The beautiful Pop-Tart may be turning 50 years old, but that doesn't mean it's too old to throw an amazing party. That's exactly what the #CrazyGoodSummer tour is -- a big birthday bash for your favorite packaged pastry.
Los Angeles jammed with Jasmine V, Dallas rocked out to Demi Lovato and us Chicagoans were blessed with Emblem3. After getting their start on the X Factor under the guidance of Simon Cowell (a.k.a. The Man Who Founded One Direction), it became clear that these guys had serious talent (and looked gorgeous too). Major bonus: When we introduced ourselves as HuffPost Teen reporters, Keaton informed us he reads some of our celeb-based content, and we felt like very proud mothers. We happily chatted with the "Chloe" singers about their X Factor days, Ed Sheeran, and, of course, Pop-Tarts.
What's your favorite flavor Pop-Tart?
Keaton: S'mores.
Wes: I'm gonna change mine and say peanut butter because I really want to try the new peanut butter flavor.
Keaton: You haven't even tried it?!
How did your experience on the X Factor shape you as an artist?
Keaton: So before the X Factor we were a band only pretty much doing like rock reggae in Huntington Beach, and then going onto a show like the X Factor, dropping the instruments and starting to sing a lot more brought us into this whole pop aspect of things and taught us how to relate to a lot more people, which was really, really, really cool.
Wes: Definitely. It opened us up and we expanded as artists massively.
Keaton: Absolutely. I don't know if you've heard our first record, Songs From the Couch -- we just put it out on iTunes officially. So that was like our rock/ reggae record and after the X Factor did our Nothing to Lose album, that was like our pop album.
What artists and bands have influenced you the most?
Keaton: I think Sublime, Blink-182. I grew up with Owl City -- it kind of has that pop aspect to it.
Wes: Dude, Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Keaton: Dude, everyone. Everything I've ever heard is an influence.
Wes: Biggie Smalls.
Keaton: Really?
If you could collaborate with any artist in the world, who would you choose?
Wes: I would choose Keaton.
Keaton: I would choose Ed Sheeran. Oh, this just got real awkward. [laughs]. I collab with you every day. Ed Sheeran seriously is like -- I look up to him so much. Every song he writes comes from the heart
Do you have any preshow rituals?
Keaton: We do actually strip down into our undies and we get a whole tub of lard... No, we do some vocal warm-ups.
[Demonstrates warm-up. This is very cute and not at all weird.]
Keaton: And then we just jump up and down and get really stoked.
Wes: We go, "L-E-T-S G-O, LET'S GO!"
Can you tell us a little bit about Team Inspire? What do you aim to do with this? What kind of work do you do?
Wes: Basically, Team Inspire started out as a hashtag during our X Factor experience, and then it turned into something greater. At first it was just us sharing moving, inspirational quotes with #TeamInspire. Then, girls really started it. They were getting together in their schools and starting Team Inspire Clubs and they would post sticky notes with motivational, inspirational quotes and they would be there to support each other, to help them through whatever struggles they were going through, like eating disorders or cutting or self-harm.
Now, it's expanded over the entire world in, like, 70 different countries there are Team Inspire groups. We try to have a take-over every month where the Team Inspire groups will all form in one location, get together, play games and talk about what's going on in their life and how they can help each other.
Keaton: It's really cool because most of these girls are going through a hard time where they need someone to be there for them. We're obviously there for them, but they find these girls that have similar interests: they like our music as well, that gives them something to introduce them. It's really cool because I've seen so many girls come up to me and be like, "I met my best friend literally just because of you guys," and that is so cool to me.
Do you still keep in touch with any other contestants from when you were on X Factor?
Wes: Keaton still talks to Lauren all the time.
Keaton: Okay, so yes, I text Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony every once in a while... I mean, we dated on the show, it was open knowledge. We have busy schedules, and I think she has a boyfriend now from back home, which is cool, and we're just friends. I wish I could give you a juicy story.
Wes: We could make one up.
Keaton: Not gonna do that.
Wes: Oh, yeah, I forgot she would probably hear about it.
Keaton: She'll be like, "Uh... what? You're a liar. You're lying."
What was it like touring with Selena Gomez?
Wes: Hot.
Keaton: It was really, really cool. We got to do such huge venues. We performed at the Staples Center. It sold out. It was insane. It made life happen, it was beautiful. I definitely cried onstage.
Wes: A lot. Maybe a little too much.
Keaton: She is amazing. Selena Gomez is awesome. We became good friends.
Wes: I miss her.
Since you are a group of young guys that found success through the X Factor, do you often find people comparing you to One Direction?
Wes: I'm stoked. I like them.
Keaton: We were on a similar path, but the end result was different. We definitely have very different sounds when it comes to the music, and I think that's a really important part. We're a pop-reggae band, and they're strictly pop-rock, which is cool. I think that's what makes us different. Also, different influences growing up.
Wes: We're looking up to those guys, though. They're really cool.
Since you guys are from California, I was wondering if you could tell us what makes the west coast the best coast?
Keaton: The hot babes. They have some hot babes out there... no, honestly, it's the sunshine. It's all year-round, even the wintertime, the most it gets is like, 50 degrees. The sun's always out, and everyone's always just happy. I think a lot of people go to California to find something or achieve their dreams. We lived in Washington state for a long time growing up and when we got back to California, it was our time to work and become artists, and there are a lot of people that are driven in California. It's really good to have those people.
Wes: A lot of like-minded people.
What do you like to do when you get a day off from tour?
Wes: Sleep.
Keaton: I like to take long naps. I like long walks on the beach. The perfect day is back home, California, going to the beach with a couple of friends, laying out in the sunshine, get a nice bronze.
Wes: You get burnt pretty quick. Mine usually turns to a brisk bronze by morning.
QUICKFIRE
Simon Cowell or Demi Lovato?
Keaton: Demi.
Wes: Demi.
Skating or surfing?
Keaton: Surfing.
Wes: Surfing.
Batman or Superman?
Keaton: Superman.
Wes: Superman.
Twitter or Instagram?
Keaton: Instagram.
Wes: Twitter.
Snapback or beanie?
Keaton: Beanie.
Wes: Snapback.
