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5ive PDF Print E-mail
Written by Megan Ullom   
Thursday, 21 August 2008
five.jpgThe 5ive mania all started with a 1997 ad in the London, England performing arts newspaper The Stage, which was asking for young male singers & dancers to audition for a boy band style group. Chris and Bob Herbert, the two men who can be credited for the creation of the Spice Girls, had placed the ad in hope of finding a few boys with the right amount of attitude and edge, in hopes of yet again rising to the top of that charts. After the newspaper ad hit the stands, over three thousand hopeful boys auditioned, and after many rigorous singing and dance sessions, five boys,Jason 'J' Brown, Richard 'Abz' Breen, Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson, and Sean Conlon, were chosen, signed to BMG/RCA records, and became the group we all know as 5ive. In November of 1997, "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" was released as the first single, and it debuted at #10 on the UK charts. A few months later, the song was re-released in the United States, and even chosen for the new theme song for the NBA, but had little success with the general public. But the band didn't give up, and in 1998 they released their second single, "When The Lights Go Out", which earned them a spot in the US top 10 and gold status. After learning of the success in the states, the band embarked on an eight day tour, which included appearing in a concert special with Irish girl group B*Witched on the Disney Channel, and appearing on an episode of the MTV show TRL. A few months after the tour, 5ive released their debut album officially in the US, but it received only a lukewarm reception, peaking at #27 i. However, the album topped the charts in other countries worldwide, including the UK. Despite the low ratings with their album, the group still decided to go on a US tour with boy band *NSYNC, but soon after starting pulled out due to exhaustion, and decided to fly back to England to rest and start work on a new album. While on their break, the record company still mined the first record with the releases of , "Got The Feelin'", "Everybody Get Up", and "Until The Time Is Through" as singles throughout 1998. Reaching the top 5 in different countries around the world, the latter two singles each rose to the number two spot in the UK, and Five had finally made their mark in the world of boy bands.

Almost a year after taking a break from touring and from the United States, 5ive released the first single off of their second album, the dance tune "If Ya Gettin' Down". After it's release it quickly became a major hit worldwide but yet again failed top go to #1 in their home country, kept out of the top spot by Ricky Martin. Finally in October 1999, after three consecutive number-two peaks, "Keep On Movin'" became their first UK #1, as well as their biggest selling single to date. The second album hit the top five shortly thereafter. "Don't Wanna Let You Go" was released in early March 2000, peaking at #9 on the UK charts. On March 3, 2000, Five opened at the BRIT Awards with rock legends Queen, performing an updated version of the band's hit, "We Will Rock You". That night Five won their first BRIT Award, as "Best Pop Act", and their cover of the Queen song went on to become their second #1 in the UK in July 2000. The first half of 2000 found Five on a successful world tour, performing concerts in the UK, Europe, and Russia.

After finishing their huge, worldwide tour, the group continued to perform at many concerts in the UK, including Party in the Park with Queen. But things soon began to go downhill for the boys, after the re-issue of their album 'Invincible', which included remixed versions of a couple of songs and five live tracks from their tour, as well as a bonus track, "Don't Fight It Baby", had tracks pulled from the album when their stateside record label, Artista Records, dripped them. The band also had problems with their Asian record company, and subsequently canceled their upcoming Asian tour.

In May 2001, after months of recovering from their devastating drops from record labels and working on developing their own sound, the bands next album, "Kingsize" was finally completed. When it was time to begin filming the video for the debut single off the album, however, band member Sean had fallen ill with glandular fever. The "Let's Dance" video was released with a life-size cardboard cut-out standing in for the ailing singer, and rumors that he had in fact left the band had to be squashed. Scott also temporarily left the band for a few weeks to be with his his then-fiancée Kerry Oaker, who was having troubles with her pregnancy. Their son, Brennan Rhys, was born on July 11, 2001, five weeks premature. The remaining three members, J, Abz and Ritchie, pressed on with heavy promotion of the group's third album and the "Let's Dance" single. Whilst performing at a concert in Belgium in July, Ritch ripped the tendons in his left foot, putting a halt to all promotion and prompting the group to have a few meetings to re-think their options and future. "Let's Dance" was released in mid August 2001, however, and became their third UK #1, holding the top spot for two weeks. "Kingsize" debuted two weeks later at #3, going on to achieve Gold status.

But things would soon come to an end for the band, and after a month of serious meetings with record management, Five came to the decision that they were done with the boy band lifestyle, and the group disbanded on September 27, 2001, via an announcement through MTV. On September 28, a day after the announcement, Scott married his childhood sweetheart, Kerry Oaker, at a ceremony which all the lads attended.

In November 2001, "Closer To Me", featuring rare footage of the band, and "Rock The Party", with an animated video, were released as a double-A-side single. A greatest hits album followed. In the band's short life-span, they experienced success around the world, racking up three number-one singles in the UK and selling an estimated 15-20 million records worldwide, and picked up numerous awards along the way.


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Last Updated ( Thursday, 21 August 2008 )
 
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