Whether you thought of them as made for TV, made for TRL, or made to be on posters on teenage girls’ bedroom walls, with hits like “All or Nothing” and “Liquid Dreams,” O-Town made their presence felt as a prominent boy band at the beginning of the millennium.
While their time in the spotlight wasn’t as long as NSYNC’s or Backstreet Boys’, O-Town’s Jacob Underwood notes the original Making the Band alums had a hint of how long their initial run would last.
“We were told at the beginning, ‘You guys are gonna be famous right away. Most bands aren’t, and the average lifespan of a band once they hit No. 1 is four years,’ and that’s as long as we were together.”
Myspace caught up with Underwood to find out some behind the scenes O-Town history, including the most unusually personal gifts he’s received from fans, and the unique way he went about cutting off his dreads. Underwood also discussed the group’s decision to reunite and go the indie route, and the new female vocalist he recently started working with.
O-Town was the final boy band of the TRL era. What would you consider to be the height of fame for you at that time? Give me an event, a party, or a person you were standing next to, that was mind-blowing.
I remember seeing Michael Jackson backstage at the VMAs, and really just being awestruck that I was standing there next to him. It was a very surreal moment.
Then there was when Clive Davis came on stage in New York and gave us our platinum plaque. That was another monumental time.
And the 9/11 relief show. Right after 9/11 happened we did a show at the Rose Bowl. We went on right after James Brown, and that was another one where you’re like, “This is my life right now!?!”
Michael Jackson and James Brown. Did you get words out of your mouth when you were near them, or was that just not gonna happen?
I was trying. I was stuck in this moment of – Is this happening? What would I do in this situation? You’re in the situation!
I remember I was having a smoke out back at the VMAs when I saw a troop of like 14, 15 people, all in black suits. As they’re filing in the door Michael Jackson shows up in the back. I’m holding a cigarette, looking at him like, Uhhhh, and he just goes “Hello.” I’m the only one around, so I know he’s talking to me. I was definitely at a loss for words.
When Michael Jackson did his last performance at MSG I bought tickets, because it was the day after the VMAs, and I’m a fan. I spent almost $2,000 to buy two tickets for this show. I’m in like the 30th row, nothing crazy.
The night of the VMAs we’re sitting next to Susan Sarandon and she turns to the other guys and says, “Hey, you guys want to go to the Michael Jackson concert? We have like three extra tickets.”
I’m at the end of the line. By the time it gets to me they’ve already divvied up the tickets, and they’re in the second row, so they get shown all over that (concert) video. They’re showing O-Town guys, and I’m not with them, so for years it’s been, “I thought you were a fan, why weren’t you there?” I’m like, “I am. In the 30th row!”
We all know boy band fans can be a tad bit excessive. What’s been the wildest thing a fan has done to get close to you, or any other member of the group?
I have a small collection of purple hearts which I should not have in my possession, but the fans come to the signings, and they’ll want to give you a gift to have you remember them by, and as many times as you say, “No, I can’t take this. Your family is gonna want this.” I definitely have gotten some people’s purple hearts.
You can’t even turn it down because they start crying if you don’t accept it.
Obviously I’m not getting rid of them. I’m kinda hoping maybe one day the family comes and asks for it back.
Being that O-Town came in at the tail end of your particular era of boy bands, your time in the spotlight wasn’t as long as some of the other groups. How quick was the transition from your monster hit “All of Nothing,” to realizing your initial run was over?
We were still going for a while, we had “Liquid Dreams,” then “All or Nothing,” then “We Fit Together” came out and it was Top 20, then we went straight into the studio and did the second album.
At that point we knew things were rocky, because the TV show had run for three years and they were wanting us to do more, and we didn’t have the time to do more. Clive Davis wanted us in the studio more, and didn’t think we had time to shoot a show.
We were getting pulled in every direction, so at that point you could kind of see the writing on the wall that it was time to take a break, and we wanted to take a break.
What were the first few months like for you after O-Town’s initial ride was over?
They were great. They were relaxing. We had been doing over 320 shows per year, so it was a welcome change.
How long was it before you missed the hectic schedule?
It was a few years into it, for me personally. At that point we were doing solo careers, and I kinda missed being busy. You want to be back on the road. You want to be selling your music, and all the work you had just done.
That was definitely a lot tougher, but it was fun, like all those trials when you’re in a rock band, and now you’re playing at The Roxy, and The Whiskey, and it’s grimy, and it’s not the big concert halls with all the fans screaming. It was a fun change of pace, but we definitely realized how blessed we were to skyrocket like we did, and get that fame and notoriety like we did, so quickly.
You worked with Lou Pearlman, who became quite the controversial figure. What were your initial thoughts when you heard he’d died?
We were 30 minutes from going on stage when we got the news. This is usually our 30 minutes to pray, stretch, get hydrated, get ready, get your mind in the game, and instead we were sitting in silence.
There was the sadness of knowing that he’s gone. The guy that put us together, the reason why we know each other, the reason why we’re in this band and can do this today. He had a big role in that. He also taught us so much of what not to do in business, but he was a great middle man — he knew how to make deals, he definitely played a huge role in our lives.
It was this mixture of sadness, and just that, well, we knew this was coming feeling of apathy, really. It was definitely a weird mix of emotions.
Moving to a much lighter topic, something else that has passed away are your dreadlocks.
Oh yeah. [laughs]
When you look back on that hair, what do you think?
I actually miss the dreadlocks, they just got too long.
I was living in Nashville, and I was at the bar with my buddies, and I’m like, “I’ll be right back.” I went down the street to my home, shaved my head, came back, and sat back down.
Did they recognize you?
No. I sat down, my buddy says, “Hey, that’s Jake’s,” to tell me whose beer that was, and I look at him, and he’s like, “OH MY GOD!”
I had a monkey for 11 years, Abby, and she was freaking out. She didn’t know it was me. She was running around the room screaming because she thought I was some stranger.
Moving to the present, what’s going on with the O-Town reunion?
We thought we’d do one single, and tour the UK for a summer, but that turned into an album, and two and a half years of touring, and now that our fans saw the show, and know that we’re back, we decided to go straight independent.
We ran a Kickstarter campaign trying to raise $47,500, and we raised $52k in the first seven hours. It was a very welcome reply from our fans.
I hear you’re also working with a singer named Chandler Bay. Tell us about her.
I was in Nashville. I’m at a bar at the end of the night, and this girl gets on stage and starts singing. My ears perked up right away, because I thought it was the radio, but she had done a lick that wasn’t part of the song, so I looked back like, “Oh, that’s somebody singing. Who is that?” A buddy says, “That’s Chandler Bay. You gotta meet her.” I’m like, “Yes. Yes I do.”
I couldn’t see her. She was like 50+ feet away, and in the dark. She comes walking up, and I almost fell out of my seat. If you haven’t seen her, she’s gorgeous, and she’s bubbly, and fun. I said, “Where the hell did you come from, suddenly, into my life?”
She came in the studio (with me), and my producer looked at me and said, “I think she’s the best vocalist I’ve ever produced.” Of course, I slapped him, because he also produces me. It’s the truth, though.
It’s amazing to find a talent that’s that untapped, and that passionate about it. You can’t help but fall in love with this girl.
Want more blasts from the past? Check out our #THROWBACKTHURSDAY page.
from Myspace - Editorial http://ift.tt/2k3sw5I
No comments:
Post a Comment