Shane Lynch

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Shane Lynch
Lynch in 2009
Lynch in 2009
Background information
Birth nameShane Eamon Mark Stephen Lynch
Born (1976-07-03) 3 July 1976 (age 47)
Donaghmede, Dublin, Ireland
GenresPop
Occupation(s)Singer, actor, television personality, racing driver
Years active1993–present
LabelsUniversal Records

Shane Eamon Mark Stephen Lynch (born 3 July 1976) is an Irish singer, but best known as a member of Boyzone. He has also taken part in auto racing, participated in reality shows such as Celebrity Big Brother in 2018 and appeared as a judge on The All Ireland Talent Show.[1]

Early life[edit]

Born to Brendan and Noeleen Lynch, a mechanic and housewife,[2] and raised in Donaghmede, North-east Dublin, Lynch struggled with his education during his school years due to dyslexia,[3] but excelled at sports and was a motor racing enthusiast, winning the Portuguese BMX Championship at fourteen.[4] Around this period he was expelled from school and began to work with his father as a mechanic.[5]

Career[edit]

Boyzone[edit]

Main article: Boyzone

In 1993, music manager Louis Walsh, who had managed Johnny Logan, held auditions in Dublin to find a new boyband to rival British group Take That. Lynch was among the hopefuls present, and was eventually selected.[6] Before even recording any material, he and five other successful auditionees made their infamous appearance on RTÉ's The Late Late Show with Gay Byrne. Although their performance was criticised by the Irish press, the band became one of the most successful pop bands in Ireland.[7]

Lynch quickly gained a reputation as the bad boy of the group due to his body piercings, tattoos and violent outbursts which clashed with the band's clean-cut image.[8][9] In 1999, he attended the MTV Europe Music Awards with the band, breaking protocol with his FUBU tracksuit while his bandmates wore co-ordinated suits,[10] and announced to the shocked audience "In the press recently, there's been a whole load of fucking shite about Boyzone in the year 2000 about breaking up, [but] we are not breaking up."[11] Later that night, he was involved in a physical brawl with American rapper Puff Daddy. Two years later, at a live concert for Childline, Lynch turned to the camera and yelled: "Tabloid newspapers, you can kiss me fucking arse!"[12][13][14]

Lynch (left) performing with Boyzone in 2009

In 2007, Boyzone reunited, completed a 29-date reunion tour, and released their comeback single on 29 September 2008, Love You Anyway,[15] which was followed by a Greatest Hits album entitled Back Again... No Matter What released on 13 October 2008.[16]

Acting[edit]

In 2004, during his break from Boyzone, Lynch played Eli Knox the chairman of Harchester United in the Sky One football drama, Dream Team.[17] He has also appeared in pantomime, and starred in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Wycombe Swan in High Wycombe, during the 2004 Christmas season.[18] In 2006, he starred in Cinderella at the Tameside Hippodrome. In 2012, he starred as Abanazar at The Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks and in 2015 Captain Hook in Peter Pan there. In 2016 he starred as Abanazer in the Blue Genie production of Aladdin at The Whitley Bay Playhouse.

Motorsport[edit]

A keen motor racing enthusiast, Lynch raced a Marcos, TVR and then Mosler from 2002 to 2006 for the Eclipse Motorsport team in the British GT Championship, and came within a few laps of winning the 2003 British GT Championship at the last race of the season at Brands Hatch when he crashed into a spinning backmarker he was lapping.[19] In 2005, he was involved with the 'Christians in Motorsport' team and competed in the British GT Championship Silverstone round. Lynch addressed a crowd of race fans at the team marquee about how his faith helps him in racing and in life generally.[20]

Lynch has also been involved in drifting, competing in the British Drift Championship[21] for performance parts manufacturer & race team Team Japspeed.[22] In 2008 he was involved in an accident with team-mate Danny Eyles while competing in the European Drift Championship round at Silverstone and, although he was not injured, both Nissan Skyline cars were written off.[23]

For the 2016 season of the British Drift Championship, Lynch and Team Japspeed debuted a brand new VH45 V8 powered Nissan 370Z, achieving a second-place finish on debut at Lydden Hill.[24]

Reality television[edit]

Lynch has taken part in several reality television series. He was in the second series of the Channel 4 reality television show, The Games 2004, and received a gold medal. Lynch was also in the second series of ITVs Love Island, but left after the fifth week. In 2007, he competed in the second series of Sky One's Cirque De Celebrite.[25] He had a main role in the season 2 (2017) of Supercar Megabuild. In January 2018 Shane was a housemate in series 21 of Celebrity Big Brother and finished in third place.

