1.Westlife
Westlife were an Irish boy band formed in 1998. They disbanded in 2012 after almost 14 years together. Originally signed by Simon Cowell and managed by Louis Walsh, the group's final line-up consisted of Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was the fifth member from 1998 until his departure in 2004.
Westlife sold over 45 million records worldwide, a total that includes studio albums, singles, video release, and compilation albums.[1] The group had accumulated 14 number-one singles in the United Kingdom (the third-highest in UK history, tying with Cliff Richard and only behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley) and 26 top ten singles over their 14 year career.[2] They are also the most frequent act to win The Record of the Year—the only music award in the UK based on public votes—with four awards. Despite their worldwide success, Westlife had been unable to break into the U.S. market, having only one hit single, "Swear It Again", which peaked in 2000.
In October 2011, Westlife announced that they would split in 2012 after finishing their Greatest Hits Tour following the release of Greatest Hits. Their last ever concert, on 23 June 2012 at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, sold out to 85,000 people in just five minutes. Due to high demand, it was screened live in cinemas worldwide,[3][4] and another date was added for 22 June at the same venue.
2.MLTR
Michael Learns to Rock (also known as MLTR) are a Danish pop-soft rock band that perform songs in English. Formed in 1988, the band has sold over 11 million records worldwide, mainly in Asia, and in addition, another 6 million or more paid downloads for their single "Take Me To Your Heart" which was awarded "most downloaded single of the year 2006".They have produced eight studio albums as well as many live and greatest hits albums, with their recently released eighth studio album being called Scandinavia.
MLTR have won many awards and have earned Gold and Platinum status for their records in many countries, as well as the Gold Preis Award from RSH, Germany and "The Best Performing Act of the Year" at the SEA Grammy Awards in Singapore. The band has attributed its success in Asia to a clean-living image and singing in English as a second language.
During the peak of their popularity, in the mid-90's, MLTR have been described by critics to be "as good (if not better) a band as any current big name group out of America or the UK."
According to their record label releases, their sound is "the perfect balance of a Scandinavian glow and the international pop song that has been instrumental in forming the compelling sound of the band", though the lead singer and song writer Jascha Richter disagrees with this, maintaining that the music defies geographical categorization.
The first single "Renovate My Life," from the new album Scandinavia , was released on iTunes on 9 June 2012, with it going on air in Denmark from 11 June. The album release kicked-off on 11 June 2012 with the release of a music video for "Any Way You Want It" on YouTube, as well as the digital release of the album in India. The music video features different places of Kathmandu valley, the capital city of Nepal, where the band did a concert in November 2011. The physical CD of 'Scandinavia' was first released on 30 June 2012, in India by Virgin Records, and then by Warner Music over the month of July in South-East Asia, and by Sony Music on 3 September 2012 in Denmark.
