a1 | |
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A1 performing in Cebu, Philippines on 25 October 2018 | |
Background information | |
Origin | London, United Kingdom Oslo, Norway |
Genres | Pop, pop rock, dance-pop |
Years active | 1998–2002, 2009–present |
Labels | Universal Norway, BMG, Epic |
Associated acts | Steps, Bryan White |
Website | www |
Members | Ben Adams Paul Marazzi Christian Ingebrigtsen Mark Read |
A1 (stylized as a1) are a British-Norwegian boy band that formed in 1998. The original line-up consists of Paul Marazzi, Christian Ingebrigtsen, Mark Read and Ben Adams. Ingebrigtsen is originally from Oslo, Norway, but the other members originate from London.
Paul Thomas Leo Marazzi is a British musician. He is founder of boy band A1.
Christian Ingebrigtsen is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and musician. He is a member of the British–Norwegian pop group A1.
Mark Daniel Read is an English singer/songwriter, best known as member of the boy band A1 from 1998 to 2002, and 2009–present.
Their debut single, "Be the First to Believe", entered the UK Singles Chart at number six in mid-1999. They achieved chart success in the UK and other parts of the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s, particularly Southeast Asia. In the UK, they scored two number ones and six other top 10 hits, seven of which were written by the band. Adding to this, they also won a BRIT Award for "British Breakthrough Act" in 2001. They were managed by band manager Tim Byrne, who also formed Steps.
"Be the First to Believe" is a song by British-Norwegian boy band A1. It was their debut single and was released as the first single from their debut album, Here We Come. The single was released in June 1999, and peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's first chart entry in the UK.
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-selling singles in the United Kingdom, based upon physical sales, paid-for downloads and streaming. The Official Chart, broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and MTV, is the UK music industry's recognised official measure of singles and albums popularity because it is the most comprehensive research panel of its kind, today surveying over 15,000 retailers and digital services daily, capturing 99.9% of all singles consumed in Britain across the week, and over 98% of albums. To be eligible for the chart, a single is currently defined by the Official Charts Company (OCC) as either a 'single bundle' having no more than four tracks and not lasting longer than 25 minutes or one digital audio track not longer than 15 minutes with a minimum sale price of 40 pence. The rules have changed many times as technology has developed, the most notable being the inclusion of digital downloads in 2005 and streaming in July 2014.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea separates Great Britain and Ireland. The United Kingdom's 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi) were home to an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.
Marazzi left the band in 2002, citing personal reasons. The three remaining members subsequently decided to split due to exhaustion from being on the road for the best part of four years straight.
In December 2009, Ingebrigtsen, Read and Adams reformed a1, without Marazzi, in Norway for a series of concerts at the Christiania Theatre in Oslo. [1] Since their comeback, they have released new singles as well as their fourth and fifth studio albums, Waiting for Daylight , in 2010, and Rediscovered , in 2012.
Christiania Theatre, or Kristiania Theatre, was Norway's finest stage for the spoken drama from October 4, 1836 to September 1, 1899. It was located at Bankplassen by the Akershus Fortress in central Christiania, in Norway. It was the first lasting public theatre in Norway and the national stage of Norway and of Oslo during the 19th century.
Oslo is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. Founded in the year 1040 as Ánslo, and established as a kaupstad or trading place in 1048 by Harald Hardrada, the city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V of Norway around 1300. Personal unions with Denmark from 1397 to 1523 and again from 1536 to 1814 reduced its influence. After being destroyed by a fire in 1624, during the reign of King Christian IV, a new city was built closer to Akershus Fortress and named Christiania in the king's honour. It was established as a municipality (formannskapsdistrikt) on 1 January 1838. The city functioned as a co-official capital during the 1814 to 1905 Union between Sweden and Norway. In 1877, the city's name was respelled Kristiania in accordance with an official spelling reform – a change that was taken over by the municipal authorities only in 1897. In 1925 the city, after incorporating the village retaining its former name, was renamed Oslo.
Waiting for Daylight is the fourth studio album to be released by British–Norwegian boy band, A1. The album was released on 11 October 2010, and was the band's first release of new material for more than eight years. It is also the first album to be released since the departure of Paul Marazzi from the band. It was originally released in Norway only; but was released on iTunes in 2015 for the UK and the rest of the world. The album peaked at number five on the Norwegian Albums Chart.
