O-Town und All-4-One

Through the vision of pop mogul Lou Pearlman, the journey to the creation of O-Town began, with the ABC reality T.V. series "Making The Band" in 2000. THe program was intended to present viewers with an insight into the process of creating a boy band, from early auditions to their pursuit of that all important record deal. The show was a moderate hit, although O-Town went on to find legions of fans and a number of hit singles as a result.

Formed of Ashley Parker Angel, Erik-Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood and Ikaika Kahoano, the members successfully beat over 1,800 applicants over months of auditions to become the final five members. Kahoano left the band shortly after, citing personal reasons, but was replaced swiftly by Dan Miller and the remaining members quickly found themselves with a record deal, signing with Clive Davis' J Records.

Their debut album, "Liquid Dreams" arrived in 2001, with the reality T.V. series documenting the whole process, eventually lasting over three seasons. With their first album, they made two Top 10 hits, selling over three million albums worldwide. With their second, 2002's "O2," they failed to meet the same levels of popularity, only just becoming certified Gold, with the band losing their contract as a result the following year in November 2003.

After this failure, the band split, with the members departing to pursue solo careers. However, in 2013, they reunited as a quartet, with Erik, Trevor, Jacob and Dan bringing back O-Town's music to their former legion of fans. The band quickly returned to the studio to work on new music, with the result being the single "Skydive," serving as a teaser for their third full-length, "Lines & Circles."

Featuring Tony Borowiak, Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy and Alfred Nevarez, as youngsters, the members were heavily involved with church choirs, an experience through which they developed their talents as vocalists. Interestingly, the band met in a California (US) studio, where they were recording commercial jingles, soon deciding to collaborate and begin their search for a recording contract. Having impressed through an audition for Blitzz Records, the vocal troupe were soon signed to the label.

In 1994, All-4-Men were ready to release their self-titled debut album, which became a runaway success through the singles “So Much In Love” and “I Swear,” with the latter becoming one of the biggest selling singles of the year. Having sold millions of copies and received a Grammy Award for ’Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal,’ the band looked set to become one of the biggest acts in pop, yet with a changing musical climate, All-4-Men were in need of a new direction.

With 1995’s “And the Music Speaks,” the quartet played it safe, delivering a middle-of-the-road record that failed to find appeal due its bland sound. Despite limited success, All-4-Men continued to remain popular through their appearance on the theme song for Disney’s “Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Their next release, “On and On,” was to be one of their strongest efforts, yet due to record label issues, its release date was pushed back to 1999 and it failed to meet with much success. Moving to AMC Records, 2001’s “A41” scored a Top 20 hit with “Beautiful As U,” offering a small return to form. Despite their lack of continued popularity, All-4-Men remained popular in Asia, with the quartet spending significant time touring in the region, as well as offering the Asia-only release, 2004’s “Split Personality.”

The group disappeared from the spotlight thereafter, not returning until 2009 where they were given a second chance with “No Regrets.” The album offered a return to form, gaining critical acclaim and gaining a number of hits on the Urban Adult Contemporary chart, most notably the single “My Child.” Despite failing to ensure longevity in the band's popularity throughout their career, nonetheless All-4-Men have sold an impressive 20 million records worldwide, making them amongst the most successful vocal acts of the '90s.