after his successful band went on a hiatus in 2012.

After 13 popular albums, 12 thrilling world tours and 28 platinum awards, the quintet of stars that alongside Filan, consisted of , Mark Feehily, Brian McFadden, Nicky Byrne, and Kian Egan, went about their own ways after they disbanded.

For the Irish singer, things did not go as plan as he drowned in 18 million pounds worth of debt and lost both his parents within the span of a year.

As per Mirror, the reason behind this debt was, his and his brother’s company, Shafin Developments, shutting down due to plummeting economy, at which Filan expressed his sorrow, stating, "I have worked long and hard to try to reduce my debts, and I am devastated that it came to this conclusion."

Trying to stay strong, as a musician would, the 45-year-old found comfort in creating music that led to the birth of three albums, namely, 2013’s You and Me, 2015’s Right Here, and 2017’s Love Always.

Later on, Filan was hit with the demise of both his parents within a period of ten months. His father, Peter died “peacefully in his sleep” at the hospital after a period of illness while his mother, Mae, had previously passed away in December 2019.

Her demise shook the music industry since she was the one who convinced Westlife creator, Louis Walsh, to give her son a chance, about which he told the Irish Independent, "She rang me and said how good her son and the group were, and for some reason I believed her. Every mother says their son is brilliant. I believed Mae Filan. And I met them and there was something about them. They were rough around the edges."

Despite such setbacks, Shane Filan rose back to popularity as Westlife made a rather successful return in 2018 with their chart-topper, Spectrum and their 2021 album, Wild Dreams.