Interview: "Would people actually want us back?"

SoSoGay talks to O-Town: "Would people actually want us back?"

Reality TV boyband O Town were one of the few talent show success stories. Formed by Lou Pearlman as part of the series Making the Band in MTV’s heyday, the one-time quintet underwent their first line-up change before the launch of their debut single ‘Liquid Dreams’. ‘Liquid Dreams’ was an ode to the nighttime fantasies of the pin-ups of the day – Halle Berry (whose personality impressed), Cindy Crawford (picked for her beauty mark), Janet Jackson (with her irresistible smile) and Tyra Banks (let’s not forget she was the best). With Ikaiko Kahoano opting out, Dan Miller opted in, appearing in the final line-up alongside Ashley Parker Angel, Erik-Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick and Jacob Underwood.

In typical Pearlman style, each boy appealed to a different faction of the teenage audience, and for a brief period the boys rode high in the charts. However, three years in and after disappointing sales for their sophomore album O2, the boys disbanded – only to hook up again in 2011, minus Ashley. Having taken their time to work on new material, the boys are finally ready to launch battle on the charts with new single ‘Skydive’.

But before we talk music, one thing has to be cleared up. With Ashley having forged a career as an actor in his post-O Town years, he has also recently returned to music, with a project entitled Mansions of Arcadia. Having already stated in previous interviews that Ashley had given them his blessing to resurrect O Town, how do the boys feel about O Town’s future as a quartet?

While the band are clear that people will perceive O Town as a reunion project, Erik is quick to clear up that misconception. ‘O Town now does not feel the same as it did back then. There are four of us, so it is not a reunion. We have pieced together the project with our own formula, we are like a brand new band.’

Although his statement is more than valid, to the fans who loved them from the very start, there will always be a wish to see the final five together once again. Aware of this demand, Trevor continues, ‘He (Ashley) is a part of O Town, so we would welcome him back with open arms. But for now, we want to just push forward as four as we feel that what we are doing is very special.’

With harmony in the current setup, it is immediately clear that while Trevor may be speaking diplomatically, his bandmates feel it is more important to be open with fans.

Without any malice, Erik responds to Trevor with an admission, ‘I have to say I don’t feel that way. He had many opportunities to come on board, but he denied every opportunity we gave him. We had to take a real leap of faith to return to O Town and we were the ones willing to take that chance.’

Although Ashley may have to battle to return to the fold in the future, what is most clear is the boys are now more focused on who they are now than what they once were. Though they realise that they owe their current position to their former success, their independent approach to their music nowadays could not be further from the manufactured product they were over a decade ago.  However, before we discuss their current approach, it seems important to garner what lessons they learnt from their first taste of musical glory.

With Trevor noting that at the outset it was all ‘go, go, go’, Dan is keen to clarify that although they were successful, the boys were not necessarily the ones who would reap the rewards of their non-stop schedule. ‘The contracts we had were really bad. When we finished our contract, and ended with our record label, there were lots of other labels wanting to pick us up. But we just needed time, a break, as we had gone from nothing to something overnight and the heat of the fire just kept getting hotter.’

Having stayed friends after the break-up of the band, the question of a reunion had surfaced several times of the last decade. However, Dan admits that it had never felt quite right before. ‘Several times it came up, but there was always one of us that couldn’t. Sometimes it was just a case of not wanting to rather than not being able to. But it got to the point where it was now or never.’

The next step would be to announce their reunion, which of course was a daunting process. With their fans now grown up, and many past their pop phase, Trevor admits that they did wonder.

‘Would people actually want us back?’ Trevor asks. However, having made the announcement, the quartet received a huge flood of love and praise for their return. Trevor continues, ‘It was way better than we had ever imagined.’

Rather than fall back into the trap of bad contracts, alternative motives and corporate sell-outs, O Town have decided to remain independent. With years of experience both in and out of the music industry, the four members have fallen naturally into specific roles within the band.

Trev explains, ‘What is really great this time is that everyone is just taking on the roles that they are good at naturally. Dan looks after all our graphics, Jacob is our manager, and so on. This means we can make the music we want to make, we are no longer having to satisfy a label. That has been the biggest change on our dynamic, more so than going from five to four.’

With their contented state shining throughout the interview, it is clear that their decision to return as O Town is about far more than fame and fortune. While they may have had teenage pop dreams to accompany their already explored ‘Liquid Dreams’, the returning quartet are far more grounded for their experiences. With a shared passion for music, the band are clearly four friends having fun.

While Dan admits, ‘I can only speak for myself’, he notes, ‘I am not going into the band to be the biggest thing in the world. I just want to be able to release music of a high quality and see what happens with it when I put it out there.’

So, what can expect from the return? Back at the height of their success, O Town were best known for the big ballsy balladry – who does not love ‘All Or Nothing’ – so will the new material offer more of the same?

Jacob explains, ‘We all have different musical tastes, so what we write is mixture. “Skydive” is just one example of what can do as a four. We just sit down and write, and sometimes we have to ask afterwards if the song is O Town or not. But when a song is written by all four of us, then of course it is O Town’.

While his response may be slightly ominous, it is clear that the boys no longer feel the need to be confined to public expectations. As a result, their new album Lines and Circles is a more eclectic mix than fans might expect. Trevor concludes, ‘”Skydive” is very dramatic, and when it comes to the album, we also have a great mix of uptempo and dance music.’

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