Ronan Keating is one of the world’s most enduring pop stars. From his rise to fame with the Irish boyband Boyzone to a solo career spanning 25 years of hits, he has captivated fans with his voice, his love songs, and his genuine appeal. The Irish singer-songwriter has seen it all: global tours, sold-out arenas, chart-topping singles, as well as personal losses that have shaped him. Now he’s preparing for a big year: a Boyzone reunion in 2026 to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary, along with a new solo love album that brings him back to the music he’s best known for.
The Dubai Media City concert will feature everything fans expect from a Ronan concert: hits like If Tomorrow Never Comes, Life is a Rollercoaster, When You Say Nothing at All, Lovin’ Each Day, plus plenty of Boyzone classics, celebrating the renewed love for the band after the SKY documentary “Boyzone: No Matter What”.
I feel lucky and grateful. That’s really the first thing that comes to mind. Thirty-plus years with Boyzone and 25 years of a solo career, and I’m still here, still getting up on stage, and people still want to hear the songs. I don’t take any of it for granted. More than anything, I feel grateful. Gratitude is so valuable, and I think it’s something that’s a bit lost on the younger generation today; a lot of things are handed to them on a plate.
Hard work is what kept me going. I’m not afraid to work hard, that’s something I got from my father. He taught me about graft and effort. He used to train a football team and always said the player who works the hardest in training gets his game on Sunday. That old-school mentality stuck with me. If you work hard, it pays off. It’s one of the most important lessons I’ve learned, and it’s something I try to teach my kids too.
The lowest moment of my life was losing my band mate and best friend Stephen Gately. When he died, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to face, not just as a performer, but as a human being. Even today the loss is still raw and painful.
The highest point of my career is harder to define, because I’ve been blessed with so many extraordinary moments. Performing with Elton John at Madison Square Garden, singing with Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, and sharing the stage with heroes like Yusuf/Cat Stevens were experiences I never could have imagined as a 16-year-old kid.
Social media changed the game. Fame before it was nicer, there was something special about not knowing everything about your favourite artist, discovering things through magazines and concerts, and feeling loyalty to one band. Now fans follow dozens of artists at once and experience everything through a screen. But the reach now is incredible: you can share a song or album instantly with millions, without flying around the world for TV and radio. There are pros and cons, but it’s a completely different world.
Kindness is everything. The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the past 30 years in the music industry is to be kind to everybody on the way up, because you meet them all on the way down. I’ve seen a lot of people in this business who have no respect and treat others terribly, and that’s one of the worst things.
The song that defined my career as a solo artist is “When You Say Nothing at All.” When I play those chords, the energy in the room changes, it’s magical, like those moments when artists play their biggest hits. Along with a few other signature songs “Life is a roller coaster”, “Lovin’ each day”, it allows me to build entire shows around them, connecting with fans across 30 years of memories and hits. I feel very lucky for that.
Dubai has always been special. I love performing in Dubai. The audiences are incredible, full of energy, with expats and locals alike. My music often connects people to home, and you can feel it in their faces and the room’s energy. Playing there is magical, especially seeing how certain songs move everyone. The city gives me a sense of family and community and the chance to be creative. I’m also working here on a project to build a creative hub for songwriters and music production, bringing talent from around the world together.
Ed Sheeran encouraged me to get Boyzone back together after watching our Sky documentary, saying, “These songs belong to the people,” he said. The documentary became the most successful in 40 years, showing how much love there still is for the band.
Boyzone reunion. We’re now preparing a show at the Emirates stadium in London, the first and only headline stadium show for Boyzone. The reunion is a mix of nostalgia, celebration, and emotion, giving fans a chance to relive the memories and for us to close this chapter with love, laughter, and tears.
In my 20s, I took myself too seriously and wish I’d had more fun.
Fatherhood taught me how to love perfectly and grow up quickly, since I became a dad very young.
If I could give my younger self advice now, it would be: everything is going to be okay.
I lost my brother two years ago, and it made me focus on what truly matters: family and love. Right now, I’m enjoying simple things, walking my kids to school, barbecues on weekends, things I didn’t get to do the first time around. Life feels simpler and more valuable.
The next chapter? Hopefully just sipping rosé on the beach (joking). I’m preparing a new album that reflects this, it’s full of love songs, and I’m fully immersed in writing. I used to resist making love songs, wanting to experiment with rock and up-tempo music, but now I’m embracing who I am and letting my music reflect that.