JLS
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About JLS
What do you do when in the space of two short years youve gone from talent show hopefuls to the biggest boyband of a generation? For the four young lads that make up JLS the answer is simple keep your feet firmly on the ground and keep heading for the stars.
With their aptly-titled second album OUTTA THIS WORLD primed on popas launch pad and about to rocket their already stellar success to even greater heights Aston, Marvin, Oritse and JB are primed and ready to backflip their way into the nations hearts once more.
Working with a roll call of international pop-R&B production talent - whos collective CVs take in chart juggernauts by the likes of Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Black Eyed Peas and more - the lads have crafted 14 killer tracks ranging from heart-pumping techno-laced stompers to tender acoustic balladry. Simply put, theyve taken the blueprint created by their hugely successful debut and blown it out of the water.
Were still a young band with a lot to prove,asays Marvin. We had to prove ourselves every week on The X Factor, then we had to prove we were proper recording artists with our first album. Now we want to prove that wasnat just a fluke, weare here to stay. The guys talk excitedly about upping their game and evolution on their new album and theyre not wrong. Co-writing all the tracks (bar midsummer chart topper The Club Is Alive) the guys display the full range of their talents from the smooth close harmonies of Other Side Of The World (which winningly nods towards 90s soul heroes Babyface and Boyz II Men with the lads sharing lovestruck lead vocals) to kinetic future pop like the take-no-prisoners floor filler Superhero.
Flying to New York to work with red hot chart wizards Stargate (the force behind monster hits for Beyonce, Flo Rida and more) the union has produced some of the albums most forward-thinking pop nuggets, including the frankly brilliant title track Outta This World - a muscular electro-fuelled heavy hitter that simply screams future single - and band favourite Love At War.
We were a bit apprehensive meeting Stargate at first - theyre used to working with huge megastars and were not in that league yet, explains Aston. But it was important for us to prove ourselves. We didnt just want to take beats theyd already worked on, we wanted to start from scratch and make something that really represented where were at.
One of those tracks is the pumping R&B club stormer Work in which the lads express their love for the ladies (weare four young lads and all like different girls. What can I say? says JB matter of factly) by cheekily name-checking the worlds biggest divas including Christina, Rihanna and Lady Gaga. I think if were having fun in the studio you can hear that in the tracks, and believe me we always have fun, says Oritse
Given their current status as crowned princes of British pop, its hard to believe how rapid the ascent of JLS has been. It was less than four years ago the lads, all dreaming of their own ways in make it in the music industry, came together thanks to Oritses unswerving vision of creating the ultimate boyband.
When we first got together we wrote a list of over 300 things we wanted to achieve and everytime we met up to rehearse we would go through it and focus on what we would accomplish that week, reveals Oritse. We werent messing around it was all or nothing.
That combination of raw talent, effortless charm, unfaltering focus, hard graft and just a little bit of luck saw them rapidly ascend from bagging Best Unsigned Act at the Urban Music Awards 2007 to taking their aim at the heart of the mainstream in the countrys biggest TV talent marathon the following year. From the underground to the overground, as Oritse succinctly puts it.
What followed is, as they say, history and ticked more than a few boxes on the groups pop phenomenon to do list: Duet with Take That. Make top music industry connections. Sign major label deal. By the time they got to Release debut single and Have first number one in one fell swoop, its pretty safe to say that JLS had well and truly arrived.
We knew that first single was really crucial to how people saw us, says Marvin. Maybe people were expecting a black Westlife or something like that. Thats why we came with Beat Again I think it surprised a few people.
Their success has been staggering. Three UK number one singles. Over 4 times platinum debut album. Two 2009 MOBO Awards. Two 2010 BRIT trophies. All in the first year of their recording careers. For any band that would be astounding. For a band unashamed of the word popa and happy to embrace their boyband credentials, its unheard of.
Its been crazy. Earlier this year we were opening for Usher, and I was thinking wow his was the first album I ever bought back in the day and now were on the same stage! says Aston. Just a year before that we were Lemas opening act. Its moving so fast.
Along the way theyave gathered famous supporters from Judi Dench to Jay-Z (his prediction the band would be as big as N Sync seems more prophetic every day) and a fanbase that stretches from six to sixty year olds.
If I had to put my finger on it I think people can see the genuine bond we have between us, says Marvin of the unique connection the band have. We genuinely are best friends and genuinely love what we do and thatas something you cant manufacture. Itas real.
And with their new single Love You More the boys have created the kind of universal love letter thats sure to be taken straight to the heart of the masses. If you thought in Everybody In Love the boys had found their signature love ballad, think again. Beginning with a haunting lone piano refrain, Love You More builds and builds to sky-scraping proportions. Anthemic barely does it justice. And whats more, theyve decided to give away all their proceeds to this years Children In Need campaign.
We didnt think twice about it when the opportunity came up, says JB. Weve all supported different charities since day one - thats why we set up our own JLS Foundation. Just today we spent three hours with ill kids for the Rays of Sunshine charity. Its brilliant to be able to do stuff like that. Weve been given an incredible opportunity by the British public and want to give back
. So if you thought a typical day in the life of JLS was all VIP parties, Cristal and girls youd be wrong. Okay maybe just a little, but these boys are busy. Theres the recording sessions, TV appearances, sell out gigs, dance rehearsals, gym training on top of the screaming fans, tabloid rumour mill, paparazzi stakeouts To be honest we try not to think about the fame because then you get above your station, says Aston. It best to try not to get sucked into the hype too much. Its about the music and everything else is a bonus. The best thing is to feel the public are on your side. After the kind of exposure we had from X Factor, I think people feel they know us and want us to do well, says Marvin. And thats a great feeling.
