The recent release of No Matter What, the emotional Netflix documentary detailing the story of Boyzone, has stirred up deep feelings not only among fans but within the band itself. Irish singer and actor Keith Duffy, one of the original members of the beloved boy band, recently appeared on The Late Late Show with longtime collaborator Brian McFadden to discuss the powerful response to the documentary and the unexpected decade-long success of their joint act, Boyzlife.
Duffy opened up about how raw and personal the experience of revisiting the band’s history has been. For many fans, Boyzone represented a shiny slice of 1990s pop culture—but behind the scenes, the journey was far from simple. “It’s not always easy to relive it,” Duffy admitted. “You see your life laid out in front of you, and it reminds you of all the highs and lows people didn’t get to see.” For someone who never imagined a life in a boy band—having started out as a drummer with dreams of rock music—Duffy’s reflections offered a rare, candid look at how life can take unpredictable turns.
The documentary, according to Duffy, is much more than just a nostalgic tribute. It serves as a deeply personal record of what the group endured and accomplished, providing a more complete picture than what fans saw in magazines or music videos. He called it a “legacy” not just for fans, but for his family—something future generations can look back on to understand the magnitude of what Boyzone achieved. The emotional layers of No Matter What reveal a story that’s not just about music, but about brotherhood, growth, and survival through the spotlight’s pressures.
Brian McFadden, who rose to fame with Westlife and later joined forces with Duffy to create Boyzlife, shared his thoughts on the documentary as well. What stood out most for him was how each Boyzone member was interviewed separately. This approach, he said, gave each person the chance to tell their story honestly and without filter. “You think you know someone after 25 years,” McFadden noted, “but there were things shared in the documentary that I had never heard before.” For him, watching it felt like therapy—bringing closure to long-buried experiences that had shaped their careers and personal lives.
Their partnership in Boyzlife, now in its tenth year, began in the most casual of ways—over a few pints in a Dublin pub. Originally envisioned as a one-man stage show where Duffy would recount his life in lieu of a memoir, it evolved into a joint project where the two artists would share their stories together, live on stage. What started as a small storytelling tour quickly snowballed into a musical act celebrating the hits of both Boyzone and Westlife. With albums like Strings Attached (2020) and Old School (2022), they eventually transitioned from tribute performers to full-fledged artists in their own right.
Looking back, McFadden laughed at how modest the original plan was. “It was meant to last a month,” he said. “But ten years later, here we are—still performing, still making music, and still loving it.” The pair’s connection has only deepened over the years, and their on-stage chemistry continues to resonate with fans across multiple generations.
For both Duffy and McFadden, Boyzlife is more than just a collaboration—it’s a celebration of where they’ve been, what they’ve overcome, and the lasting bond between two friends who were never supposed to end up in boy bands but found something powerful in the journey. As the documentary continues to spark conversations and bring long-time fans back into the fold, Duffy summed up the feeling simply: “It’s not just our story. It’s part of who we are—and it’ll live on long after we’re gone.”
