Where We Are
title: "Where We Are" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["westlife-albums", "2009-albums", "albums-produced-by-brian-kennedy-(record-producer)", "albums-produced-by-carl-falk", "albums-produced-by-emanuel-kiriakou", "albums-produced-by-greg-wells", "albums-produced-by-jim-jonsin", "albums-produced-by-ryan-tedder", "albums-produced-by-steve-robson", "sony-music-albums", "rca-records-albums"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_We_Are" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Where We Are |
| type | studio |
| artist | Westlife |
| cover | Westlife - Where We Are.jpg |
| released | 27 November 2009 |
| recorded | July 2009 – October 2009 |
| genre | |
| length | 52:05 |
| label | |
| producer | |
| prev_title | Back Home |
| prev_year | 2007 |
| next_title | Gravity |
| next_year | 2010 |
| misc | {{Singles |
| name | Where We Are |
| type | studio |
| single1 | What About Now |
| single1date | 23 October 2009 |
| :: |
::callout[type=note] the Westlife album ::
| name = Where We Are | type = studio | artist = Westlife | cover = Westlife - Where We Are.jpg | alt = | released = 27 November 2009 | recorded = July 2009 – October 2009 | venue = | studio = | genre = | length = 52:05 | label = | producer = | prev_title = Back Home | prev_year = 2007 | next_title = Gravity | next_year = 2010 | misc = {{Singles | name = Where We Are | type = studio | single1 = What About Now | single1date = 23 October 2009 Where We Are is the ninth studio album by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 27 November 2009 in Ireland and on 30 November 2009 in the UK through S Records, RCA Records and Sony Music. Where We Are is the group's first album following a hiatus in 2008. This album was preceded by the lead single "What About Now" (a cover of the Daughtry song) and it was released on 23 October 2009 as a digital download a day later as a CD single.
The group collaborated with numerous notable producers for the album, notably Ryan Tedder of the pop rock band OneRepublic, Jim Jonsin, Greg Wells and Sam Watters, among others. Where We Are is also notably the first Westlife album not to have Steve Mac and Wayne Hector produce or write any of the songs.
The album was met with mixed reviews, although it was still commercially successful, debuting at number two at the UK Albums Chart and got 2× Platinum Certification in the United Kingdom which sold more than 600 000 records. Despite the high peak, it was the first Westlife album not to peak at number one since their 2004 album Allow Us to Be Frank peaked at number three. This is the 7th top-selling album of 2009 in Ireland.
Background
The recording process of the album started in LA on 1 July 2009. The first song they recorded was the ballad, "I’ll See You Again"". "I'll See You Again" was recorded by Ross at Metropolis Studios. For their first single "What About Now" Feehily told The Daily Mirror, "We wanted the first single from our new album to be somewhere between the Westlife sound our fans know and love, and the new direction we're heading in." The song "Shadows" was written by Ryan Tedder and AJ McLean for the Backstreet Boys' seventh album This Is Us but was not selected for inclusion. It was subsequently purchased by record label boss Simon Cowell for Leona Lewis's second album Echo but it was later decided that the song was more suited to a boyband and thus given Westlife to record.
The album also contains an "in memory of" section to Nikky Byrne and Kevin Egan, the fathers of Westlife members Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan.
