Keating still on 'Fire'

Brace yourself for a deliriously romantic night with Ronan Keating when he makes a return to Bangkok on July 10.
After 20 years and 55 million records sold, Irish pop crooner Keating is still just warming up. After his phenomenally successful stint with pop group Boyzone that ended in 2000, Keating soared as a solo artist with five studio albums and countless hits to his name.
His solo debut “Ronan” topped music charts all over the world with hits like “Life is a Rollercoaster”, “When You Say Nothing at All” and “Lovin’ Each Day”. The musical saga went on with the second album “Destination” in 2002, “Turn It On” the following year and “Bring You Home” in 2006.
It was not until earlier this year that fans got to enjoy all-new materials in his latest entry, “Fire”, which gained positive reviews from hard-to-please British critics.
With his honest, straightforward pop hits, Keating manages to build his fan base all over the world and tours extensively. Next month it’s Bangkok’s turn. We chatted with him on the phone earlier this week.

Where are you calling from?
I’m in London in the moment. I’m just doing some summer festivals and getting ready to fly down to you guys and do shows in Singapore and Bangkok. I can’t wait.

It’s been a while since we heard new songs from you.
For the past couple of years I recorded with Burt Bacharach and I recorded an album with an orchestra called “Songs for My Mother”, so I did have a lot of work going on. I did record, but I just didn’t record any new music.
“Fire”, the latest album, is the first new material in six years. One of the reasons for the delay was that I had a bit of writer’s block. I didn’t know where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do musically. After being in the business for 20 years, it can get very confusing.

Tell us a bit about “Fire”.
For me, a fire is a beacon of light at night that gives you guidance. They use fires along the coast to guide the ships and lead them home. The album is sort of the same thing – it guides people in an optimistic, positive way to where they want to be in life. It’s a very optimistic, positive album, full of pop songs and songs from the heart, positive all the way through.

You got to work with Gregg Alexander again.
Gregg is a great friend of mine and it was great getting back to work him again. My solo career began with Gregg, and it was a very important part of my career with “Life is a Rollercoaster”, “Lovin’ Each Day” and all the big songs.
It was great to get back with them and feel the enthusiasm and energy on the record again to make those up-tempo love songs. I love them.

What’s your songwriting process like?
It can be a bit of hit and miss when you’re writing. You can be on form and write great songs very quickly. Or you might struggle. It can be tough. You can hit brick wall and not go where you want to go. It’s not an easy thing.

Anyone you’d like to work with in the future?
There are so many great artists out there. I would like to work with someone who’s very different from me, like Jay-Z.

Boyzone is celebrating 20 years. What’s going to happen?
A lot has happened in our lives. Losing Stephen [Gately] couple of years ago was very hard, but this year is the celebration of who we are and what we’ve done. It’s going to be an amazing tour and I am looking forward to that. There’s a great future for Boyzone still – there’s still life is this old dog!

Do you think your life is a rollercoaster?
Oh yes, it’s crazy. One day I’m in the band, then another day I’m solo. I’ve got three children and I’m travelling the world. But it’s wonderful and I wouldn’t change a thing.

You are also a judge on “The X Factor” Australia.
I love working down there. It’s a lot of fun and there are a lot of great people. It’s also a great show with great format, but I don’t think it’s the only way for someone to become a singer. There are many other routes. But it gets harder these days because record companies are struggling. It’s just another venue for doing it, but there are other ways to get it on.

What makes a great singer?
Talent, ability, confidence, stage presence and something else – like what that show calls the “X factor” – it’s something you can’t define.

You did a film called “Goddess”.
It did incredibly well in Australia and just came out in Hong Kong. It’s a great family film. It’s about a woman who wants to be a singer, but because of her children she has to stay at home. So she starts to perform on a webcam in her kitchen and becomes a big star around the world and she goes off to live her dream.
I play her husband who comes home from work and has to watch the kids while his wife leaves her webcam on. It’s a fun, feel-good story.

What do you plan for the Bangkok show this time?
It will be great be back in Thailand again. The fans are always incredibly enthusiastic and loyal. Over 20 years I’ve been in Thailand many times and I always enjoyed coming.
The show will be a mix of songs from the past and present, and maybe a little Boyzone in there. Thanks for all your support over the last 20 years. I really hope you’ll enjoy the show. I promise there’ll be something for everybody.

LOVE THIS DAY
Ronan Keating performs at Impact Arena on July 10. The show starts at 8pm.
Seats cost Bt2,500 to Bt4,000. Call (02) 262 3456 or check www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.