Lauren Foster chats to Ronan Keating ahead of his show at Ricoh Arena this month.

You’re performing at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. What can audiences expect from your headline performance?
Mainly solo stuff. When I do my solo stuff, I separate it as much as possible. I’ve had 18 years of solo records and six years of Boyzone records, so it’s dramatically different. People who come to my solo shows, I try and give them as much of that as possible. I mean, there might be one or two Boyzone songs - that’s always nice - but it’s mainly solo stuff.

You currently only have two upcoming dates. Why Ricoh Arena?
It’s a hell of an arena; it’s awesome. It’s always nice to get out and perform live. I spend so much time writing songs, I'm on radio in the mornings mid-week and doing stuff in other countries and travelling, so it’s always nice to come back to the UK and do shows as much as possible. We’re setting up for a Boyzone tour later in the year, early next year perhaps, so at the moment I'm just picking a couple of shows that I want to do.

Coventry recently won UK City of Culture 2021. What’s your perception of the city?
I haven’t spent that much time there, so I'm not an expert in any way, but it’s a cool town with cool people and they love their music, which is very important to me. I’m looking forward to playing there, looking forward to seeing everybody and singing a few tunes.

Gabrielle will be your special guest on the night. How did that come about?
We often cross paths when we’re out and around the world, wherever we may be. I saw her not so long ago out in Europe. She was doing a TV show and I was on the TV show. You know, we’re from the same genre, the same time, we were out selling records and touring and so on, we had songs on the radio at the same time. It will be nice to see her again. She’s a great lady.

Last year saw the birth of Cooper, your first child with Storm. How is fatherhood treating you this time round?
Ah, brilliant. I'm loving every minute of it. He’s an absolute legend. He’s such a good boy. He sleeps well, and he’s just started crawling now, which is a very exciting time for us. It’s pretty full-on.

And life generally?
Life is good! I’m on the Magic Breakfast Monday to Friday, which is pretty intense. I’m getting up at 4.30am, but it’s fun being on the radio. We’ve just finished the Boyzone album, which should be coming out later in the year, and doing some shows through the summer, so things are good.

How has your attitude to performing changed now you’re a one-man band?
I love performing - it’s my favourite thing to do. Whether it’s Boyzone or solo, I enjoy both equally as much. They’re very different. It’s a nice thing to dip into the Boyzone thing and do that with the boys. We all muck in again and it’s great to hang out with the lads, but equally, it’s nice to be able to perform as a solo artist.

What was your first experience of music?
Probably listening to what my brothers, sisters, mum and dad played. Cat Stevens is the one who springs to mind.

And you’ve dabbled in the acting side of things...
I had a feature film come out last year called Another Mother’s Son, which was a World War Two drama. That was fun; that was my second movie that I made. I’m doing a little bit here and there. It’s trying to find the time to do it that’s the hardest part, but I really enjoy it. Finding roles that I find intriguing is just as important.

Looking back at your 24 years in the music industry, what piece of advice would you have given to your younger self had you had the chance?
I think, enjoy yourself more. I took it very seriously in those early years. It was very intense and full-on, and I didn’t really get a chance to enjoy it as much. I was all about being professional and trying to be the best I could be, but not really thinking how quickly this could be gone. It went by very fast. I was thrown in at 16 years of age - it was full-on!

What does the future hold for Ronan Keating?
Living. I just want to have a good time. I want to raise my children and be a good husband and enjoy my music and travel and tour and do all the things that I'm doing now. We take everything so intense, we live so fast, it’s gone by and we haven’t had chance to enjoy it. The older you get, the more you realise that.

Ronan Keating plays Ricoh Arena on Friday 30 March.