**Not to be Used without permission from Cartel Online**
It all began back in December 1997, when a chance meeting at a Christmas karaoke party brought together three young, ambitious, and very talented teenagers. Brian McFadden was an actor, a graduate of the Billie Barry Stage School, with a CV including experience in most of Ireland’s major theatres, a starring role on a popular Irish TV show, and a string of wins in local singing competitions. Darragh Deane was an accomplished dancer, having performed on MTV, on various teen TV shows, and extensively across Ireland’s club circuit. Tim 'TJ' Madigan worked on the periphery of the Irish music scene, training at the legendary Digges Lane School of Performing Arts, and working in the country’s national TV network, RTE, and as a publicist for smash hit pop group Dove. At first glance, these three lads - an actor, a dancer, and a publicist - were hardley the obvious choice for a singing group, but a single impromptu performance would change all that very quickly...
Geographically, the three couldn’t have been further apart, hailing from Dublin’s North, West, and South sides respectively, however as the three strangers stood on stage at the Christmas Eve karaoke party – barely even knowing each other’s names – they hit an instant, natural, and incredibly harmony blend, signalling the start of something very special. Unknown to the three lads, and as fate would have it, the karaoke party itself was merely a vehicle for an influential Dublin promoter to search for new talent. He found it! Within minutes of the trio stepping off stage, they were offered a deal by Image Management, and began a lengthy two months of getting to know each other, rehearsing in their City Centre studio.
The name Cartel [meaning ‘the joining together of individuals to form a greater or stronger unit, with a view to taking over an industry’] was chosen. The lads also set about establishing a precedent, insisting on writing, selecting, arranging, styling, promoting, and choreographing the Cartel product entirely by themselves. As well as developing their own sound – an old-school-influenced R&B/pop crossover - they were also to be the first major Irish pop group to perform all their vocals completely live. Something very very special had just been born.
In March 1998 the band finally launched at a pop showcase gig in Dublin City Centre, sharing headline duties with pop trio Dove and performing a live set to an audience which included the Lord Mayor of Dublin, members of MyTown and OTT, and a variety of top managers and agents. Of course, the screaming teenage girls were there too, and, as Cartel stepped onto the stage for the first time ever, the crowd erupted. Any worries about a negative crowd response to their fifteen-minute mix of originals and a cover version were quickly thrown out the window. Cartel spent most of the evening outside the stage door, signing autographs for a vast number of new-found die-hard fans. This was definately the real thing...
As time went by, the word began to spread. Camcorder video copies of the shows were passed from fan to fan, establishing major fan bases around Ireland and the UK. Brian was receiving up to fifteen fan phone calls a day, and Darragh was showing up three quarters of an hour late for rehearsals, because he was caught by the groups of autograph-hungry girls who seemed to be permanently camped outside the studio. Even Tim wasn't safe in RTE, mobbed by fans as he came in and out of work in the TV centre each week. The news of Cartel was spreading, and the profile was increasing.
As time went by, the word began to spread. Camcorder video copies of the shows were passed from fan to fan, establishing major fan bases around Ireland and the UK. Brian was receiving up to fifteen fan phone calls a day, and Darragh was showing up three quarters of an hour late for rehearsals, because he was caught by the groups of autograph-hungry girls who seemed to be permanently camped outside the studio. Even Tim wasn't safe in RTE, mobbed by fans as he came in and out of work in the TV centre each week. The news of Cartel was spreading, and the profile was increasing.
Sadly, the latter of these gigs never came to be. In the run up to the series of performances, the pressure of regular band rehearsals, supporting the project with part-time jobs, and organising every aspect of the band’s output [all whilst keeping up with school-work and trying to have lives as well] began to become too much. Cartel had parted company with their management earlier in the year due to good old creative differences, and, as the stress heightened, the lads decided they needed someone to take the reigns… The 'someone' in question was Louis Walsh – the legendary Irish music manager responsible for turning Boyzone into the most successful commercial group of the nineties.
Brian contacted Louis about a possible meeting with Cartel, but he was already tied up with another project… a Sligo-based boy band with a working title of IOU - later to be renamed Westlife. Brian met Louis at Dublin’s RedBox in a last-ditch attempt to attract his interest. The manager was so impressed with Brian’s determination, image and voice that he offered him a very different proposition - a chance to audition for, and fill the single vacant slot in the Westlife line-up. Needless to say, this incredible offer was a once-in-a-lifetime break, and really too good to refuse, so with the support of his band-mates, Brian (spelt with an 'i') became Bryan (with a 'y'), as he reluctantly left the Cartel project. “Bryan was happy in Cartel… everything had been going well,” explains Rob McGibbon, international music journalist and official biographer for the likes of the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, and Take That; “At first Bryan felt it was disloyal to Cartel for him to go, but after days of agonising he realised it was too good an opportunity to miss."
Speaking of the split, Tim explains: "Saying goodbye to Brian was hard, but how could we possibly have asked him to stay? Cartel was a dream come true, but with Westlife success was guaranteed. Basically, tonight he's playing Wembley with a load of number one singles under his belt, so I guess he made the right choice. He's still one of my really close friends, and I'm just really really proud of him". "Now though, everything’s right to re-launch Cartel", Darragh continues. "Bri kinda pushed us into it. He's completely behind it, and he's willing to give us as much help as we need. I mean, having Westlife behind us will be a huge boost, plus we still have a lot of very loyal fans, and a good reputation that goes with the name, and obviously, we've matured and gotten better too. There's so much going for Cartel, it can't really fail"
Initially after Brian [now spelt Bryan] left the band, the remaining members took some time to move on with life. Darragh went on to college to study for a degree in business, whilst Tim became the instructor of one of the biggest dance troupes in the country, performing and choreographing routines for the likes of the Late Late Show, the St.Patricks Day Parade, and the Swarzkopf UK Fashion Show. It was against this backdrop that the band set about looking for someone… somewhere …who had enough talent, energy, heart and personality to fill the very big shoes of Brian McFadden. The search would prove futile for over a year.
Cartel, with Bryan:
