Justice Crew | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Sydney, Australia |
Genres | Dance-pop |
Years active | 2009–present |
Members | John Pearce Len Pearce Lukas Bellesini Paul Merciadez Samson Smith Solo Tohi |
Past members | Omar Kamari Anastasios Repousis Emmanuel Rodriguez |
Website | justicecrew |
Justice Crew is an Australian dance and music group consisting of John and Len Pearce, Lukas Bellesini, Paul Merciadez, Samson Smith, and Solo Tohi. Although the group is Australian, members Samson and Solo are from New Zealand. The group originally formed in 2009 as a dance troupe and rose to fame the following year as winners of the fourth season of Australia's Got Talent . Justice Crew subsequently signed a record deal with Sony Music Australia and became recording artists. As of 2018, they are an independent music group.
Justice Crew's first three singles "And Then We Dance", "Friday to Sunday" and "Dance with Me" achieved moderate success on the ARIA Singles Chart. The group earned their first number-one single with "Boom Boom", which was certified six times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association. Subsequent singles "Best Night" and "Everybody" were top-ten hits, and "Que Sera" became their second number-one single. Since becoming recording artists, Justice Crew has been nominated for eight ARIA Music Awards and has toured with international artists such as Chris Brown, Janet Jackson, One Direction, Kesha and Pitbull.
The members of Justice Crew were originally in two separate dance troupes, but they merged as one group in 2009. [1] [2] Justice Crew learnt all their dance moves from YouTube videos such as Michael Jackson's. [1] They entered the 2009 World Hip Hop Dance Championships competition held in Las Vegas, as one of the several groups who represented Australia. [2] Justice Crew placed 13th in the competition. [2]
After being inspired by Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity, Justice Crew decided to audition for the fourth season of Australia's Got Talent in 2010. They wanted to "encourage young people to follow their dreams and believe that anything is possible." [3] Justice Crew won the season and were awarded a prize of $250,000. [1] [4]
In August 2010, it was announced that Justice Crew had signed a record deal with Sony Music Australia. [5] Their debut single "And Then We Dance", released on 27 August 2010, [6] peaked at number 26 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for sales of 70,000 copies. [7] [8] It was followed by the release of their first video album also titled And Then We Dance on 27 September 2010. [9] The album featured a documentary of Justice Crew's first dance experiences as individuals and how they came together as a group. It also showcased their dance routines and individual tricks. [9] Justice Crew's second single "Friday to Sunday", released on 17 December 2010, [10] peaked at number 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified double platinum for sales of 140,000 copies. [7] [8]
Justice Crew's third single "Dance with Me", which features American rapper Flo Rida, was released on 29 March 2011 to moderate success; [11] it peaked at number 44 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold for sales of 35,000 copies. [7] [8] The following month, Justice Crew and Jessica Mauboy were the supporting acts for Chris Brown's Australian leg of his F.A.M.E. Tour. [12] Justice Crew later embarked on the Dance with Me Live Tour, their first headlining concert tour, across Australia in August 2011 and ended in September 2011. [13] [14] After the release of their fourth single "Sexy and You Know It", [15] Justice Crew toured with Janet Jackson on the Australian leg of her Number Ones: Up Close and Personal tour in October 2011. [16] Justice Crew released their first compilation album Justice Crew Party Mix on 18 November 2011, which features a DJ mix of five of their songs and fourteen songs from other artists, as well as a bonus DVD. [17] The album debuted at number five on the ARIA Compilation Albums Chart. [18]
From January to February 2012, Justice Crew embarked on their Sexy and You Know It Live Tour across Australia. [19] [20] In April 2012, Justice Crew and Johnny Ruffo were the supporting acts for One Direction's Australian leg of their Up All Night Tour. [21] The group's fifth single "Boom Boom", released on 2 July 2012, [22] became their first number-one single on the ARIA Charts and was certified six times platinum for sales of 420,000 copies. [7] [23] On 1 October 2012, it was announced that Justice Crew had signed to Pitbull's record label Mr. 305 Inc., a joint venture with RCA Records, to release "Boom Boom" in the United States. [24] The group's seventh single "Best Night", released on 30 November 2012, [25] peaked at number seven on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified double platinum. [7] [23] Their next single "Everybody", released on 11 October 2013, [26] peaked at number six and was certified double platinum. [7] [27]
Justice Crew represented Australia at the ABU TV Song Festival in Hanoi, Vietnam on 26 October 2013, performing a mix of "Boom Boom" and "Best Night". [28] On 24 January 2014, they released a cover of "I Am Australian" with Dami Im, Jessica Mauboy, Nathaniel Willemse, Samantha Jade and Taylor Henderson, to coincide with the Australia Day celebrations. [29] [30] The song peaked at number 51 on the ARIA Singles Chart. [7] Justice Crew embarked on the #HypeTour, their third headlining concert tour, across Australia in April 2014 with special guest Jai Waetford. [31]