Promotion
On 25 October 2009, during the X Factor results show, Westlife performed "What About Now". It was released online the same day. On 26 October they performed on GMTV and were interviewed in addition to hosting a webchat, with a further interview on The One Show on 30 October 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.westlife.com/global/news/se/2009/10/22/westlife_on_tv_2 |title=Westlife on TV |publisher=Westlife.com |date=22 October 2009 |access-date=2010-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810075540/http://www.westlife.com/global/news/se/2009/10/22/westlife_on_tv_2 |archive-date=10 August 2011 |url=http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2009/10/29/westlife_on_the_radio_1 |title=Westlife on the Radio |publisher=Westlife.com |date=29 October 2009 |access-date=2010-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003094605/http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2009/10/29/westlife_on_the_radio_1 |archive-date=3 October 2011 |url=http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2009/11/11/tv_dates_1 |title=TV Dates |publisher=Westlife.com |date=11 November 2009 |access-date=2010-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003094624/http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2009/11/11/tv_dates_1 |archive-date=3 October 2011 |url=http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2009/11/24/westlife_tv_appearances |title=Westlife TV appearances |publisher=Westlife.com |date=24 November 2009 |access-date=2010-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810075153/http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2009/11/24/westlife_tv_appearances |archive-date=10 August 2011 |url=http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2009/11/26/westlife_in_sweden |title=Westlife in Sweden |publisher=Westlife.com |date=26 November 2009 |access-date=2010-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810075204/http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2009/11/26/westlife_in_sweden |archive-date=10 August 2011
On 1 February 2010, their official website was revised. They called it as a first phase of 2010 assault.{{cite web |url=http://www.westlife.com/global/blog/global/2010/02/01/the_new_site |title=The New Site |publisher=Westlife.com |date=1 February 2009 |access-date=2010-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206015248/http://www.westlife.com/global/blog/global/2010/02/01/the_new_site |archive-date=6 February 2010 |url=http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2010/02/02/westlife_on_jonathan_ross_ |title=Westlife on Jonathan Ross! |publisher=Westlife.com |date=2 February 2009 |access-date=2010-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226011623/http://www.westlife.com/global/news/global/2010/02/02/westlife_on_jonathan_ross_ |archive-date=26 February 2010
"How to Break a Heart" was released as a promotional single on 10 March 2010 in some countries. They got the chance to perform with Boyzone for a track on the Stephen Gately Show in Ireland. They were invited to perform on Sun City Super Bowl Show on South Africa to be held on 19 March and Fashion Kicks 2010 on 13 April.
Supporting tour
Main article: Where We Are Tour (Westlife)
Critical reception
|rev1=AllMusic Rovi Music |rev1Score= |rev2=BBC Music |rev2Score=(favorable) |rev3=The Times UK |rev3Score= |rev4=Daily Express |rev4Score= |rev5=Digital Spy |rev5Score= |rev6=Entertainment Ireland |rev6Score= |rev7=London Evening Standard |rev7Score= |rev8=MSN UK |rev8Score= |rev9=The Observer |rev9Score=(unfavorable) |rev10=Virgin Media |rev10Score= Where We Are received mostly unfavorable reviews, with most reviewers criticizing the album's similar music style, as well as the fact that there is little difference from their previous material.
Robert Spellman of Daily Express gave the album two stars out of five, saying that "all the songs sound alike and deal with heartbreak." Lauren Murphy of Entertainment Ireland gave a similar score, stating that "as maudlin and one-dimensional as any of their recent material", although she praised Feehily's vocals. Rick Pearson of London Evening Standard called the album's songs "bland" and "uninspiring", concluding that "Where We Are finds Westlife exactly where they were at the beginning of the decade." Ben Chalk of MSN UK stated that the album is "aimed squarely at the sort of person who buys one album a year, usually at Christmas, to listen to in the car." Hugh Montgomery of The Observer criticized the album's "usual...over-production, ersatz yearning and (anti-)climactic key changes." Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy panned Where We Are, saying that "there isn't a drop of passion, genuine emotion or soul to be found anywhere." Ian Gittins of Virgin Media gave the album one star out of five, saying that "The only emotion...is a sinking sense of déjà vu."
Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic and Rovi Music gave the album three and a half stars out of five, noting the group's usual musical structure, although he praised the album for containing "many first-rate songs...and the production is polished to perfection." Mike Diver of BBC Music gave Where We Are a favorable review, referring to many "surprises" contained within the album, although he notes that "their style has barely changed."
