<P> On 9 March 2004 , just three weeks prior to embarking on their fourth world tour , Brian McFadden left the group to spend more time with his family and work on solo projects . On that day , a press conference was held where all the group 's members were present , each giving emotional individual speeches . McFadden 's final public performance as part of Westlife was at Newcastle upon Tyne 's Powerhouse nightclub on 27 February 2004 . He subsequently began a solo career , and reverted the spelling of his first name back to its original ' Brian ' . He released his first solo single , `` Real To Me '' , which entered the UK chart at No. 1 and soon after , he released his first solo album Irish Son under Sony Music . McFadden later released more singles , but only with moderate success . </P>
what happened to the 5th member of westlife
left the group to spend more time with his family and work on solo projects