In 2014, a1 appeared on the itv2 documentary The Big Reunion along with other bands such as Eternal, Damage, Girl Thing, 3T and a new band called 5th Story, made up of Dane Bowers (from Another Level), Gareth Gates, Kenzie (from Blazin' Squad), Kavana and Adam Rickitt.
The Big Reunion is a British reality-documentary series that began airing on ITV2 on 31 January 2013. The show featured chart-topping bands who were big in the UK pop music scene between the 1990s and early 2000s, and the programme followed them as they reunited for the first time in a decade and went through their two weeks of intensive rehearsals before finally stepping back on stage for a comeback performance.
Girl Thing were an English-Dutch girl group, consisting of members Jodi Albert, Anika Bostelaar, Linzi Martin, Michelle Barber and Nikki Stuart. They were formed in 1998 by Simon Cowell and were originally intended to rival the Spice Girls, but their success was minor and short-lived. They sold 2 million records worldwide before disbanding in 2001.
3T is an American R&B/pop music group featuring the three sons of Tito Jackson and Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson. The band members include, from eldest, Tariano Adryall Jackson, Taryll Adren Jackson and Tito Joe Jackson. Their uncle, Michael Jackson, mentored the trio and signed them to his label, MJJ Entertainment.
In 2017, Marazzi met his former bandmates in Newcastle, after the fifteen years of his absence and he will appear on their 20-year anniversary tour.
Paul Marazzi, who had missed the cut for Steps, met with Tim Byrne in 1998 to talk about forming a second group. Auditions were held where Christian Ingebrigtsen, Mark Read, and Ben Adams were recruited and the band was formed by the management team of Byrne and Vicky Blood. [2]
Benjamin Edward Stephen Adams is an English singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the boy band a1.
A1 signed with Columbia Records in February 1999 and released "Be the First to Believe" in Summer 1999. [3] In November they released Here We Come , which reached number 4 in Norway and had four top ten singles in the UK.
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded in 1887, evolving from the American Graphophone Company, the successor to the Volta Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business, and the second major company to produce records. From 1961 to 1990, Columbia recordings were released outside North America under the name CBS Records to avoid confusion with EMI's Columbia Graphophone Company. Columbia is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels, alongside former longtime rival RCA Records, as well as Arista Records and Epic Records.
Here We Come is the debut studio album by British-Norwegian boy band A1. It was released on 22 November 1999. The album was certified as Gold in the UK, selling nearly 100,000 copies.
In 2000, they achieved two number ones with "Take On Me" and "Same Old Brand New You". The video for their seventh single, "No More", was filmed in Singapore while they were on tour there. In 2001, the band began a massive arena tour of Asia, where they were very well received. During a mall signing in Indonesia, four teenage girls were killed in a stampede. [2] In 2001, Sony Music launched a paid subscription service for a1 called 'Access All Areas', the first for an artist signed to the company. This was an early version of a social network allowing fans to meet and chat online.
Their third album, Make It Good saw a change in direction but was to be their last studio project. On 8 October 2002, Marazzi left the group, citing personal reasons, [4] and a1 subsequently decided to split. [5]
In January 2004 a Best of A1 album was released in Asia; a compilation featuring all of their singles, two previously unreleased concert recordings, and three exclusive B-Sides. In 2009, following Adams' appearance on Celebrity Big Brother , the band released its Greatest Hits in the UK. [6]
In 2005, Adams went on to release his first solo single, "Sorry", which peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. Adams was also due to record an album but parted with his record label. In 2009, he appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother , becoming one of the remaining five housemates. [7] He attracted much attention later that same year when he posed naked for the cover of Attitude . [8]
In 2003, Ingebrigtsen also began a solo career, with his first solo single, "In Love With an Angel", being released in 2004. The single stayed in the Top 10 of the Norway Singles Chart for nearly three months. The song was swiftly followed by "Things Are Gonna Change", which became Ingebrigsten's final solo single before he moved into other areas of show-business.
In 2002, Read focused on becoming a songwriter for other artists, after signing a deal with Metrophonic. Read has written for artists such as Charlotte Church, Boyzone, Michael Bolton, Robin Gibb, and The Hollies. Read released his debut solo single, "Greatest Lady in My Life", on 2 March 2009. [9] His debut solo album, Peace at Last was released in June 2009.