Track listing
| extra_column = Producer(s) | title1 = What About Now | writer1 = David Hodges, Ben Moody, Joshua Hartzler | extra1 = Steve Robson | length1 = 4:11
| title2 = How to Break a Heart | writer2 = James Scheffer, Louis Biancaniello, Sam Watters | extra2 = Biancaniello, Jim Jonsin, Watters | length2 = 4:04
| title3 = Leaving | writer3 = Carl Falk, Bryn Christopher, Steven Lee Olsen | extra3 = Carl Falk, Quiz & Larossi | length3 = 3:57
| title4 = Shadows | writer4 = Ryan Tedder, AJ McLean | extra4 = Tedder | length4 = 4:01
| title5 = Talk Me Down | writer5 = Simon Petty | extra5 = Steve Anderson | length5 = 4:01
| title6 = Where We Are | writer6 = Tedder, Savan Kotecha | extra6 = Tedder | length6 = 3:57
| title7 = The Difference | writer7 = Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Brian Kennedy Seals | extra7 = Cutler, Preven, Kennedy Seals | length7 = 3:30
| title8 = As Love Is My Witness | writer8 = Conner Reeves, Jonathan Shorten | extra8 = Martin Terefe | length8 = 4:07
| title9 = Another World | writer9 = Steve Booker, Sophie Delila | extra9 = Booker | length9 = 3:16
| title10 = No More Heroes | writer10 = Kotecha, Emanuel Kiriakou, Lindy Robbins | extra10 = Kiriakou | length10 = 3:58
| title11 = Sound of a Broken Heart | writer11 = Wayne Wilkins, Biancaniello, Watters, John Reid | extra11 = Biancaniello, Watters, Wilkins | length11 = 3:51
| title12 = Reach Out | writer12 = Mark Feehily, Shaznay Lewis, Chris Braide | extra12 = Greg Wells | length12 = 3:56
| title13 = I'll See You Again | writer13 = Andy Hill, Shelly Poole | extra13 = Kiriakou, Hill | length13 = 5:17 | headline = Japan bonus track | extra_column = Producer(s) | title14 = You Raise Me Up | note14 = live at Croke Park | writer14 = Brendan Graham, Rolf Løvland | extra14 = Decca | length14 = 5:00 Notes
- signifies an additional producer
- "What About Now" was not included on the Czech and Slovak track listing.
Charts
Weekly charts
::data[format=table] | Chart (2009) | Peak position | |---|---| | Greek Albums (IFPI) | 9 | | Irish Albums (IRMA) | 2 | | url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/44748/ranking/cd_album/|publisher=oricon.co.jp|title=ウエストライフのアルバム売上ランキング – ORICON STYLE|access-date=2016-11-09}} | 77 | | Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico) | 71 | | Taiwanese Albums (Five Music) | 3 | ::
Year-end charts
::data[format=table]
| Chart (2009) | Position | Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Albums (IRMA) | 8 | ||
| UK Albums (OCC) | 28 | ||
| UK Albums (OCC) | 198 | ||
| :: |
Certifications
Release history
::data[format=table]
| Country / Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 27 November 2009 | CD, Digital download | RCA Records | 88697611272 |
| Philippines | 28 November 2009 | Sony Music Entertainment | ||
| New Zealand | 30 November 2009 | |||
| Norway | ||||
| South Africa | ||||
| United Kingdom | S/Syco Music | |||
| Hong Kong | Sony Music Entertainment | |||
| South Korea | 1 December 2009 | |||
| Europe | 2 December 2009 | |||
| Finland | ||||
| date=November 2018 | bot=InternetArchiveBot | fix-attempted=yes }} | ||
| Sweden | ||||
| Netherlands | 3 December 2009 | Sony Music | ||
| Taiwan | 4 December 2009 | |||
| France | 8 December 2009 | B002RHP88S | ||
| Japan | 23 December 2009 | Sony Music Japan | SICP2509 | |
| Thailand | 21 January 2010 | Sony Music | 88697611272 | |
| Australia | 22 January 2010 | |||
| China | 25 January 2010 | |||
| Austria | 5 February 2010 | |||
| Germany | ||||
| Switzerland | ||||
| Mexico | 15 March 2010 | 886976112721 | ||
| Czech Republic | 5 April 2010 | 289173 | ||
| Slovakia | ||||
| :: |
Credits
- Vanessa Addo-Yeboah - Vocals
- Ian Agate - Engineer
- Joel Anderson - Cover Photo
- Steve Anderson - Arranger, Engineer, Mixing, Producer, String Arrangements
- David Angell - Violin
- Jesse Astin - Egg Shaker
- Paul Beard - Piano
