Ed Sheeran Wrote Westlife's New Bop & It's A Trademark Banger If You Ever Heard One

Lord knows us Irish look after each other in a level of patriotism I am not sure I have ever experienced before. Maybe it's only noticeable having moved away, because you notice absolutely nobody else seems to fly the flag like us. And is there a better way to hype up that Irish style love and team work than by getting together for a little sing song? Nope. That's right, he of Irish ancestry, Ed Sheeran wrote Westlife's new single "Hello My Love", as Metro reports, and boy oh boy — there are a fair few obvious similarities.

OK so first off, this is not a criticism. Not at all. Nope I am not selling my patriotism for the queen's penny. Sheeran has created his own formula which is, as has been evidenced thus far, pretty damn successful. This guy has gone from busking to a dream house and being BFFs with actual Taylor Swift. Could you imagine. And before you get worried (as I did pre listening), none of those gorgeous Westlife boys are rapping on the track. Although the track is not yet on YouTube, find it on Apple Music or Spotify.

The song is filled with self deprecating humour ("I know that I'm punching way above"), lines about bae being so much hotter than them ("Sometimes I wonder am I enough?"), and of course, lyrics that could charm the pants off even the coldest heart. All quintessential Sheeran, and it turns out the Suffolk singer was up for it from the start. "[I said] we need Ed Sheeran or someone of that ilk," Nicky told the Irish Independent. "Little did we know Ed was in the background saying, “I want to write a Westlife tune.'" The new track is a part of their upcoming album which as of yet does not have a release date. Speaking about the album during an October press conference, the boys said:

"We’ve already begun recording a new album and we’re really excited about the few songs we’ve already done, so we just can’t wait to get back out and finish it as soon as possible."

Well who would actually blame them for hitting up one of the most successful pop stars on the planet, Sheeran, for this new record. In an interview with Metro.co.uk, Kian even disclosed that "one of the other songs he’s written for us as well we’re really excited about because it’s a big power ballad." Ballad plus Westlife plus Sheeran? Sounds like a guaranteed hit. The singer has even had his own go at making an Irish themed song, "Galway Girl," which made for a lot of dancing — to the bank in his case. Sheeran's grandparents hail from Gorey in County Wexford, the Irish Independent reports, so Ireland and being Irish is a hugely important part of his life. Yes mate.

This is the first new single for the Irish quartet in quite some time. Eight years to be precise guys. So what have Nicky Byrne, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Kian Egan been up to all this time? And no, I did not have to google those names. They remain tattooed on my soul for the rest of my days.

Well, they have all been working on their own projects, the BBC reports, ranging from food, to property, to music, to presenting. So TBH it really didn't look like they were actually going to reform. They are also embarking on a tour while promoting their new album, also titled Hello My Love and you better believe there will be people who come prepared with a spare bra to chuck on stage. Not even joking I once went to a Westlife concert and saw at least three women with spare bags containing bras.

This is a pretty brilliant start to 2019 in terms of nostalgia, and hopefully will be a great one for the lads as well.