Probably the cutest member of Irish group Boyzone, as well as the only member who's gay (sigh), Stephen Gately has come a long way since he started in Boyzone seven years ago.

Then, 17-year-old Stephen was studying for his final exams at the North Strand Technical School when he heard of the auditions for Boyzone. Desperate and lacking the contacts, Stephen called up the Star Newspaper in Dublin, where he got Louis Walsh's number.

“I always knew I wanted to do something in the entertainment industry when I left school, but it wasn't something I was pushed into.”

His first taste of stardom came when he was just 16. Stephen appeared as an extra on the movie “The Commitments”, which was filmed around Dublin's Northside. Then of course, came the fateful four auditions for Boyzone (which was more than any of the other members) in which he was picked, along with Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch to form the highly successful Irish boyband on 18 November 1993.

Since then, it's been one success after another after another. Boyzone has had tremendous support from their fans all over the world. For Stephen, being in the group has brought about many opportunities for him, like recording the song “Shooting Star” for Disney's “Hercules” to recording the voice of “Blackavar” for the TV remake of the animated tale “Watership Down”.

But in June 1999, Stephen was forced to admit to the thousands of Boyzone as well as his fans that he and Caught in the Act member, Eloy de Jong, are together. “Coming out” since 16 June 1999, Stephen has received not jeers or complaints but rather a wave of support from fellow colleagues and fans alike.

“A lot has changed for me, but it's definitely for the better. I'm more relaxed now - before I couldn't be myself and I used to be so paranoid that it would all come out about me being gay. It really is a weight off my shoulders - the main thing is that the support has been unbelievable… I've always enjoyed being in Boyzone and making music, but if I had to say what's been my happiest time I'd definitely say now.”

It was with this support that Stephen launched his solo career with his debut album, “New Beginning”. Co-writing many of the songs in the album Stephen puts the skills that he had acquired in the past to good use. “New Beginning” is simple, clean and self-revealing with Stephen writing and dedicating a song Eloy, titled “If Only You Were Here”. Since the release, he has been busy with the promotions of the album, travelling to Asia and other parts of the world to doing performances for the album.

Stephen has indeed achieved a lot since his earlier days, “My ambition was to be successful doing something to do with music - not necessarily being famous. Coming from a poor family, I didn't want to have to worry about money when I was older. I had a dream and I wasn't going to let anyone take that away from me.”

Biography
Full Name :	Stephen Patrick David Gately
Birthdate :	17 March 1976
Star Sign :	Pisces
Eyes :	Blue
Height :	5' 7"
Family :	Mum Margaret, Dad Martin, three brothers and one sister
Previous Jobs :	Barman (Dublin's Olympia Theatre), Sales Assistant (Makullas clothes store)
Favourite Meal :	Chicken Curry

Listen To -
New Beginning
If Only You Were Here
Wanna Be Where You Are