- Louis Biancaniello - Composer, Engineer, Guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Programming
- Chris Blade - Arranger, Producer
- Steve Booker - Bass, Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Programming
- Jeff Bova - String Arrangements, Strings
- Chris Braide - Composer, Producer
- Karl Brazil - Drums
- John Catchings - Cello
- Nikolaj Juel Christiansen - Guitar
- Bryan Christopher - Composer
- Bryn Christopher - Producer
- Scott Cutler - Composer, Egg Shaker, Guitar, Producer, Programming
- David Davidson - Orchestration, String Transcription, Violin
- Sophie Delila - Composer, Piano, Producer
- Alessandro Destefanis - Assistant
- Althea Edwards - Vocals
- Carl Falk - Composer, Producer
- Mark Feehily - Composer, Producer, Vocals
- Richard Flack - Engineer
- John Garrison - Bass
- Dyre Gormsen - Engineer
- Simon Hale - Arranger, Strings
- Joshua Hartzler - Composer
- Heard But Not Seen Choir - Choir, Chorus
- Andy Hill - Additional Production, Producer
- Iain Hill - Engineer
- David Hodges - Composer
- Christian Howes - Strings
- Henrik Janson - String Arrangements
- Candace Johnson - Vocals
- Lawrence Johnson - Vocal Arrangement
- Bryon Jones - Vocals
- Priscilla Jones - Vocals
- Jim Jonsin - Keyboards, Producer, Programming
- Jon Kelly - Engineer
- Brian Kennedy - Guitar, Producer, Programming
- Emanuel Kiriakou - Composer, Engineer, Instrumentation, Producer, Programming
- Savan Kotecha - Composer, Producer
- Larossi - Additional Production, Engineer
- Josef Larossi - Instrumentation, Programming
- Damien Lewis - Engineer
- Shaznay Lewis - Composer, Producer
- Peter Ljung - Piano
- The London Session Orchestra - Strings
- The Love Sponge Strings - Strings
- Will Malone - Keyboards, Programming, String Arrangements, Synthesizer
- Rob Marks - Engineer
- Subrina McCalla - Vocals
- Kevin McDaid - Photography
- Alexander McLean - Composer, Producer
- Vlado Meller - Mastering
- Millennia Strings - Strings
- Candice Mimi-Appiah - Vocals
- Ben Moody - Composer
- Esbjörn Öhrwall - Guitar
- Steven Lee Olsen - Composer, Producer
- Andreas Olsson - Keyboards, Programming
- Ross 'Dights' Parkin - Engineer
- John Parricelli - Guitar
- Doug Petty - Bass, Drum Programming, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, *Percussion, Piano
- Simon Petty - Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Producer
- Ian Pitter - Vocals
- Shelly Poole - Producer
- Luke Potashnick - Guitar
- Anne Preven - Composer, Producer
- Quiz - Engineer, Mixing
- Quiz - Additional Production
- Zac Rae - Guitar, Programming
- Conner Reeves - Composer, Producer
- John Reid - Composer
- Jon Reid - Producer
- Carol Riley - Vocals
- Lindy Robbins - Composer, Producer
- Steve Robson - Producer
- Andreas "Quiz" Romdhane - Instrumentation, Programming
- Jeff Rothschild - Mixing
- Mark Santangelo - Assistant
- James Scheffer - Composer, Producer
- Brian Kennedy Seals - Composer
- Edward Shearmur - Strings
- Bobby Shin - Strings
- Jonathan Shorten - Composer, Producer
- Kristoffer Sonne - Drums
- Steve Stacey - Design
- Xavier Stephenson - Assistant
- Stockholm Session Strings - Strings
- Phil Tan - Mixing
- Ryan Tedder - Arranger, Composer, Engineer, Guitar, Piano, Producer, Programming, Strings
- Martin Terefe - Bass, Producer
- Pat Thrall - Editing
- Nikolaj Torplarsen - Arranger, Keyboards, Piano
- Luke Tozour - Engineer
- Neil Tucker - Engineer
- Sam Watters - Composer, Engineer, Producer
- Greg Wells - Instrumentation, Producer
- Jeremy Wheatley - Mixing, String Arrangements
- Wayne Wilkins - Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Programming
- Kris Wilkinson - Viola, Violin
- Neal Wilkinson - Drums
- Noel Zancanella - Engineer
References
References
- "What About Now: Westlife: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk.
- "What About Now: Westlife: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk.