Months after he left the band, Marazzi hosted the Andy Cole Children's Foundation (now All Star Kids) on 26 April 2003 together with Jo Good. [10] He turned down the offer to appear in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2004. [11] In late 2005 he formed a soul/rock band in Sunderland, Northeast England called Snagsby. He left the band in early 2009. Marazzi then went to work in The George Hotel in Whitby as a club DJ. [11]
In November 2008, the remaining members of the band formed a MySpace account to keep fans updated of their current situation. [12] In Summer 2009, the band made an official announcement, stating that not only were they to reform, but they were to play a series of concerts in Oslo in December of that year. Marazzi posted on his Facebook that he wishes them good luck when he found out about his former bandmates' reunion on a TV show in Norway. The announcement also stated that the band's first new single in seven years, "Take You Home", would be released via iTunes in Norway on 2 November. The single entered the Norway Singles Chart at No. 9, based on download sales. It was announced in late 2009 that the band would compete to represent Norway in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, with the band's second single since their reformation, "Don't Wanna Lose You Again". [13] The song peaked at No. 4 on the Norwegian Singles Chart. The band reached the national final of the contest and finished in second place.[ citation needed ] The band made their official UK comeback on New Year's Eve by performing at the Heaven New Year's Eve Party in London. In March 2010, the band embarked on a worldwide tour that began in Norway, with performances in Oslo, Stavanger, Kristiansand, Bergen, Trondheim and Haugesund. The tour extended to Europe and ROTW in Autumn 2010. The band's first new studio album since 2002 was released on 11 October 2010, and includes the singles "Take You Home", "Don't Wanna Lose You Again", "In Love and I Hate It" and "Waiting for Daylight".
In October 2011, the group appeared on Channel 5's OK TV to promote their British comeback gig at the O2 Academy Islington on 31 October 2011. [14] The gig received positive reviews from sites such as This Must Be Pop [15] and Time Out. [16] On 18 November 2011, the band released a new single, "Another Year Gone". On 28 February 2012, the group performed at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with Blue and Jeff Timmons from 98 Degrees. The concert was entitled "The Greatest Hits Tour: Blue, Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees and a1 – Live in Singapore." [17] They also visited Jakarta, Indonesia and Manila, Philippines as part of the concert tour. [18] [19] On 8 May 2012, the band announced the release of a new single, "Just Three Words", a duet with Annie Khalid.
In December 2013 it was announced that A1 will be appearing, again without Marazzi, on the itv2 documentary The Big Reunion . In October 2014, A1 with other bands from the TV show Blue, Five, Damage, 3T, 911 and a new band called 5th Story toured together in October 2014, the tour was called The Big Reunion Boy band Tour 2014. [20]
On 3 October 2014 A1 performed on the Norwegian show called "The Hit", they chose to perform the song Critical Love written by Mathilde Johnson and became their newest single after winning.
Their latest albums Waiting for Daylight and Rediscovered were released in UK on 12 June 2015. [21]
A1 gave a concert on 22 October 2016 in Singapore [22] and in Manila and Cebu on 23 and 25 October, respectively.
On 22 July 2017 Paul Marazzi met with his past band-mates in Newcastle. On Instagram post of the band, the group posted a picture with original members Ben Adams, Christian Ingebrigtsen, Mark Read and Paul Marazzi. A follow up post on the band's facebook page suggested that they may reform for "One last song.. or 2 or 3". The photo was posted on 17 September 2017, a day after Ben Adams posted a photo of him and Paul at the backstage for Flashdance The Musical Tour in Sunderland. There is no confirmation yet that Paul had indeed reunited with a1. [23]
On 7 May 2018 Ben Adams called BBC Radio 2 host Matt Lucas, announcing a1 will go on a 20-year anniversary tour the next year. He said they probably had to do something slightly special for their 20-year reunion, and they had invited original member Paul Marazzi back. The tour will start in Asia after Ben finishes his Flashdance show in November, and they will also do some tours in UK and release new music as well. [24]
On 23 May 2018, it was announced that they will be doing a set of concerts in Southeast Asia with Marazzi on board. It was announced via their Twitter and Facebook page. [25]
On 12 October 2018, they released their first single with all members since the departure of Marazzi, and the disbandment of the group, 16 years previously. The song is called " Armour". [26]
On 27 February 2019 the group announced their first UK comeback, first live show with original line up in 15 years. The show will be held at O2 Academy Islington, London on 1 November 2019. [27] [28]
On 18 March 2001, during a mall signing in Jakarta, Indonesia, four teenage girls were killed in a stampede and two others were reported critical. [2] A spokesman for the group said: "They are devastated and are immediately planning to return to Great Britain. They have cancelled the rest of the tour and their thoughts are with the families and friends of those killed and injured."
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