Ronan Keating reveals the unusual place Boyzone made the decision to have a break
He chatted to Harriet as they celebrate 30 years of Boyzone
Last updated 6th Nov 2023
It's been a massive 30 years since Boyzone were created, consisting of the original line-up of Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, and the late Stephen Gately. To celebrate the milestone, Harriet Scott caught up with her co-host, Magic Radio presenter, and former Boyzone singer Ronan Keating.
During the chat with Harriet, Ronan opened up about his time as part of one of the biggest bands around in the 90s, selling six million albums and 7.8 million singles sold in the UK.
The band formed back in 1993, but in 1999 they decided to have a break and as Ronan explained, they made that big decision while chatting in the toilets.
"We had all decided we wanted a break from it, the pressure cooker was so intense," Ronan told Harriet.
"After six years of being on everyone else’s schedule, on that conveyor belt, we all wanted a break. I remember being in Holland doing a big press launch or album launch and we all took a break away from it.
"Again, we are back in the toilets. It’s the only place we all had space away from everyone and we were chatting… we had the meeting in the toilet that we were going to take a break. The five of us agreed it."
Ronan went on to admit that the band's extended break was down to his choices. Boyzone reformed in 2007, but as Ronan explained it was a longer break due to his solo success. "We had made a plan to take a break," he explained. "The break led to a seven-year break up because of my choices. I was riding a solo wave, and it was incredibly important to me."
Boyzone continued to release music following the untimely death of Stephen Gately, however, Ronan admitted that he thought it was the end of the band. He explained: "For me that was the end of the band all together and we probably should have just called it a day then, but we thought the right thing to do was to carry on in Stephen’s memory. For me a mistake. The band never felt the same again. It always felt like something was missing."
Stephen was just 33-years-old when he passed away back in 2009, and Ronan admitted it was tough losing him at such a young age. "What makes me sad and hurt more than anything is he had so much living to do, and he had so much to enjoy," Ronan said.
"I remember something that stays with me more than anything, is Stephen really loved Disney and he was really excited about seeing The Princess and the Frog, and he never got to see it. The movie came out a couple of weeks after he passed away and I couldn't watch the movie. I still haven’t been able to watch it to this day... none of us have gotten over it but at least we have the songs."
When can you listen to the Ronan's interview on Magic Radio?
When Harriet met Ronan 30 years of Boyzone was aired on Sunday, 29th October on Magic Radio at 5:30pm, you can listen again to it below.
When is Ronan on Magic Radio?
You can catch Ronan presenting the Magic Radio Breakfast show with Harriet Scott every weekday morning 6am - 10am.
Take a look through all of our Magic Radio presenters:
Ronan Keating
Listen to Ronan Keating with Harriet Scott on Magic Radio Breakfast every weekday from 6am - 10am
Boasting a lifetime of impressive professional achievements including; dueting with Elton John at Madison Square Garden, singing for the Pope, hosting everything from Miss World, Eurovision Song Contest and MTV Europe Awards, acting as a judge on the no 1 TV show X Factor in Australia, recording with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), writing an autobiography, travelling the world, starring in his first movie Goddess, guiding Westlife to stardom, winning a prestigious BMI European Song Writing Award, winning an Ivor Novello Award, being appointed as a UN Goodwill Ambassador, providing the singing voice for Postman Pat, plus too many hits, gigs and awards to keep count, Ronan's prolific, varied and highly successful career shows no sign of slowing. 2014 also saw Ronan add a new string to his bow when he debuted, to fabulous reviews, in the West End in the lead role in Once.
In September 2017 Ronan joined Magic Radio to present Magic Radio Breakfast alongside Harriet Scott. Since joining, Ronan has hosted The Magic of Christmas at the world-famous London Palladium, as well as interviewing some of the world's most famous music and film artists including Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Gregory Porter and Russell Crowe.
Harriet Scott
Listen to Harriet Scott with Ronan Keating on Magic Radio Breakfast every weekday from 6am - 10am
Harriet joined Magic Radio in August 2015, entertaining us on-air with her warm and fun presenting style.
She got her start on the airwaves with her own show on student radio, going on to host a string of radio programmes, picking up awards along the way, and making a name for herself as one of the top radio presenters in the country. In September 2017, Harriet joined the Magic Breakfast Show to present alongside Ronan Keating.
Her list of celebrity interviews is pretty impressive – including George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Stevie Wonder and, a personal highlight, Kermit the Frog.
When Harriet isn't on air, she loves spending time with her two boys, going on muddy walks with her Labrador, and cooking for friends.
Nick Snaith
Weekdays Mid Mornings 10am – 1pm
Nick Snaith joined Magic Radio in September 2014 bringing his inimitable style to Magic listeners all over the nation. Working in media since 1998, Nick has some impressive credentials which include working on the BBC1's Holiday programme. The series saw him trekking around the world for three series travelling from Valencia to America and Morocco to Northern Cyprus, which was his favourite location.
