The term 'boyband' has become a dirty word in music for a while now, but new group The Wanted are hoping to change all that. The fivesome – Tom, Siva, Max, Jay and Nathan – release their debut single All Time Low next month. In part one of our exclusive interview with the boys, we ask them what they think of JLS and Take That and find out how they got together.
Q: So is it a good thing or a bad thing to be labelled as a boyband?
Jay: It's an ace thing. We want to bring boybands back.
Max: If we were called something else, I'd be a bit worried.
Tom: Girlband?
Max: It's fine being called a boyband because that's what we are, even though it's an illegal word nowadays.
Q: Why do you think that is?
Max: I think it just got to the point where boybands were totally uncool. If you were even admitted to half-liking one, then you became uncool.
Tom: JLS has brought it back massively though. That paves the way for us to bring boybands cool again.
Q: What do you think of the more old-school boybands like Take That and Westlife that are still around?
Tom: I love the fact that Take That have come back. I was so surprised when Patience came out. I've got massive respect for Gary Barlow in particular. To reinvent a new sound for them was incredible.
Q: Which one of you is the Gary and Robbie of the band, then?
Jay: We've actually talked about this before amongst ourselves. I'm Howard, because he dances.
Tom: Who was I?
Jay: Mark Owen.
Jay: And Siva, you were Jason because he was a model.
Nathan: And I was Gary, because I play the piano.
Max: That leaves me with Robbie. I'm just gonna go and chill with Guy Chambers.
Q: How did you guys get together to form The Wanted?
Tom: Massive auditions! Me, Nathan and Jay auditioned at the start and then Max and Siva came later.
Max: You had to be nurtured and trained.
Tom: We're manufactured but we're not gonna try and get away from that fact. We're all really different characters and we all get on so well.
Nathan: It's surprising.
Siva: I think if there were too similar personalities, it just wouldn't work as we'd compete.
Tom: There's something for everyone.
Max: We're like a buffet.
Q: What was it like coming together as the band for the first time?
Max: It's one of those things where you try and make more jokes than you normally would. 'I'll just try and be funny...' I'm sweating now at the thought of it. But we got on pretty quick, to be fair.
Jay: As soon Siva came in, I wanted to leave.
Max: I thought his identical twin brother was better looking.
The band's debut single All Time Low is released on July 25th. Stay tuned for part two of our interview with the boys, which is coming your way soon!
