JLS: We're coming away from X Factor with a bang
JLS: We're coming away from X Factor with a bang
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Friday, 03, Jul 2009 03:20
Alexandra Burke unsurprisingly hit the top of the charts with her debut single but while fellow X Factor 2008 contestant Eoghan Quigg floundered with his cheap-sounding debut album (called "an album entirely without merit" by Popjustice), we're yet to even hear the debut efforts of fellow Cowell pupils Diana Vickers, Ruth Lorenzo and Laura White.
For JLS, however, it's a different matter. Not only have they already amassed a terrifyingly passionate army of fans without even releasing a single, they've played in front of 55,000 at the Emirates Stadium and could soon record with Ne-Yo. Not bad for an X Factor act, you have to admit.
Ahead of the release of their debut single Beat Again, Lewis Bazley caught up with the foursome to discuss breaking away from talent shows, their mighty fanbase and that infamous colour scheme.
It's been six months since the X Factor - did you feel like you to get it out quickly?
Marvin: I wouldn't say that; you've seen in the past when people release stuff straight away, it's sometimes not as good. I think you've got to get it right. For us, it was more important to come out with the right material, rather than rushing us. That was the understanding with the label. Luckily, we've found a single we're happy with in Beat Again, but the wait could have been longer.
How quickly did you sign with a label after the show finished?
Marvin: The final was on December 13th, and I think we signed our deal about a month later. We had about a month of limbo where we weren't sure what was happening, but we're with the best label for us now, they're incredible.
Of the people you were rivals with on the X Factor - Alexandra [Burke] and Diana [Vickers] haven't released anything new yet, whereas Eoghan [Quigg] released an album that did well in Ireland, but not here - do you have any anxiety about crashing and burning?
Marvin: Of course - you can't take being a success for granted just because we came second. But what we do have behind us is a great team, the label and the management, who believe in us and are putting us in a great position with our material and videos. We are confident we're going to do well because the material's good.
You're the first boyband in a while to have a really passionate following before releasing anything - why hasn't there been another new boyband for a while?
Marvin: I think the boyband genre of the 90s was a lot cheesier whereas nowadays that kind of act doesn't last five minutes, because I think everyone's more savvy about manufactured bands. We're in a digital age where everything is so accessible and people would see through the cracks if you weren't a genuine act.
Whereas you guys had been together for a long time before appearing on the show…
Marvin: I think everyone saw that and that we're for real. The industry's been missing a boyband for a long time but hopefully we'll be filling that gap. I'm going to pass over to Oritse now...
Hi Oritse, how're you?
Oritse: Good, bro!
So before you've even released a single, you've got this absolutely massive fanbase already…
Oritse: Hahaha, yeah! (laughs) They stand by us.
You must be really grateful to have fans so passionate about you as a band?
Oritse: We're so grateful and overwhelmed that we're being shown love throughout the country, it's amazing. A lot of time acts get love in just one particular place, but from Dublin, to Glasgow, to Cardiff, to London, to Peterborough, our fans are supporting us and passionately, as you said. We've heard they've all arranged to rush the shops when Beat Again comes out to buy loads of copies and help us get a good place in the charts - we're just so grateful and excited for that. We're as passionate about what we do as they're passionate about us.
Will people be surprised that the single isn't a ballad?
Oritse: We thought people might be, but we wanted to come out with a bang and do that. But we also wanted to come out with something that was really reflective of us. Obviously we did the X Factor and did what we had to do to get through the weeks because they're themed; but ultimately, what we love to sing together is represented in Beat Again. As an introduction to JLS after show, we couldn't have found something better.
People have said it has a Ne-Yo/Akon-esque sound - are those sort of comparisons music to your ears?
Oritse: Absolutely, we love those guys. We met Ne-Yo in the club and he wants to work with us. The song's inspired by artists that we are inspired by and are inspired to emulate, and ultimately, tracks that we listen to on our iPod everyday.
Was the choreography as exhausting as it looks?
Oritse: It was! (laughs) Simeon our choreographer has been working very hard with us, but we only had three days to learn the routine! For us moving forward we do want to incorporate that kind of thing where we can but we're very much about versatility and it all depends on the specific song and what fits. I'm just going to pass you over to Aston now...
Hi Aston, how's it going?
Aston: I'm good, man.
So who are you working with on your debut album?
Aston: We're working with Steve Mac, who's done all of Westlife's biggest hits and did one of my favourite songs, All or Nothing [by O-Town], so we're working with people who are no strangers to big hits.
People might hear that you're working with a Westlife and O-Town songwriter and presume you're going to be doing big, standing-up-off-a-stool ballads...
Aston: No, not at all! I don't think the first single reflects that at all. Yeah, he's written Westlife hits but now he's written an upbeat track that's compared to Akon and Usher, I don't think anyone can say we're looking to do Westlife ballads. Don't get me wrong - we can do that. But then again, we can do upbeat tracks with a full-out dance routine like a lot of the American acts.
The Capital FM Summertime Ball was your biggest show to date, with 55,000 people - how did that go?
Aston: I know some big artists know that haven't done a stadium gig and we're new artists to the industry so to go straight onto something like that is immense. When I got home, I was in bed and put a film on and then thought: "Two hours ago, I was performing to 50,000 people… " It's crazy.
Finally, on the X Factor, you tended to co-ordinate outfits - it's not really like that in the Beat Again video, so is that a move to show another different side to the band?
Aston: Again, the thing with JLS is, it's not just the clothes that are supposed to be coloured. If you look behind us, we've got our coloured theme - when Marvin comes on and does a solo, he's got the green light behind him, with Oritse it's the red, I've got the blue and JB's got the yellow. It can all be subliminal! It's still there, but it doesn't have to be in your face like the t-shirts.
Lewis Bazley
JLS' debut single Beat Again is released on July 13th.