O-Town

Last updated
O-Town
Also known asOTWN, OTOWN
Origin Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Genres Pop
Years active2000–2003, 2013–present
Labels
MembersDan Miller
Erik-Michael Estrada
Jacob Underwood
Trevor Penick
Past members Ashley Parker Angel
Ikaika Kahoano
Website Official website

O-Town is an American boy band formed from the first season of the reality television series Making the Band in 2000. As of 2015, the group consists of Erik-Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood, and Dan Miller. The original line up included Ashley Parker Angel and Ikaika Kahoano, who was replaced by Miller after dropping out of the group.

Contents

After releasing two albums near the end of the boy band fad of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the group disbanded in 2003. The group was originally managed by Lou Pearlman during their first season of Making the Band, but later managed by Mike Cronin and Mike Morin for their debut album and remaining television seasons.

History

Formation and debut album (1999–2001)

O-Town was assembled for the first season of the ABC reality television series Making the Band ; the group was named after Orlando, Florida, the city where auditions were held. [1] In the selection process, Lou Pearlman and a panel of judges selected Ashley Parker Angel, Erik Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood, and Ikaika Kahoano. [2] However, Kahoano left for personal reasons and was replaced by Dan Miller. [2]

After season one, former Arista Records executive Clive Davis signed O-Town to his new label J Records. [2] Their first release, the self-titled O-Town , boosted by the publicity of the weekly television series, debuted at no. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart for sold more than three million copies worldwide. [2] [3] Their first single, "Liquid Dreams", peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. [4]

In the late spring of 2001, O-Town released "All or Nothing", which became the biggest hit of their career as a group, reaching no. 3 on the Hot 100. [5] In 2001, the group was the opening act for Britney Spears' Dream Within a Dream Tour in the U.S.[ citation needed ]

O2 and split (2002–2003)

O-Town's second album O2 was released in November 2002 by J Records. It included a newer single, "We Fit Together". [1] The album was observed to have a different sound from O-Town's debut album, with a mix of "soulful ballads and songs with more of a rock ‘n’ roll approach," according to Contemporary Musicians. [1] MTV News reported that O-Town hoped that the album would show the group to be more than "'NSYNC wannabes." [6] However, with teen pop trending down in listener interest in 2002, O2 did not sell as well as the first O-Town album. [2] As a result, in 2003, J Records released O-Town from their contract, and the group disbanded. [2] [7]

Solo careers (2003–2013)

The members of O-Town moved on to solo careers. The most successful member was Ashley Parker Angel, who was signed to Universal's Blackground Records, also given his own reality show on MTV, There and Back . Angel released a solo album, Soundtrack to Your Life , in 2006. [8] In 2007, he began playing the role of Link Larkin in the Broadway production of Hairspray . [9] Trevor Penick signed to Mach 1 Music and performed as Tre Scott. [10] Erik Michael Estrada stayed in the music business as a songwriter. Jacob Underwood went on to start his own country band, Jacob's Loc. [11]

In 2013, Angel declined to join the O-Town reunion: "It was a difficult decision, that ultimately necessary to move on to the next chapter of my career." [12]

Lines & Circles and single Empty Space (2013–present)

On May 28, 2014, O-Town released a preview of the single "Skydive" on SoundCloud. The single is from their third studio album Lines & Circles. The album was released on August 24, 2014. [13]

In 2017, they premiered a new single "Empty Space" in addition to announcing a new EP. [14] [15] They also announced a new 2017 tour featuring Ryan Cabrera on select dates, as well as some spots on the I Love the 90s nationwide tour.

Their Part 1 EP was released on August 4, 2017. [16] [ needs update ]

In June 2019, O-Town planned on filing a trademark for their band name, which Universal Music Group believed was too similar to the Motown Records label. [17]

On August 2, 2019, they released The O.T.W.N. Album.

In January 2025 it was reported that the band had suffered significant damage to their brand due to the false assumption that they are associated with disgraced music mogul Diddy, who was arrested in September 2024 on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The confusion comes from the fact that both O-Town and Diddy starred on Making the Band, however Diddy didn't join the show until after O-Town had left. [18]

Members

Current
Former

Discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2001 Teen Choice Awards Choice Music: Breakout ArtistThemselvesWon [19]
Choice Music: Pop GroupNominated

Tours

Opening act

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Naden, Corrine J. (2002). "O-Town". Contemporary Musicians. Cengage. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Azpiri, Jon. "O-Town Biography". allmusic. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  3. ↑ "O-Town: The Perfect Fit". MTV News. November 2, 2001. Archived from the original on February 8, 2002. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Chart History: O-Town". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  5. ↑ Weatherby, Taylor (April 24, 2017). "O-Town Discusses to the 'All or Nothing' Chorus Was an Instant Classic: 'It is a key change'". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  6. ↑ D'Angelo, Joe (July 25, 2002). "O2 Gives O-Town Members Room To Breathe, Write". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 23, 2002. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  7. ↑ "For The Record: Quick News On Disturbed, O-Town, Guns N' Roses, Madonna, Simple Plan, Jack Johnson & More". MTV News. November 7, 2003. Archived from the original on December 7, 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  8. ↑ Brown, Maris. "Ashley Parker Angel Biography". allmusic. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  9. ↑ Jones, Kenneth (January 19, 2007). ""Making the Band" Idol Joins Broadway's Hairspray". Hairspray. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  10. ↑ Eng, Joyce (September 26, 2007). "Catching Up to...Tre Scott". OK!. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  11. ↑ O'Brien, Jon (March 24, 2020). "'Making the Band':". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Ashley Parker-Angel - I Won't Rejoin O-Town ..." TMZ.com. 2011-01-19. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  13. ↑ "Skydive by All About The Melody on SoundCloud". SoundCloud . Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "O-Town Return With New Song, 'Empty Space'". EW.com. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  15. ↑ "Song Premiere: O-Town Debuts 'Empty Space'" . Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  16. ↑ O-Town, Part 1 , retrieved 2018-03-06
  17. ↑ "O-Town Locked in Trademark Dispute With Universal Music Group". Billboard.com. June 24, 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  18. ↑ Tailor, Leena (January 14, 2025). "O-Town Members Distance Themselves From Diddy: "We Have Nothing to Do With Him"". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 14, 2025. Now, as the group nears 25 years since forming on the musical reality series, they're facing brand damage, hesitant show bookers and a major event cancellation due to being associated with Diddy through Making the Band. Yet the group's episodes were helmed by another disgraced music mogul — late Lou Pearlman — and they weren't involved with the series once Diddy took over.
  19. ↑ "2001 Teen Choice Awards". Hollywood.com. August 12, 2001. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
First
First season of show
 Making the Band winners
2000		Succeeded by
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