Former Westlife member to launch solo career via Kobalt

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Ex Westlife singer-songwriter Markus Feehily has signed a worldwide agreement with Kobalt Label Services (KLS) for the release of his debut solo album.

Having sold over 50 million records worldwide with Westlife, Feehily has spent the last 18 months since the band split crystallising his vision for his solo career. Now firmly taking matters into his own hands he has chosen to partner with KLS, whose model allows him to assume full creative control, as well as keep ownership of the copyrights in his works.

Co-written by Feehily himself, the album is a truly personal affair that sees him drawing from his own experiences. First single, “Love Is A Drug”, which is produced by Mojam (Sam Smith, Emeli Sande), is expected 19th April. Feehily has meanwhile already sold out his first ever solo show, which takes place at Scala, London on March 4th.

KLS, Feehily and his management have put together a top-line team, from creative collaborators such as Steve Anderson (Take That), Jakwob (Robyn) and Jim Eliot (Ellie Goulding), to promo partners including Dawbell, Dawn Promotions and Cherry Lips. The world renowned creative director/ photographer William Baker is also on board, known for his work with Rihanna, Bjork and long-time collaborator Kylie Minogue. (Full team list below)

The as-yet-untitled album was predominately recorded at London’s SARM West studios and will be released later this year on Feehily’s own Harmoney Entertainment label via KLS.

Feehily explained, "Musically, I've always had another side to me that no-one’s heard before, and I’m excited by the prospect of creating and sharing songs about experiences I’ve had – soulful, autobiographical pop music. Kobalt feels like the perfect fit for me as they allow me full creative control, which is something I felt ready to take on, and I feel confident knowing that I can also rely on the fantastic team for support."

Manager Wayne Russell of Do One Music Group commented: “A colleague played me some of Markus’ early demos and I knew straight away I wanted to manage him. What really struck me was the quality of his songwriting and the clear vision he had for his solo career. Kobalt Label Services are the perfect partner for us; their model allows us to retain creative control, while at the same time benefiting from Kobalt’s infrastructure and the wealth of experience of Paul Hitchman and his team.”

Paul Hitchman, President of KLS International, said: “We are very happy that Markus and his management have chosen KLS as their label services partner. The quality of the team around the project is stellar, and we are confident that the music will surprise quite a few people as well as excite Markus’ fans. Markus has a great career ahead of him as a solo artist and songwriter.”