Outside Nick's media life he has owned nightclubs and pubs for the past ten years. His recent endeavours saw him strip out a 200 year old pub in Shropshire and transform it into a thriving gastropub.
Nick is sports fanatic and has taken on the 45 mile Palace to Palace Bike Ride for the Prince's Trust, as well as the London Winter Run for Magic Radio.
Piloting planes is Nick's other passion, he has flown across most of Europe and tries to fly most weekends. Flying at 500ft high along the Dalmatian Coast rates as one of Nick's most memorable experiences!
Neev Spencer
Weekday Afternoons - 1pm - 4pm
A regular contributor on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Neev is an award-winning presenter and before joining Magic, was a listener favourite at KISS.
Tom and Kat
4 till 7 Show with Tom and Kat
Starting off at Magic on the Saturday Breakfast Tom Price has been entertaining Magic Radio listeners since 2016. Tom is famous for his standup comedy and TV career appearing in shows such Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood and his podcast 'My Mate Bought a Toaster'.
Kat, an accomplished broadcaster, has worked on multiple stations and joined Magic Radio to host weekend evenings in 2020, later moving to weekend afternoons.
Lemar
Fridays - 7 - 10pm
Lemar is a multiple BRIT and MOBO award winning singer song writer releasing five studio albums, two of which have gone platinum. Launching his career on reality show Fame Academy, Lemar has become known as one of the best soul voices in the UK releasing hit single Dance (With U) and If There's Any Justice to international acclaim, whilst recently adding radio presenter and actor to his list of many talents.
Dan Morrissey
Monday - Thursday 7pm - 10pm
Saturday Mornings 10am - 1pm
Dan grew up on the sunny South Coast, then Bristol, without a TV in the house. This has come up in therapy a few times, but also explains his love for radio...
Having worked on stations in and around the South, and then on Magic's sister stations across the Midlands he joined us at the start of 2019.
Join him every Saturday from 10am for more of the songs you love, some giggles and plenty of chances to get your own moment of fame...
He also pops up around the place when other presenters are on hard-earned holidays, so listen out for him.
Paul Hayes
Early Breakfast Monday – Thursday 4am-6am
Paul Hayes joined Magic in 2013 after returning from 3 years living and working in Dubai, UAE and Montreal, Canada, where he went from nearly 50 degree heat and sandstorms to minus 40 and snowstorms.
Paul is obsessed with cooking and food after taking two 'Haute Cuisine' courses. When he's not in the kitchen rustling up comfort food and trying out new recipes, Paul loves being out in the countryside, at the coast, or in a theatre.
He's massively into cars and has been since he was 4 years old and one of his favourite experiences was a track day at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire.
Join Paul Monday to Friday on Magic to start the day on Early Breakfast (4-6am) and weekends 4-8pm.
You can also hear him on Mellow Magic weekdays 9am-12pm and Magic Soul 2-5pm.
Eloise Carr
Fridays - 4am - 6am
As well as being on Magic Chilled, you can hear Eloise if you're up at the crack of dawn every Friday at 4am until 6am on Magic or if you're after a little lie in, she's also with Ronan Keating and Harriet Scott every weekday from 6-10 on the Magic Breakfast show, doing the travel
Emma B
Weekend Afternoons 1pm-4pm
Emma B has forged a highly successful broadcast career spanning over 15 years at some of the world's best-known radio stations. She became known as Emma B when she worked for Creation Records alongside Oasis and Primal Scream.
Although her first taste of radio was when she was 8, as part of Timmy Mallet's Radio Oxford weekend show, the real break came when she worked at the legendary Radio Caroline (at Bristol dock) on the infamous 'Boat That Rocked' before moving to London and selling advertising and then writing articles for magazines including Elle, New Woman, Q and NME. Whilst trying to forge a path back to radio, Emma worked in the music business at Creation Records and then at Island Records with artists like U2, Tricky and PJ Harvey.
Emma joined BBC Radio 1 in 1998 and in April 2000 she co-presented the Sunday Surgery show, alongside Dr Mark Hamilton. The Sunday Surgery dealt with ground-breaking social and health issues for teenagers, including sex, drugs, poverty and crime. She won 4 Sony Awards for it and has been singled out as having saved lives through the show.
Emma has previously lived in Ibiza with her husband and 2 children where she had a small PR company dealing with clients such as Sony /Columbia Records. She had a weekly radio show on Ibiza-based station Sonica and hosted a series of live radio broadcasts from the Pacha Terrace and the DJ Awards 2010. Emma took a short break from radio to work in the charity sector at Macmillan Cancer Support & Teenage Cancer Trust, using her skills to fundraise and spread the word.
Emma returned to radio when she joined Magic Radio in 2017, where she now hosts weekdays from 1pm – 4pm. Emma's infectious sense of humour and mischievousness keeps the UK going all afternoon.