In January 2013, Lynch fronted an informative channel 5 programme in the UK about dyslexia. During this, he undertook his own dyslexia assessment. He was confirmed to have the learning disability.[26]

On 7 June 2013, Lynch featured on a celebrity special edition of The Jeremy Kyle Show to talk about his life after being in Boyzone.[27]

In August 2013, he came fifth participating in Celebrity Masterchef.

Lynch was one of the seven celebrities that participated in Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal, a BBC Two series about a two weeks pilgrimage to Fátima, Portugal.[28] He left before the final day, claiming that it was for religious reasons. He later clarified that he had a candle phobia: "One of the things is you would never get me into that Fatima place with 100,000 candles, that is like death to me."[29]

Other work[edit]

In 2000, Lynch teamed up with bandmate Keith Duffy and released a novelty version of the Milli Vanilli song "Girl You Know It's True" as Keith 'N' Shane. They re-wrote the verses in which the original was critical of today's music, but the chorus was kept the same.[30] It was a top 40 hit in the UK, peaking at No. 36 in December 2000.[31] He also featured in the Celebrity Special Championship of Robot Wars in 2000.

In 2001, Lynch formed a rap rock band with Phats & Small's singer Ben Ofoedu called REDhill.[32]

In early 2005, Lynch released the song "Don't Go" which was originally a 1988 hit for the band Hothouse Flowers. The same year, he was announced as one of the judges on RTÉ's The All Ireland Talent Show, a reality contest which is modelled on Britain's Got Talent. In 2010, he announced his decision to quit.[33]

In 2008, Lynch published his autobiography The Chancer, which focused on his early years, pop reign, his marriage to Easther Bennett, and newly found Christianity.[34] In May 2011, Lynch became involved with the launch of a new energy vodka called "Ver2Vodka".[35]

In April 2014, Lynch opened a chain of 1920s prohibition inspired barbershops, known as The Elk & Clipper. There are three outlets in Northern Ireland.[36] 

In 2019, Lynch joined former REDHILL and Cruise Control bandmate Ben Ofoedu for a new supergroup called Boyz on Block with former Five member Abz Love and former Another Level member Dane Bowers. The group released their debut single on 20 November 2020, a cover of East 17's "Stay Another Day" featuring former East 17 member and songwriter Tony Mortimer. Their second single was a cover of K-Ci & JoJo's "All My Life", released on 15 February 2021. They had an album scheduled for released in 2021.[37]

Personal life[edit]

Lynch's sisters, twins Keavy and Edele Lynch, found fame as members of the girl group B*Witched, which became the first group to replace members of their own family at number one in the charts.[38] Younger sister, Naomi, was part of the duo Buffalo G who achieved a top 20 hit,[39] and another sibling, Tara, was a member of FAB![40][41][42]

On 8 March 1998, Lynch married Easther Bennett, lead singer of Eternal, but they divorced in July 2000.[43] In 2002, Lynch was in a relationship with socialite, aristocrat and "It girl" Lady Victoria Hervey.[44] Lynch and singer Sheena White were married in Ireland on 22 August 2007.[45]

Lynch, who had been involved with clairvoyants and ouija boards and claimed to have been frequently visited by evil spirits who tortured his mind in his teenage years, became a Christian in 2003. [46][47]

Discography[edit]

For Shane Lynch's releases with Boyzone, see Boyzone discography.