In May 2014, Justice Crew released their tenth single "Que Sera", which debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and remained at number one for nine consecutive weeks. [7] It was certified five times platinum for sales of 350,000 copies. [32] The group's eleventh lead single "Rise & Fall" was released on 24 October 2014, [33] and debuted at number 11. [7] Their debut studio album Live by the Words was released on 28 November 2014, [34] and debuted at number seven on the ARIA Albums Chart. [7] Justice Crew embarked on the Live & Local Tour, their fourth headlining concert tour, across regional New South Wales in January 2016. [35] This was followed by the 'What We Do' tour throughout September and October 2016.
In January 2019, Justice Crew competed in America's Got Talent: The Champions , but were eliminated in the first episode. On 18 January 2019, Justice Crew independently released "So Long". [36]
In June 2010, Justice Crew appeared in one of the television commercials promoting the second season of The X Factor Australia . [37] In December 2010, they appeared in promotional images for underwear label Sly. [38] In May 2011, Justice Crew appeared in Swisse Vitamins' television commercials dancing to their single "Dance with Me". [39] In January 2012, the group appeared in Meat and Livestock Australia spokesman Sam Kekovich's music video for his Australian rendition of Aqua's "Barbie Girl", which was released to promote the lamb industry. [40]
In 2010, Justice Crew began running free dance lessons. The lessons became so popular they caught the eye of Karen Day who helped get some funding and helped Justice perform at some major events. The free dance lessons became a program known as MMAD Moves and came under a charity known as Musicians Making a Difference (MMAD) which is an organisation that inspires young people through dance & music. [41] MMAD teamed up with The Salvation Army to connect the program with a key partner. [41] Justice Crew have previously joined various Salvation Army corps, including Miranda, New South Wales and Hurstville, New South Wales. [41] They also regularly perform at annual Christmas Carol events such as the Carols in the Domain and Carols in the City, where performers donate their time to raise money for various charities. [42] [43]
In 2011, four members of Justice Crew made a surprise appearance at Canowindra High School's anti-bullying day launch. They performed for the students and communicated that bullies should back off as part of the school's "back off bully" campaign.
Headlining
Supporting
Year | Type | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards [51] | Aussie Musos | Nominated |
ARIA Music Awards [52] [53] | Most Popular Australian Artist | Nominated | |
Most Popular Australian Live Artist | Nominated | ||
Poprepublic.tv IT List Awards [54] | Favourite Australian Group | Nominated | |
2012 | ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards [55] | Number One Single ("Boom Boom") | Nominated |
ARIA Music Awards [56] | Song of the Year ("Boom Boom") | Nominated | |
Channel [V] Awards [57] | [V] Oz Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
2013 | ARIA Music Awards [58] | Song of the Year ("Best Night") | Nominated |
Best Video ("Best Night") | Nominated | ||
Channel [V] Awards [59] | [V] Oz Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
Poprepublic.tv Awards [60] | Favourite Australian Group | Nominated | |
2014 | ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards [61] | Number One Single ("Que Sera") | Nominated |
World Music Awards | World's Best Group [62] | Nominated | |
World's Best Live Act [63] | Nominated | ||
World's Best Entertainer of the Year [64] | Nominated | ||
World's Best Song ("Everybody") [65] | Nominated | ||
Channel [V] Awards [66] | [V] Oz Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
MTV Europe Music Awards [67] | Best Australia Act | Nominated | |
ARIA Music Awards [68] | Song of the Year ("Que Sera") | Nominated | |
Best Pop Release ("Que Sera") | Nominated | ||
Best Video ("Que Sera") | Nominated | ||
Jessica Hilda Mauboy is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of Australian Idol, where she was runner-up and subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia. After releasing a live album of her Idol performances and briefly being a member of the girl group Young Divas in 2007, Mauboy released her debut studio album, Been Waiting, the following year. It included her first number-one single, "Burn", and became the second highest-selling Australian album of 2009, certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
The American hip hop group Black Eyed Peas has released nine studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play, forty singles, eight promotional singles, thirty-eight music videos, and two video albums. Interscope Records released the band's debut album, Behind the Front, in the United States in June 1998. Although the album received a four-star review from AllMusic, it charted low on the Billboard 200 in the United States and on the French Albums Chart, at numbers 129 and 149 respectively. The band's second album, Bridging the Gap, was released in 2000 and peaked at number 67 in the US and reached its highest position in New Zealand, at number 18.
