If you haven't yet heard of the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer, it may be time to start paying closer attention. Recently releasing their first EP in America, She Looks So Perfect, lead vocalist/guitarist Luke Hemmings, guitarist/vocalist Michael Clifford, bassist/vocalist Calum Hood and drummer/vocalist Ashton Irwin are about to make their biggest breakthrough yet.
The band started in 2011 when Luke, Calum and Michael, school friends from western Sydney, started covering songs by artists like Blink-182 and Mayday Parade and uploading them onto YouTube. After Ashton joined the group as the drummer near the end of 2011, the guys started becoming more serious about their band. With a growing fanbase and a shared passion for music, the guys signed a deal with Sony in 2012, and released two EPs in Australia, Unplugged and Somewhere New. 5 Seconds of Summer's popularity grew and grew as they sold out shows across AUS. But the band really started to catch attention from the rest of the world when One Direction's, Louis Tomlinson, gave the guys a personal shout-out on Twitter, telling his fans to "get behind them." In 2013, 5 Seconds of Summer was opening for One Direction on their Take Me Home tour. By touring with this hot British boy band, 5SOS (tip: it's pronounced "5 sauce," not "5 S-O-S") had the chance to travel the world, play their music and expand their fanbase.
For the past two years, 5SOS has been working on recording their debut album. With their release of their first four-song EP in America this April, the punk rock band is making a breakthrough into the pop music scene, as their single, "She Looks So Perfect," is currently being played on Top Hits radio stations all across the country. By playing their own instruments and writing their own songs, 5SOS are bringing a type of rock that has been missed in mainstream music for years. The EP nearly topped the Billboard 200 chart at No. 2, and the band sold out their first headlining North American tour in less than 5 minutes. 5 Seconds of Summer will be releasing another EP, Don't Stop, on June 15 (which unfortunately will not be available in North America), and will release their full album on July 22. The guys will have a just a few more shows to play this summer, as they announced they will once again open for One Direction on their sold out Where We Are stadium tour across Europe and America.
But these busy boys have even more ahead of them this year with the start of their own record label. The label is called Hi or Hey Records (the name is an inside joke between 5SOS and their fans), and is partnered with Capitol Records. 5SOS will be producing their own music and creating their image the way they want to, and will eventually sign other bands to the label as well.
And just when it seemed this year couldn't get any more exciting for 5 Seconds of Summer, they had their first U.S. televised performance at the Billboard Music Awards, which was aired live on ABC on May 18.
Yet 5SOS always seem to find a way to give their credit to their fans. The band has said before that their fans are more like family, so their fans call themselves, "the 5SOS Fam." From repeatedly making fun of the guys for being late to everything and overusing the word "soon" when talking about their album, to being included in the major decisions that 5SOS makes regarding their music and image, the relationship between 5SOS and the 5SOS Fam is fun, light-hearted and incredibly loyal. Luke, Michael, Calum and Ashton each use social media to reach out to their supporters every day by replying to tweets and DMs and posting videos on Instagram to update their fans on what's new. Through their constant interaction, it appears that 5SOS loves to let the Fam know how much they appreciate their endless support.
This is a band to look out for. While already being almost three years old, it seems that 2014 will be full of opportunities leading to the beginning of a long career for 5 Seconds of Summer. Keep your eyes on this group, because great things are ahead, and they aren't showing signs of slowing down any time soon.