- "Westlife's Biography on Official Website". Westlife.com.
- "Westlife "Where We Are" Album". Dights.co.uk.
- (15 October 2009). "Westlife return with new single". Daily Mirror.
- (20 October 2009). "Music - News - Westlife 'given Leona Lewis song'". Digital Spy.
- [http://itn.co.uk/048f8e92a45f452134e3d24a0470ee0a.html] {{dead link. (June 2017)
- (30 November 2009). "Tubridy thrilled with Toy Show figures". RTÉ Entertainment.
- {{IMDb title
- (11 October 2009). "How To Break A Heart". Naver Music.
- (11 October 2009). "Boyzone and Westlife stars pay tribute to Stephen Gately". Unreality TV.
- "Clarkson, Parlotones, Westlife wow Sun City | Times LIVE Multimedia". Multimedia.timeslive.co.za.
- "Fashion Kicks". Fashion Kicks.
- {{AllMusic
- (1 December 2009). "Listen to Where We Are by Westlife - Album Reviews, Credits, and Awards". AllRovi.
- Diver, Mike. (27 December 2009). "BBC Music review". Bbc.co.uk.
- "Where We Are by Westlife reviews | Any Decent Music".
- (27 November 2009). "Daily Express review". Express.co.uk.
- Released on Monday, 30 November 2009. (30 November 2009). "Digital Spy review". Digitalspy.co.uk.
- (9 December 2009). "Entertainment Ireland review". Entertainment.ie.
- (27 November 2009). "London Evening Standard review". Thisislondon.co.uk.
- music. "MSN UK review". Music.uk.msn.com.
- Montgomery, Hugh. (29 November 2009). "Where We Are by Westlife". The Guardian.
- Gittins, Ian. (30 November 2009). "Virgin Media review". Virginmedia.com.
- "Westlife - Where We Are".
- Steffen Hung. "Greek Charts". Greek Charts.
- link. "Boyle triumphs over Westlife in Ireland". [[Digital Spy]]. Daniel. Kilkelly. (4 December 2009)
- "ウエストライフのアルバム売上ランキング – ORICON STYLE". oricon.co.jp.
- Steffen Hung. "Westlife - Where We Are". mexicancharts.com.
- "Western Weekly Top 20, Week 50, 2009". G-Music.com.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2009". Official Charts Company.
- "End of Year 2010". [[UKChartsPlus]].
- Leveringstid: 4-7 arbeidsdager. "Where We Are - Westlife - Musikk - CDON.COM". Cdon.no.
- (27 November 2009). "Westlife - Where We Are (CD) : Music". TAKE2.
- "Where We Are: Westlife: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk.
- "Westlife / Where We Are - Hmv Hong Kong". Hmv.com.hk.
- 문*순. (5 March 2010). ["인터넷교보문고] Where We Are". Kyobobook.co.kr.
- Delivery time: 3-6 working days. "Where We Are - Westlife - Music - CDON.COM". Cdon.eu.
- "Where We Are - Westlife - Musiikki - CDON.COM". Cdon.fi.
- (November 2018)
- (2 December 2009). "Westlife". Ginza.se.
- (3 December 2009). "Where We Are, Westlife | Muziek". bol.com.
- "Where We Are: Westlife: Amazon.fr: Musique". Amazon.fr.
- "Where We Are【CD】-Westlife｜Popular Rock｜Rock & Pop｜Music｜HMV ONLINE Online Shopping & Information Site". Hmv.co.jp.
- "Oops! We can't find this content. | Sony Music Entertainment".
- (22 January 2010). "Buy Where We Are Westlife, Rock & Pop, CD". Sanity.
- "Archived copy".
- "Westlife - Where We Are - Sony Music Entertainment Austria GmbH". Sonymusic.at.
- "Westlife - Where We Are - Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH". Sonymusic.de.
- "Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH". Sonymusic.ch.
- (25 November 2009). "Mixup Music Store". Mixup.com.mx.
- "CD WESTLIFE: WHERE WE ARE za 217, - Kè | Arara". Arara.cz.
- "CD WESTLIFE: WHERE WE ARE za 7.12 € | Gorila". Gorila.sk.
- "Where We Are - Westlife | Credits".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::