Westlife have confirmed they have parted ways with their record label EMI amid claims they were ‘dropped’.
The Irish boy band released a statement on social media announcing they had separated from EMI ‘by mutual consent’ due to a ‘breakdown of contractual negotiations’ and a ‘change of leadership’.
The group, made up of Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Markus Feehily, reunited in 2018 and released their comeback album in November 2019.
The album debuted at number one in the UK charts with the band’s planned stadium tour to promote the record being cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In their statement published on Monday, the group said: ‘Hi everyone, we hope you are safe and well. We have some big news we’d like to share with you.
‘Due to a change of leadership and a breakdown of contractual negotiations, we have parted company with EMI Records by mutual consent.
‘We enjoyed our time with the label and are very proud of the huge success we achieved together, including our number one album Spectrum and we’re humble to be the label’s biggest selling UK signed artist of that year.’
‘This change allows us to embark on a very exciting new chapter. The next 18-months is shaping up to be our biggest yet, including a groundbreaking global partnership which will be announcing imminently.
‘We can also reveal we have started work on our brand new album due for release later this year.
‘Lastly, the most exciting part of all, is that we get to see all of you again and it’s been a long time coming, as we embark on our biggest ever world tour.
‘This will take us across 5 continents including a sold out Wembley Stadium and for the first time ever, we will be bringing our live shows to America.’
Bandmate Nicky re-posted the statement to his Instagram and added the caption: ‘Some night time reading for you #StaySafe’.
It comes amid claims the band were ‘dropped’ by EMI because their album ‘didn’t sell as well’ as the company had hoped amid the pandemic.
An insider told The Sun: ‘Westlife are still a big name but their album came out months before the first lockdown, which has made things really difficult.
‘Unfortunately, it didn’t quite sell as well as the team had hoped and because there have been a lot of changes at the label, they have decided to let Westlife go.
‘They had a whole tour planned for 2020 which would have boosted sales of their music but the pandemic has really hampered things for everyone.’
Spectrum, which featured five songs written by Ed Sheeran, sold 500,000 copies worldwide and it also reached number one in Ireland.
The band are looking ahead to the future and are said to be considering opportunities for an end-of-year TV show and a documentary special.
MailOnline has contacted a representative for Westlife for comment.
Westlife announced ‘with great sadness’ in April of last year they were cancelling their stadium tour due to the ongoing pandemic.
The statement read: ‘To all our UK fans – it is with great sadness that despite best efforts, our shows scheduled for the UK in June and July must be cancelled.
‘We have been monitoring the UK government advice surrounding mass gatherings and it is very clear that this is the course we need to take to ensure the protection of our fans, our crew and everyone around us but also to ease pressure on those working tirelessly to fight this virus.
‘Those who have been on the Westlife journey with us know how important performing is to us but also know that safety must come first and foremost in delivering a successful tour.
‘In the meantime, we ask everyone to stay home, stay safe and keep playing your part in fighting the spread of this virus.’