SINGAPORE — Going solo isn’t always easy for singers, especially if you used to be a member of a famous pop group.

Precious few, like Beyonce and Ronan Keating, manage to attain recognition and success outside of their groups and most have been hard-pressed to even get their solo careers off the ground. Just ask Mark Owen, Kelly Rowland or Lance Bass.

But that hasn’t deterred Westlife’s Shane Filan. Just over a year after the Irish group officially disbanded, Filan has decided to release his debut solo effort titled You And Me.

The lead single, Everything To Me, was a Top 20 hit in the United Kingdom, and a Top 10 smash in Ireland. Whether that will translate into international commercial success remains to be seen.

It may seem easy — after ex-Westlifer Brian McFadden quit the group in 2004, Filan was the most recognisable member of the group — but he remained pragmatic about his chances.

“It might take time for (You And Me) to become a real success,” he said. “I feel like the next singles are even better (than Everything To Me). But it takes time and I’m willing to see how it goes.”

Filan is excited to perform for his fans, although he admitted it’s a bit like having to start all over again. “Of course, having been in Westlife, you get a head start. But this is not Westlife so I have to convince the fans to like Shane.

“If your songs are not good enough, people won’t care. I’ve made the best possible album I could at this time. It comes down to whether people are going to like it or not.”

Fans here can give their verdict in person on Nov 10, when Filan performs at a special AMPed showcase at Zouk. But don’t expect You And Me to be a Westlife rehash, though, as the songs reflect “the real Shane Filan”.

“It’s quite positive music and there are great melodies. It’s more the type of music I like. It’s 100 per cent me,” he said, adding that he relished the chance to write material for the album, most of which were based on his life.

“I have to kind of tell true stories. I find it hard to write fiction. If it wasn’t about my life, I couldn’t write it,” said Filan. “When I Met You, for example, is about how I met my wife and fell in love with her. I wrote it within an hour. Every song was done in a day, a lot were done in three or four hours. I mean, that’s just writing them down. Then I just take out the bits I don’t like — that takes time!”

A particular favourite of his is the ballad All You Need To Know. “It’s a really honest account of my life, a tribute to my wife, saying, ‘You looked after me when I needed you’. Musically, it’s really powerful. I’m really proud of it. Every time I play it to people, they say it’s a good song, so hopefully they’re not wrong!”

But not all the songs are big ballads. “Some are cheeky and funny. It’s about how you make the songs relatable for other people.”

On some songs, such as All You Need To Know, Filan kept his original vocal demo recordings instead of re-recording them. “I found that I couldn’t re-recreate that vocal I used in the demo, so instead of replacing it, I just used (the demo) instead. You can hear that extra bit of emotion.”

And while Filan hopes that fans will love the album, he is prepared for the brickbats, particularly comparisons to his former group.

“Of course, I’m going to be compared to Westlife,” he said. “But it’s a good thing. I think Westlife fans will like it. A lot of them were quite surprised by the album — in a good way!”

Shane Filan’s You And Me is out in stores now.

What: AMPed presents Shane Filan’s You And Me

When: Nov 10, 7.30pm

Where: Zouk

Tickets: http://www.ampedmusic.com/shanefilan