Singles[edit]

As Keith 'N' Shane

Solo

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The All Ireland Talent Show". RTÉ.ie. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  2. ^ "Cloud Lynch Bio". Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  3. ^ Lee, Adrian (1 January 2013). "Boyzone star Shane Lynch's secret struggle to read and write". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Boyzone star Shane takes to the track". 19 June 2008. Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  5. ^ "Biogs.com: Reliable Biographies". Biogs. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  6. ^ Louis Walsh Bio Archived 23 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Ireland: Cover story: Man and Boyz Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Shane Lynch: 'I had everything money can buy but wasn't happy'". Belfasttelegraph. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020 – via belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
  9. ^ "SHANE REVEALS PRESSURE OF FAME LED TO OUTBURST; Living in the public eye is hard and I've had off days but I am a nice guy. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  10. ^ "SHANE LYNCH EXCLUSIVE: DAY TWO: 'I was a real animal, a beast.. but becoming a born again Christian saved me'. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  11. ^ "The curse of pop stardom".[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Profile: Shane Lynch: Bad boy gets back in the zone with God". Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  13. ^ Bryant, Tom (12 November 2008). "Boyzone exclusive: Band in boozy brawl with Rihanna's band". mirror. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  14. ^ "NME News". NME. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011.
  15. ^ "Boyzone: 'Love You Anyway'". Digitalspy.co.uk. 22 September 2008. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  16. ^ "'Back Again... No Matter What' review".
  17. ^ "Dream Team". Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  18. ^ "Beds Herts and Bucks – Entertainment – Shane's in the panto zone!". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 September 2005. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  19. ^ "ULTIMA News – PistonHeads". pistonheads.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Christians in Motorsport". Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  21. ^ "British Drift Championship". Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  22. ^ "Team Japspeed | Shane Lynch". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  23. ^ "Car Racing Crash Video". Dailymotion.com. 9 September 2008. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  24. ^ "All the Way to the Top - 370z Story - Team Japspeed". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  25. ^ "60 SECONDS: Shane Lynch". 10 October 2007. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  26. ^ Lynch talks about his dyslexia Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, channel5.com; accessed 7 July 2015.
  27. ^ "Shane Lynch: Life After A Boyband – Jeremy Kyle Celeb Special". cloudlynch. 4 June 2013. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  28. ^ "BBC Two - Pilgrimage". BBC.
  29. ^ "Shane Lynch explains why he quit Pilgrimage in final episode". Radio Times.
  30. ^ "Boyzone | News, Photos and Videos". Contactmusic.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  31. ^ "KEITH 'N' SHANE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
  32. ^ "episode 112: Ben Ofoedu". agnesanddavid.com. 16 December 2016.
  33. ^ Judges for RTÉ's The All Ireland Talent Show Revealed Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ "Shane Lynch: 'I had everything money can buy but wasn't happy' – Life & Style – Belfasttelegraph.co.uk". Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  35. ^ Interview with Shane Lynch, Facebook.com; accessed 7 July 2015.
  36. ^ "Shane Lynch cuts a dash at town barbers - Portadown Times". Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  37. ^ "Boyz on Block supergroup open up on origins amid Stay Another Day release". Daily Express. 22 November 2020.
  38. ^ Shane Lynch's Biography (16 November 2004). "Shane Lynch Biography". Biogs.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  39. ^ "Naomi gearing up for top car show". independent. 29 November 2009. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  40. ^ FAB! Archived 16 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  41. ^ B*Witched. St. Martin's Publishing. 10 June 2014. ISBN 978-1-4668-7361-2.
  42. ^ Martin, Paul (24 June 2000). "Stars' sisters to B*Hitched". Free Online Library. The Mirror. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  43. ^ "Shane Lynch & Easther Bennett marriage not Eternal". ShowBiz Ireland. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  44. ^ "Hervey's Clinch with Lynch". Daily Mirror. UK. 13 July 2002. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  45. ^ "George McMahon and Rachel Smyth". RTÉ Guide. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008.
  46. ^ "Golden boy reborn". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  47. ^ "MY HELL AFTER DABBLING WITH THE OCCULT". Archived from the original on 3 March 2012.
  48. ^ "KEITH 'N' SHANE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.

External links[edit]

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