"Burn" is a song by Australian recording artist Jessica Mauboy. It was written by Taj Jackson, Jonas Jeberg, and Mich Hansen and was produced by Jeberg and Cutfather. "Burn" was released digitally on 17 November 2008 as the second single from Mauboy's debut studio album, Been Waiting (2008). Musically, "Burn" is an R&B-dance track that incorporates electronica influences. The song became Mauboy's first number-one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for selling over 70,000 copies. "Burn" also became Mauboy's first charting single internationally, reaching number 92 on the Japan Hot 100.
Stan Walker is an Australian-born New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh season of Australian Idol. He subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia. In December 2009, Walker released his debut studio album, Introducing Stan Walker, which included the hit single, "Black Box". The album debuted at number three on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It also appeared on the New Zealand Albums Chart at number two and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).
"Friday to Sunday" is a song by Australian group Justice Crew. It was released digitally on 17 December 2010, as the follow-up to their debut single, "And Then We Dance". The song was written by Erika Nuri, Greg Ogan and Shridhar Solanki. It peaked at number 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Alex Goddard and features Justice Crew at a party.
"Dance with Me" is a song by Australian hip hop dance and pop group, Justice Crew, featuring American rapper Flo Rida. The song marks the first released by Justice Crew since Anastasios left the group. It was released digitally on 29 March 2011, as their third overall single. "Dance with Me" peaked at number 44 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). An accompanying music video was directed by Matt Alonzo, and features Justice Crew in a warehouse having a dance-battle with all-female dance crew, Beat Freaks.
Angelique Frances Meunier, known professionally as Havana Brown or DJ Havana Brown, is an Australian DJ, singer, record producer, songwriter and dancer. In 2008, Brown signed with Island Records Australia as a DJ for the record company, and began releasing her Crave compilation album series, which featured remixes of songs from other artists. This led to her touring with international artists, including Britney Spears, Rihanna, the Pussycat Dolls, Chris Brown and Enrique Iglesias.
John Patrick Ruffo is an Australian singer, songwriter, dancer, actor and television presenter notable for being a finalist on the third season of The X Factor Australia in 2011. He placed third in the competition and subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia. In 2012, Ruffo won the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars Australia. His debut single "On Top", released in June 2012, peaked at number 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum. Ruffo starred in the Australian soap opera Home and Away as Chris Harrington for three years from 2013 to 2016.
Let the Music Play is the third studio album by Australian-New Zealand recording artist Stan Walker, released through Sony Music Australia on 18 November 2011. Walker worked with several record producers on the album, including Richard Vission, Chico Bennett, Nicholas "RAS" Furlong and Static Revenger, among others. The album featured several guest vocalists, including Jessica Mauboy, Annabel Fay and Walker's mother April, who is featured in a remake of Eva Cassidy's version of "Songbird". Musically, the album features more up-tempo dance-pop and R&B genres than Walker's previous album, From the Inside Out (2010), which included deep and emotional tracks.
