With his handsome looks and brooding personality, Mikey Graham was known as Boyzone’s quiet one. His face was plastered all over the walls of teenagers’ bedrooms as a member of the Irish band, one of the most popular boy bands ever, selling more than 25 million records worldwide in the 1990s.
With the release of tell-all documentary Boyzone: No Matter What, some fans may be asking, where is Mikey Graham now? Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, and Shane Lynch, the other surviving band members who are mentioned in the documentary, but Mikey did not attend a reunion with other band members and attended a recent promotional event.
Stephen Gately, a 33-year-old man who had an undiagnosed heart condition, passed away in 2009 from a heart condition, among the band’s lineup.
In the candid documentary, there’s also an appearance by manager Louis Walsh, who managed several big Irish pop acts and became a judge on the X-Factor.
What does Mikey have to say about his band career and what he’s doing now?
Boyzone: No Matter What documentary
Boyzone: No Matter What sheds some light onto why Mikey didn’t want to participate in a band reunion. He claims to be a lead singer because he was a little older and more experienced than the other members when he joined the band. However, when Ronan and Stephen joined Boyzone as their frontmen, he was disappointed.
Speaking candidly, Mikey says: “I was upset about it at the time, I tried to convey that but it fell upon deaf ears”. He often felt overlooked in the band, saying: “Remember, I was 21. That was difficult for me as a child, and Louis never spoke to me again after seven years. I had no idea why. I just thought he didn’t like me”. Louis, however, claims he thought Mikey was “happy being the quiet one at the back”.
Mikey reveals that during his Boyzone days, he used alcohol to “get him through the years” and has battled depression and anxiety.
The band split up in 2000, but they reconnected in 2007 and staged a 25th anniversary tour in 2017. The documentary reveals that during a 2019 tour, things came to a head, with constant arguments, the worst of which being between Mikey and Keith. He acknowledges that there were cruel things that happened, without going into more detail about the circumstances surrounding the row.
He goes on to say: “We left Japan, some of us not talking with each other and yet we still had to do the final five nights in the (London) Palladium. I merely desired to leave. Get away from that toxic environment. I haven’t seen anybody since that night. When I realized I needed to make some adjustments, I did so.
Why didn’t Mikey Graham go to the reunion?
Since the 2019 tour, Mikey has refused any further reunions with his Boyzone bandmates, although in the documentary he says he wishes them well: “I wish them all the best, no grudges, no animosity, nothing. However, I don’t want to go back to how I felt for many years. To see them, if it were for too long, would remind me of that”.
Mikey is noticeably absent from the documentary’s final scenes, where Ronan, Keith, and Shane reunite in a pub and share memories while sipping a pint of Guinness. The band members talk about how Mikey was perhaps not suited to the boyband lifestyle, with Shane saying: “He’s quite the recluse… I haven’t spoken to Mike in four years, but I believe there is a component to this business that has caused him harm.
What is Mikey Graham currently up to?
After Boyzone’s first split, Mikey moved into acting. He first made his first appearance in a few low-budget cult classics before moving to the USA. In 2010, he and professional skater Melanie Lambert met on Dancing on Ice. He described taking part in the show as therapeutic, helping him after the shock of bandmate Stephen’s death.
In 2001, Mikey released a solo album called Meet Me Halfway. While his first single, You’re My Angel, reached 13 in the UK singles chart, the following two singles didn’t do well. Mikey went on to make a bid to represent Ireland in Eurovision in 2010, with a song called Baby, Nothing’s Wrong. Niamh Kavanagh, who had won the contest in 1993, was the winner, but he slipped out on the spot. Mikey also took part in Ireland’s Celebrity Apprentice in 2013.
However, Mikey now leads a quiet life in isolation, keeping his name as “the quiet one.” He lives in rural Ireland, and only occasionally posts on social media. He still works as a songwriter and is active in the music business.
Does Mikey Graham have children? Is he married?
Mikey was married to Karen Corradi for 20 years. She was a dancer on a Boyzone tour when the pair met, and they have a daughter. They announced their split last year, with Mikey saying on X “I’m very badly wounded at this point, but I won’t give up on love”.
He and Sharon Keane, who is also his ex-partner, have a second child. Hannah, 27, has a three year old daughter, meaning Mikey is a grandad.
All three hour-long episodes of Boyzone: No Matter what are available via Sky Documentaries, on demand via SkyGo or by streaming on NOW.
Source: Mirror
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