Ronan Keating has revealed he felt like “the new boy in the class” when he joined his first West End production.
The Boyzone singer has taken on the lead role in Once – and admitted he always thought Stephen Gately would be the only member ever getting onto the stage.
But Ronan, 37, now feels “all the stars have aligned on this one” – although is extremely nervous ahead of opening night on Sunday.
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“I never thought in my life I would do it. Steo, Stephen Gately loved musicals – he was in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, he was in Joseph,” he said.
“We left that to Steo. Never in my life did I think I would do it, and it was Once that drew me to the West End, to doing a musical like this.
“Because it’s more like a play, with great songs. Song you would hear on the radio. So for me, I never thought I would do it.
Musical: Ronan is taking on lead role in Once
“But I am loving every moment – and am incredibly nervous. Yesterday was a big day because we all sat on the stage, with the cast, and we did a read through and we sang and it was frightening.
“Because these guys have been playing together for eight or ten months in the show together – some even longer – and they are amazing.
“And here’s little old me in the middle, it’s like the new boy in the class.”
And Ronan told Daybreak that he still misses Steo on a daily basis – even wondering how he’d sing lead vocals on tracks.
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Asked if he still misses him, Ronan said: “We do every day, all the time. Especially when we’re together, when Boyzone are doing anything – with the new album, trying to make that record.
“He’s always there, he’s always in your thoughts. When I’m doing vocals I’m always thinking, ‘What would Steo have done here? How would he have sung this? What part would he have in the song?’
“We always miss him. It’s five years now, it’s hard to believe.”