Emma loves arts and culture and a good book. Her TV favourites are any murder mysteries from Vera to Midsummer Murders and Death in Paradise to Trigger Point. Anything written by Jed Mercurio with Vicky McClure is a must watch, as well as an Agatha Christie thrown in for good measure. Emma, like the nation, has been gripped by Succession as well as recent dramas including It's a Sin, Sex Education & Euphoria.
She's also a committed theatre fan and is as happy singing along to Dear Evan Hanson as she is hosting the red carpet at the Olivier Awards. And at the opposite end of the glamour stakes, loves nothing better than getting her hands dirty in her garden
Nicole Appleton
Weekends - 4pm - 7pm
Best known as a member of the pop group All Saints who enjoyed huge success with two multi-platinum albums as well as record sales exceeding 12 million worldwide, Nicole made her radio presenting debut on the station last year when she hosted a series of specials shows on female artists.
Jim Davis
Weekends 7pm - 10pm
Jim joined the Magic team in 2019 & is currently the host of the Weekend Evening show.
He has been presenting on the radio for over 25 years and loves his job! You may have heard Jim on several other stations over the years, but now he is proud to call Magic his home!
Jim is a huge dog lover and keen foodie. He is also an avid traveller (although he doesn't have a lot of spare time!) as you'll also find Jim presenting weekday mid-mornings on our sister station Mellow Magic (9am-12pm) as well as weekend lunchtimes on Magic At The Musicals (12pm-3pm).
You can find Jim on Twitter and Instagram @JimDavisOnAir
Jen Thomas
Weekends 10pm - 1am
Jen Thomas is a journalist and radio presenter and has been interviewing bands and writing about music since she was 14 years old. Writing for the likes of NME, Metro, Rolling Stone UK, Daily Star, Buzzfeed, Ladbible, The Telegraph and more.
Jen went back to university as a mature student at 28 to pursue a career in radio. Working as a producer at various stations while studying, Jen also joined Nottingham Trent University's student radio station, Fly FM.
After winning six Student Radio Awards and becoming known for her relaxing voice, Jen's rise to radio fame took her to Virgin Radio and BBC Derby, and now Magic Radio every Monday to Thursday 10pm to 1am and Mellow Magic Sunday 9am-12.
She lives in Manchester with her rescue dog Minnie, has too many houseplants and is obsessed with leopard print, gardening, baking ridiculous cakes, anything Disney and watching live music.
Sonali Shah 
Sunday Breakfast - 6am - 10am
Sonali began her professional broadcasting career in BBC Radio soon after graduating from university in 2001. She produced and presented news and business programmes on the World Service and Radio 5 Live. As well as being the Sunday Breakfast presenter on Magic Radio, Sonali is currently a host of BBC One's Escape to the Country and major Events for the BBC. She often hosts episodes of ITV's Tonight and regularly appears on Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch. Sonali is well known for being one of the faces BBC Sport and before that, a long-serving presenter of Newsround. Sonali was part of the presentation teams for Delhi 2010, London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 and joined the BBC Crimewatch team in 2015. She was a regular host on the National Lottery Live Draw on BBC One. Away from the camera and the microphone, Sonali is an Ambassador for the Prince's Trust and the British Asian Trust and regularly supports Barnardo's. Sonali has released her first children's book, The Best Diwali Ever, this year based on the religious festival.
Angellica Bell 
Saturdays - 7am - 10am
Angellica became the face of CBBC. After hosting a whole range of shows for the children's channel, she made her seamless transition to mainstream TV and most recently a guest presenter on The One Show. Angellica has taken part in Comic Relief Does Fame Academy, sailed 1,000 miles from Belfast to London for Sport Relief, run the London marathon, learned tap-dancing for the TV show Born To Shine – and she won Celebrity Masterchef in 2017.
Lynn Parsons
Sundays 10am - 1pm
Lynn Parsons began life as a Vision Mixer in Television. Later moving on to Present Radio and Television. Firstly, for all 4 BBC National Radio Stations, the World Service and many of the National Commercial Radio stations too.
There have been hundreds of celebrity interviews along the way with everyone from Rock n Roll Royalty, Literary Gods and the occasional Prime Minister too!
Fascinated by How things Work, wherever possible Lynn has combined Broadcasting with Adventures involving technology including Looping the loop in a Tiger Moth, Formula 1, flying
in Sea King Helicopters, looking for Submarines in an R.A.F. Nimrod and experimenting in an R.A.F. Typhoon simulator.
Lynn Loves Sport ~ Marathons, Trampolining, Swimming and more recently you'll find her doing a Handstand on her Yoga Mat.
She drives a Vintage bright yellow VW Convertible Beetle called Tallullah!
Music is Lynn's first Love You can hear her on Magic radio Monday to Thursday evenings from 7 till 10pm and Sunday mornings at 10am on the Magic Request Show.
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