Stephen Gately Music Interview

This is a transcript of a Stephen video interview from VirtueTV.com Click here to watch the video.

About the single. . .

I like this direction of music. It was the song on the album that I was looking forward to releasing as well. Just cos it has that Backstreet/N Sync-y feel to it, which is a sound that's very hot at the moment. And it's pop, it's younger, it's fresher, so I wanted to go down that direction which is why I chose this song, Stay.

I knew as soon as I heard it that it was gonna be a hit if it was gonna be released and then I recorded it so I don't know about that anymore (laughs). No, as soon as I heard it I knew it was gonna be successful. It's a good song, it has a very strong, good sound to it.

Going on tour. . .

I'm not in competition with anybody, never mind members of the band or, you know, any artist. I'm just out doing what I do and hoping for the best. I really would love to do a tour. Maybe next year I'll do one. Just purely cos I love being on stage. I mean, people do this type of job to be on stage, to be singing and to be famous and that's the main thing of it and that's what I'd love to do, just do a tour and go out on stage. I mean people, all the Boyzone fans will know what I'm like on stage. They can see that I really enjoy it. I give so much energy when I'm on stage and it's a good vibe so hopefully I'll go out and hopefully people will come and see it.

The fans. . .

It's not so young. I mean, my music's not young, it's for people of all ages. Mainly teenagers and mainly people older than teenagers. And I just want the music to appeal to people of all ages. It doesn't matter and I see fans coming from all different areas. My old fans, gay fans, male fans, you know, lots of different people. Which is nice. It's what everyone wants, you know, everyone to join in and enjoy it.

Going solo. . .

Yeah it's good, I mean it's not to the height of Boyzone's career, you know, my solo career, but I'm hoping with this single that It's going to help push me in a different direction as well.

We decided a long time ago that whenever we got to the time when we wanted to go solo, we would and then come back for a tour a year and a half later, but that bit's fallen through, I don't know what's happening with that (laughs). I don't know, we worked as a collaboration. With writing, myself and Ronan and Mikey would do all that. We know what style of writing is for Boyzone anyway so what we're doing separately I think is quite different. Other people wouldn't say that but I think it's very different.

Cracking America. . .

I think that America's such a big market and a hard market to crack. If Ro does it then fairplay to him, but Robbie Williams couldn't do it, and Oasis couldn't do it, but I hope Ronan has a good crack at it and does do well, but it is such a difficult market. You could go around for 2 years doing work and still not have a hit. But he has the advantage of being Irish so I hope it goes well for him. This business is so hard anyway but to do it for such a long time. . . Ronan's been doing it for 7 years now anyway, or 8 years and, you know, to go on and spend a lkong time in the States and the whole process of it again would be too exhausting for me. I just couldn't hack it. I'd prefer to stay home with me dogs or go out on the boat, you know, sit down for a curry in the local chinese and stuff like that.

His privacy. . .

I have my privacy and my privacy is very important to me and to be able to go and do things. You know, in my house is my privacy. If anybody comes and asks me for an autograph, I'd just tell them 'no, this is my private place, you shouldn't be here'. Anywhere else, no problem, but not outside my front door.

I am quite a private person, but I've been that way since I was a kid. And, at the end of the day, if I trust someone then I'll tell them what I think I should say. I'm not always on my guard (laughs)

Being happy. . .

I don't think anybody's ever satisfied with what they're doing, they could always do a bit more, you know, more money, another car, a different car, you know, so I mean I'm happy with where I'm at at the moment without all the cars and, you know, once I have somewhere to live and Eloy, my dogs and my cat, my family, just healthy, then I'm fine. Not that I'm in the position to turn things down, I'm not, you know, every bit of promo I can get is still always good, you know, some things I just say, you know, I can't. I can't agree to do something I'm not comfortable with, I can't do it, you know, I have to be comfortable. But, then again, sometimes I don't know what I'm doing the next day so. . .