O-Town

O-Town is a band that’s constantly full of surprises. The talented quintet of Ashley Parker Angel, Erik-Michael Estrada, Dan Miller, Trevor Penick, and Jacob Underwood first surprised the world by emerging from the hit television series Making the Band to become a chart-topping, record-breaking musical phenomenon. Now with the release of their second full-length recording, O2, the group has taken control of their music, turning each of their individual passions and inspirations into a new O-Town sound that will once again surprise fans and critics alike. “O2 was a lot more hands on for us,” explains Ashley. “Since each of us came from such diverse influences, we all have strengths that lie in different areas and because of that we can pull off a lot of different music.”

O2 was released by J Records on November 12, 2002. Building on the chart-topping success of hits like “All or Nothing” and “We Fit Together,” the album moves easily from a more-straight-ahead rock and roll approach to soulful ballads. “O2 takes all of the different things we each individually love about music and melds them into one common sound,” explains Jacob. Adds Erik: “O2 shows the passion we have for what we do – this is us singing songs from our heart.”

O2 began taking shape during the band’s long months of touring, as each of the guys in O-Town polished their musical talents and began writing their own songs. In the fall of 2001, the group moved to Santa Monica, California, settling down in a house together and planning their next move. “We were in California, waking up with the sun in our eyes, walking along the beach, and we came to the conclusion that we had to do something fresh, raw, and organic,” said Erik. Utilizing the five-part harmonies that are the group’s natural talent while adding in a guitar-driven feel, a new sound emerged during impromptu jam sessions at their beachfront home. “We were able to take the rock feel and put beats underneath and come up with a real, live, raw sound that is uniquely O-Town,” said Trevor.

Dan believes the new album is the perfect reflection of O-Town fully coming into its own. “O2 is about being happy to be in a position where you can be yourself and not have to play anybody else’s game to get what you want. You can do everything your own way,” he said. Ashley co-wrote “From the Damage,” a song inspired by the end of Making the Band’s television run, as well as the rock-tinged ballad “Suddenly.” O2 also includes musical contributions from some of pop music’s hottest songwriters, including Shep Crawford (Boys 2 Men) on “I Showed Her,” and recording star Nelly who wrote and produced “Favorite Girl.” Other notable producers/songwriters include Jamie Houston (Macy Gray), Damon Sharpe (Jennifer Lopez) and Steve Kipner (Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera) who helped pen first single, “These are the Days” which impacted Top 40 radio on September 30.

O2 is the much-anticipated follow-up to the runaway success of their self-titled, double-platinum debut. That album stormed the Billboard charts in January 2001; its #5 debut made history as the highest chart position for a debut act and album. O-Town’s debut single, “Liquid Dreams,” entered at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (another first!), followed by the smash hits “All or Nothing” and “We Fit Together.” All three songs hit the TRL Top 5 on MTV, and O-Town was voted “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” at the 2001 Teen Choice Awards. The group headlined two nationwide, sold-out concert tours, and was awarded the coveted opening slot on Britney Spears’ tour. The group’s “O-Town…Live in Concert” DVD and home video shipped gold immediately upon release.

O-Town’s incredible rise to stardom was chronicled on their own hit TV reality series Making the Band. Over the course of three seasons, millions of fans watched the five talented performers come together and evolve into a pop music powerhouse. This groundbreaking series allowed O-Town’s legion of fans unprecedented access into their personal and musical lives as they spent grueling months rehearsing, recording and performing. With the cameras rolling and the fans watching, O-Town inked a record deal with music industry legend Clive Davis and his new label J-Records.

Because of the intimacy of Making the Band, O-Town has earned a special and unique relationship with their fans. With the release of O2, the group is eager to share new music that comes straight from inside their own hearts. “The first time around, millions of people in America knew who we were before we had any songs, before we had a record deal, before we had anything,” explains Ashley. “But that was a double-edged sword – it was a great gift, but it also left us wide open to be critiqued. Now we’re ready to show everyone what we can do ourselves.” Eric agrees: “Over the past two years we’ve learned a lot about just who we are as people – and how that relates to any relationships we’re in, our friends, how we deal with fame, and how we deal with our situation as a band. We can look at every situation with a more mature perspective. You can hear that in our songs.”