He wowed his fans with his debut in Once last night in London's West End, now Ronan Keating says his former bandmate Stephen Gately, who tragically died in 2009, is still constantly on his mind.
Ronan tells Closer: "Musicals were always Steve's gig so it feels strange standing on stage. I never thought I'd do it.
"I still wish he was here. I wear red socks on stage because that's something he always used to do."
And Ronan, whose Boyzone bandmates Mikey Grahame, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch all came to support him on his opening night, admits that he can get extremely nervous performing to a live audience every night.
He laughs: "It's not like performing with Boyzone-I can't hide behind tracks and other things.
"It feels like being naked - I'm completely exposed! I heard Mikey laughing in the audience tonight and it was so hard to keep a straight face. I had to quickly think about something sad."
See Ronan in Once until 21 March. Box office: 0844 b871 7629. Venue: Phoenix, London