The JLS boys have come a long way since the X Factor – and they’re ready to get even bigger! Source’s Laura Donaldson sat down with the band’s JB to talk dream collaborations, the reality TV days and American dreams…
Your fourth album Evolution was released in November. How does it compare to the first three?
It’s definitely a progression. No album that we’ve released in the past has ever been the same. This album’s definitely a lot harder than the previous three because it’s an evolution from our first album to this one. I think it’s a representation of how we’ve grown and how we’ve developed.
You worked with a lot of new producers and writers on the album – how did that go?
Everybody that we worked with on this album was incredibly talented. Bangladesh has four tracks on the album, which is quite a lot. I don’t know if any other producers has had that many on an album before. We had a great session with Rodney Jerkins, he was incredible to work with – he’s worked with so many people.
Are there any collaborations with other artists?
There’s a couple of collaborations with some new American artists that will be on the deluxe version of the album. When we’re doing collaborations, we love to do big artists like what we did with Tinie Tempah on Eyes Wide Shut but also people like Dev on She Makes Me Wanna. It’s important for us to work with up-and-coming artists.
Who would your ideal collaboration be?
I’d love to get in the studio with someone like Bruno Mars. He’s extremely talented, it would be great. I’m sure we could get a good track out of that.
How does it feel when you go back to perform on the X Factor?
It’s kind of like home, but the show has changed a lot since we were on it so it’s not quite the same. All the judges are different… Apart from Louis! [laughs] It’s a bit of a homecoming but there’s no pressure, we’re not singing to stay in the competition any more so it’s nice just to perform.
Do you enjoy being an inspiration for people who don’t win the competition, but can still go on to have amazing careers?
For me, it doesn’t matter if you win the X Factor or not, you still have the opportunity. We were the first to bring back the boy band era and we’re very proud of that fact. People ask us if we’re jealous of One Direction and their US success but we opened a door for them and hopefully [in the States] they can open the door for us – it works both ways.
Do you have plans to crack the US market?
Definitely. For us, it’s about going all around the world. We’ve had a lot of support for the single in Italy and Spain so we’d love to tour and promote over there. Whether it’s Europe or Asia or the US – wherever it may be, we’re really looking forward to it.
JLS’s latest album Evolution is out now. You can catch the boys on tour in April – head to www.ticketsoup.com for details.
Source, Winter 2012
