Hello there!
I had the chance to speak with up-and-coming boy band 4TH AVE about their new EP, Initiation, which is out today! We talk ABC’s Boy Band, how the band was formed, their musical influences, and more.
4TH AVE is made up of Camry Jackson, Jaden Gray, Marcus Pendleton and Mikey Jimenez
If you weren’t already aware, I featured 4TH AVE as one of my ‘Artist to Watch’ posts back when they were first introduced. Their sound is so organic and soulful and fun. Not to even mention the level of maturity and talent these young men possess. You can check out that original post HERE. Now, I’m not trying to say, “I told you so,” but . . . (I told you so).
- Can you introduce yourselves to those who might not be familiar with you from Boy Band? We are 4 individuals who came from the show Boy Band on ABC. The judges were Timbaland, Nick Carter, and Emma Bunton. On the show every week we competed against each other in different groups throughout the season. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the final band, but we were blessed enough to make our own, titled 4th Ave!
- How did the decision to form 4th Ave come about? Was this something that was discussed prior to the show ending? I also want to high five you all for your maturity throughout the process of Boy Band and the unveiling of the final five. Thank you! After the finale, Timbaland came up to all of us on stage and said he felt that we should be a group. He knew that each of us had something special, and together we’d be unstoppable! We are so very humbled that he input his opinion into our hearts. It was the best choice we could’ve ever made!
- What has the song writing/recording process been like so far? Before the show, each of us had some type of familiarity of singing in the studio, song writing, and singing front of big crowds. So when that process began to come our way it was a breeze due to the fact that we had been doing it for some time.
- Did you get a say on which songs were going to be chosen for your first EP, Initiation? How many songs have you recorded so far? Yes, we had a major say as to which songs were able to be on the first EP! Of course with the help of our manager Jared Rosenberg, and Musical Director Adam Blackstone, we were able to make the eight choices as to which should be on it. In addition to that, we have recorded at least 19-21 songs!
- What do you hope fans take away from the EP? From this EP, we hope that fans take away the raw emotion and passion we put into it! We want them to experience the life of the songs, just as we did when we were singing/writing them! This EP is an emotional roller coaster!
- Since the formation of 4th Ave, you’ve performed back up for Charlie Puth on national television and you took part in a performance at the March for Our Lives event in Washington, D.C. How excited are you to finally be going out on tour with your own music and your own fans that have been patiently waiting for this for the past year? What an honor it was to be able to perform behind Charlie Puth on the Voice, and Vic Mensa on March For Our Lives! It’s quite unreal being that we’ve only been a band for 7-8 months, and we are so humbled. Now that we are going on our own tour, with our own music, the only thing that goes through our mind is wow this is really happening this early. We never would’ve thought the ball would get rolling this early!
- You’ve had incredible fan interactions since your formation. How important is that to you? Fan interaction is our main focus. In fact we don’t even call them fans, we call them our supporters! They are so important because they keep us going, and they support us no matter what. If there is a meet and greet, they are there, if an EP comes out, they buy it, and if there is a concert, they are there, etc. So we love them with all of our heart!
- Who are your musical influences? Who would you like to work with in the future? Individually we have many, but as a group they would have to be:Boys To Men, Michael Jackson, Usher, Chris Brown, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, and Justin Bieber just to name a few.
- Can you let your fans know of any upcoming projects to look out for? As of right now continue to share our new EP! Lookout for our first Tour, and after tour we may have quite a few surprises for you as well!
- Where can people find you online?
4th Ave Music on all social platforms!
Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
According to Kristin 