With their aptly-titled second album OUTTA THIS WORLD primed on popas launch pad and about to rocket their already stellar success to even greater heights Aston, Marvin, Oritse and JB are primed and ready to backflip their way into the nations hearts once more.
Working with a roll call of international pop-R&B production talent - whos collective CVs take in chart juggernauts by the likes of Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Black Eyed Peas and more - the lads have crafted 14 killer tracks ranging from heart-pumping techno-laced stompers to tender acoustic balladry. Simply put, theyve taken the blueprint created by their hugely successful debut and blown it out of the water.
Were still a young band with a lot to prove,asays Marvin. We had to prove ourselves every week on The X Factor, then we had to prove we were proper recording artists with our first album. Now we want to prove that wasnat just a fluke, weare here to stay. The guys talk excitedly about upping their game and evolution on their new album and theyre not wrong. Co-writing all the tracks (bar midsummer chart topper The Club Is Alive) the guys display the full range of their talents from the smooth close harmonies of Other Side Of The World (which winningly nods towards 90s soul heroes Babyface and Boyz II Men with the lads sharing lovestruck lead vocals) to kinetic future pop like the take-no-prisoners floor filler Superhero.
Flying to New York to work with red hot chart wizards Stargate (the force behind monster hits for Beyonce, Flo Rida and more) the union has produced some of the albums most forward-thinking pop nuggets, including the frankly brilliant title track Outta This World - a muscular electro-fuelled heavy hitter that simply screams future single - and band favourite Love At War.
We were a bit apprehensive meeting Stargate at first - theyre used to working with huge megastars and were not in that league yet, explains Aston. But it was important for us to prove ourselves. We didnt just want to take beats theyd already worked on, we wanted to start from scratch and make something that really represented where were at.
One of those tracks is the pumping R&B club stormer Work in which the lads express their love for the ladies (weare four young lads and all like different girls. What can I say? says JB matter of factly) by cheekily name-checking the worlds biggest divas including Christina, Rihanna and Lady Gaga. I think if were having fun in the studio you can hear that in the tracks, and believe me we always have fun, says Oritse
Given their current status as crowned princes of British pop, its hard to believe how rapid the ascent of JLS has been. It was less than four years ago the lads, all dreaming of their own ways in make it in the music industry, came together thanks to Oritses unswerving vision of creating the ultimate boyband.
When we first got together we wrote a list of over 300 things we wanted to achieve and everytime we met up to rehearse we would go through it and focus on what we would accomplish that week, reveals Oritse. We werent messing around it was all or nothing.
That combination of raw talent, effortless charm, unfaltering focus, hard graft and just a little bit of luck saw them rapidly ascend from bagging Best Unsigned Act at the Urban Music Awards 2007 to taking their aim at the heart of the mainstream in the countrys biggest TV talent marathon the following year. From the underground to the overground, as Oritse succinctly puts it.
What followed is, as they say, history and ticked more than a few boxes on the groups pop phenomenon to do list: Duet with Take That. Make top music industry connections. Sign major label deal. By the time they got to Release debut single and Have first number one in one fell swoop, its pretty safe to say that JLS had well and truly arrived.
We knew that first single was really crucial to how people saw us, says Marvin. Maybe people were expecting a black Westlife or something like that. Thats why we came with Beat Again I think it surprised a few people.
Their success has been staggering. Three UK number one singles. Over 4 times platinum debut album. Two 2009 MOBO Awards. Two 2010 BRIT trophies. All in the first year of their recording careers. For any band that would be astounding. For a band unashamed of the word popa and happy to embrace their boyband credentials, its unheard of.
Its been crazy. Earlier this year we were opening for Usher, and I was thinking wow his was the first album I ever bought back in the day and now were on the same stage! says Aston. Just a year before that we were Lemas opening act. Its moving so fast.
Along the way theyave gathered famous supporters from Judi Dench to Jay-Z (his prediction the band would be as big as N Sync seems more prophetic every day) and a fanbase that stretches from six to sixty year olds.
If I had to put my finger on it I think people can see the genuine bond we have between us, says Marvin of the unique connection the band have. We genuinely are best friends and genuinely love what we do and thatas something you cant manufacture. Itas real.
And with their new single Love You More the boys have created the kind of universal love letter thats sure to be taken straight to the heart of the masses. If you thought in Everybody In Love the boys had found their signature love ballad, think again. Beginning with a haunting lone piano refrain, Love You More builds and builds to sky-scraping proportions. Anthemic barely does it justice. And whats more, theyve decided to give away all their proceeds to this years Children In Need campaign.
We didnt think twice about it when the opportunity came up, says JB. Weve all supported different charities since day one - thats why we set up our own JLS Foundation. Just today we spent three hours with ill kids for the Rays of Sunshine charity. Its brilliant to be able to do stuff like that. Weve been given an incredible opportunity by the British public and want to give back
. So if you thought a typical day in the life of JLS was all VIP parties, Cristal and girls youd be wrong. Okay maybe just a little, but these boys are busy. Theres the recording sessions, TV appearances, sell out gigs, dance rehearsals, gym training on top of the screaming fans, tabloid rumour mill, paparazzi stakeouts To be honest we try not to think about the fame because then you get above your station, says Aston. It best to try not to get sucked into the hype too much. Its about the music and everything else is a bonus. The best thing is to feel the public are on your side. After the kind of exposure we had from X Factor, I think people feel they know us and want us to do well, says Marvin. And thats a great feeling.
Music by JLS - 31 total
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