Timothy Ugbedo Omaji, better known by his stage name Timomatic, is a Nigerian-born Australian singer-songwriter and dancer. Omaji rose to fame as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance (Australia) in 2009 and placed seventh in the competition. In 2011, he appeared as a contestant on the fifth season of Australia's Got Talent and was placed third. This led to his most recent rise in fame by sparking the now infamous Facebook page "Timomatic was robbed on Australia's Got Talent", a Facebook page dedicated to the victimisation that Tim was forced to undergo on 'Australia's Got Talent'. Later that year, Omaji signed with Sony Music Australia and released his first single, "Set It Off", in November 2011, which peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified four times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.
The discography of Australian hip-hop dance and pop music group Justice Crew consists of one studio album, one compilation album, one video album, sixteen singles, one album appearance and thirteen music videos.
"Boom Boom" is a song recorded by Australian hip hop dance and pop group Justice Crew. It was written by Jay Sean and produced by Orange Factory Music. "Boom Boom" was released digitally in Australia on 2 July 2012, as the group's fifth overall single and the first single from their debut studio album Live by the Words (2014). It peaked at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified six times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting sales of 420,000 copies. The song also peaked at number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart and was certified two times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, denoting sales of 30,000 copies.
Nate Gilbertson, often known simply as Nathaniel, is a South African-born Australian singer and songwriter most notable for finishing sixth on the fourth season of The X Factor Australia. In 2013, he signed a recording contract with DNA Songs' label through Sony Music Australia, and released the single "You", which peaked at number four on the ARIA Singles Chart.
"Best Night" is a song recorded by Australian hip hop dance and pop group Justice Crew. "Best Night" was released digitally and physically in Australia on 30 November 2012, as the group's seventh overall single and the second single from their debut studio album Live by the Words (2014). It peaked at number seven on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified two times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting sales of 140,000 copies.
The discography of Australian singer Samantha Jade consists of four studio albums, twenty-four singles, ten promotional singles and eleven music videos. After being announced as the winner of the fourth season of The X Factor Australia in 2012, Jade released her winner's single "What You've Done to Me", which debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for sales of 210,000 copies.
"Everybody" is a song recorded by Australian dance-pop group Justice Crew, released digitally and physically in Australia on 11 October 2013, as the group's eighth overall single and the third single from their debut studio album Live by the Words (2014). It peaked at number six on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified two times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting sales of 140,000 copies.
"Que Sera" is a song recorded by Australian dance-pop group Justice Crew. It was released digitally on 2 May 2014 and physically in Australia on 16 May 2014, as the fourth single from their debut studio album Live by the Words. It was brought forward a week from its original release date of 9 May 2014 due to a high-profile TV sync on the My Kitchen Rules final and a live performance of the track on Sunrise on 5 May 2014. The song was also played during the 2015 Cricket World Cup when Kane Williamson got out in the semi-final of New Zealand vs South Africa.
"Rise & Fall" is a song recorded by Australian dance-pop group Justice Crew. It was released digitally and physically on 24 October 2014, as the fifth single from their debut studio album Live by the Words. It was written and produced by Robopop with Emily Laura Katter, Sam Nicolosi and DNA Songs and is a mid-tempo pop track. It debuted at number 11 in Australia.
Live by the Words is the debut studio album by Australian pop music group Justice Crew, released on 28 November 2014 through Sony Music Australia. The album debuted and peaked at number-seven on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart following its release.
"I Love My Life" is a song recorded by Australian pop group Justice Crew for their debut studio album Live by the Words (2014). It was released on 3 April 2015 as the sixth single from the album. The song was written by Lukas Bellesini, Jayson DeZuzio, Wolfgang Gartner, Mason "MdL" Levy, Mike Posner and Solo Tohi. Upon its release, "I Love My Life" received positive reviews from various publications and debuted at number 68 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The accompanying music video was filmed at the Parramatta plaza using a one-shot-camera technique and features cameo appearances by Beau Ryan, YouTube beauty vlogger Brittney Lee Saunders and pranksters The Royal Stampede. Justice Crew promoted the song with performances at Westfield Miranda and on Sunrise.