Mark Feehily is looking forward to the band's upcoming tour to South Africa more than anyone.
He "fell in love" with the country when they toured here in 2001, and while he says he might not have the time to do everything he hopes to do this time round, he's certainly going to take some time off and try a little vacation on our shores.
Before coming to South Africa for the first time, Feehily's only frame of reference was what he saw in the Irish media - images he found difficult to reconcile with the reality of the country when he first stepped off the plane.
"South Africa was always just a country I had seen on TV," he says.
"I come from a rural part of Ireland and so South Africa, to me, was thousands of miles away and very different to where I come from.
"When we got to Jo'burg International Airport and were greeted by hundreds of fans who knew us by name and knew our music well, I was overwhelmed.
"The atmosphere at the concerts was electric and everybody was singing the lyrics to our songs. It was an experience that will stay with me forever."
But Feehily has a more tangible souvenir of South Africa, and one that constantly reminds him of his experience here. The band shot their music video to the popular track Looking Like That here and Feehily is keen to reconnect with some of the memories he made here the last time.
Since Westlife emerged on the scene about six years ago, they changed the face of boy bands.
They weren't as laddish as the Beatles or as glam as the Bee Gees. As for their American counterparts - The Backstreet Boys and N*Sync - they tended to focus more on being able to move rather than sing. Westlife was a clever combination of clean, crisp and cute and what's more, they could sing.
The idea of the band was birthed long before the idea of boy bands (basically they don't play instruments) were even introduced to the world.
Feehily went to school with fellow band members Kian Egan and Shane Filan and they were all best friends since they were 12.
When they were about 15 and starring in a production of Grease, they had the idea of starting a band, which would naturally feature them as front singers.
"We were personal friends before we were band mates and this is why we're still together," Feehily says of the group's staying power.
"The only reason the band would split up is if we fell out as friends, but I don't see that happening.
"We're constantly on the road touring and promoting albums and living out of each other's pockets. We don't pretend to like each other - we genuinely do - and that shows in both our work and our lives."
After being catapulted into international fame and stardom after the release of their debut track Swear It Again, Westlife have steadily climbed up the charts with hit after hit reaching number one.
In fact, they made UK history when Fool Again became their fifth chart topper in a row securing the band a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only band to have topped the charts seven times in a row.
"It was very weird and it took a long time to get used to the fact that we were now in the public eye and that we were being recognised everywhere we went," says Feehily.
But after six years the novelty seems to have worn out a little.
"I come from a very small town called Sligo in Northern Ireland and I think I've signed something for every family and practically every house has a picture or some sort of autograph.
"It's great because our local people are proud of what we've achieved and have become quite protective of us. We never take security when we go out in our hometown because we know that there are always at least twenty people watching our backs. Life is pretty normal back home and if it hadn't been like that I think it would probably just ruin the last six years for us."
The fact that Westlife is so famous and millions of young fans relate to them would have to come with some kind of responsibility to keep their acts clean.
"A lot of fans see us as role models, but far too many get a little carried away. Some people take it too far and so if I'm photographed in a club with a drink and cigarette, it might appear in some publication as me being a big party animal.
"There's also a fine line between being a role model and being someone's parents and we're not people's parents."
Westlife is managed by Louis Walsh, who also manages Boyzone and was, more recently, a judge on the popular UK reality show, The X Factor. During the show, Walsh constantly used Westlife as the benchmark for success and what the contestants should strive for in a career in show business.
But Feehily doesn't believe that he or his band mates have a recipe for success. He says it's a combination of factors at play.
"All artists have very individual packs," Feehily says.
"I can't advise people to do exactly what we've done because that may not be the right thing for them. If there is a really amazing artist to be found people will see through the fluff that surrounds reality TV shows, for example, and will take to that voice whether it's on the radio, CD or a TV show. Personally, I believe that you have to be strong and believe in yourself and understand that no single person's opinion is the only true thing, even if they are successful in the music industry. So even if you get knocked back by somebody's opinion, it doesn't mean that the next record company won't like what you offer."
But Feehily remains pragmatic in his dishing out of advice. He believes that people should also be realistic and the fact is, there are people out there who are simply not talented and hopefully they would have people around them that would be brave enough to be honest with them.
Westlife starts their national tour of South Africa in Durban tomorrow and will then move on to Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg. It's a whirlwind tour and the band will probably not get too much time to do much else but perform.
Feehily says coming to South Africa for just a vacation is high on his list of priorities and he will be heading for our shores in the very near future.
"My friends have all been to South Africa on holiday and are constantly raving about it," he says.
"When you see South Africa in the media, it's not what you get when you arrive in the country. The scenery is amazing, the weather is luscious and the people are very, very friendly and laid back. It's definitely the kind of place I want to spend some time in.
- Westlife will be in concert at the Westridge Stadium tomorrow.