JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English
boyband, which consists of members
Aston Merrygold
Aston Iain Merrygold (born 13 February 1988) is an English singer, dancer, television personality and actor. He is known for being a member of the British boy band JLS, who were the runners-up to Alexandra Burke in the fifth series of ''The ...
,
Oritsé Williams,
Marvin Humes
Marvin Richard James Humes (born 18 March 1985) is an English singer, disc jockey, television presenter and radio host who used to present the Monday–Thursday late night show across the Capital Network. He previously hosted ''The Official Bi ...
, and
JB Gill
Jonathan Benjamin Gill (born 7 December 1986) is an English actor, farmer, presenter and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a member of boy band JLS, who came second on ''The X Factor'' in 2008. They went on to have five number-one single ...
, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to
Tracklacers
Tracklacers was a British music production and songwriting team consisting of Jon Keep and Steve Daly. Collaborations include Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lana Del Rey, The Saturdays, Afrojack, and Danja. The team was based in London and Los Angele ...
production company New Track City and then went on to become runners-up of
the fifth series of the
ITV reality talent show ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' in 2008, coming second to
Alexandra Burke.
Following their appearance on ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'', JLS signed to
Epic Records. Their first two singles "
Beat Again
"Beat Again" is the debut single by English boy band JLS. It was released on 12 July 2009 as the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album '' JLS'' (2009). The song was written by Wayne Hector and Steve Mac and produced by Mac. The ...
" and "
Everybody in Love
"Everybody in Love" is a song by English boyband JLS from their self-titled debut album (2009). The song was released as a digital download on 1 November 2009, followed by a physical release the following day. The song became the band's seco ...
" both went to number one on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
The band's
self-titled debut album was released on 9 November 2009 and has since sold over 1 million copies in the
UK. JLS won the awards for
British Breakthrough and
British Single ("
Beat Again
"Beat Again" is the debut single by English boy band JLS. It was released on 12 July 2009 as the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album '' JLS'' (2009). The song was written by Wayne Hector and Steve Mac and produced by Mac. The ...
") at the
2010 BRIT Awards
Brit Awards 2010 was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual Brit Awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court in London for the last time. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It wa ...
. They also won several awards at the
MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...
for Best song for "
Beat Again
"Beat Again" is the debut single by English boy band JLS. It was released on 12 July 2009 as the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album '' JLS'' (2009). The song was written by Wayne Hector and Steve Mac and produced by Mac. The ...
" in 2009 and also Best Newcomer in the same year. In 2010, they won the
MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...
for Best UK act and Best Album. They also went on to win their fifth
MOBO
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...
in 2012 by winning Best Video for "
Do You Feel What I Feel?". They won the title of the UK's hardest-working band for two consecutive years, in 2011 and 2012.
In 2010, JLS signed a record deal with the US record label
Jive Records and released "
Everybody in Love
"Everybody in Love" is a song by English boyband JLS from their self-titled debut album (2009). The song was released as a digital download on 1 November 2009, followed by a physical release the following day. The song became the band's seco ...
" as their debut and only US single, but it failed to chart. "
The Club Is Alive", the lead single from their second studio album, was released in the UK in July 2010 and earned the band their third number-one on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. Their single "
Love You More" was the official single for ''
Children in Need'' in 2010 and gave the group their fourth number-one single in the UK. Their single "
She Makes Me Wanna" featuring
Dev was their fifth UK number one. As of 2012, their debut album and single have been named one of ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
''s top ten biggest-selling debut singles and albums. As of 2013, they were the 16th-richest reality TV stars in the UK, with an estimated fortune of £6 million per member, thus giving the band a financial worth of approximately £24 million.
In May 2013, after seven years together, JLS announced that they would go their separate ways after releasing a greatest hits album and one last UK and Ireland arena tour. In February 2020, the band announced a reunion, with the Beat Again Tour due to start in November 2020, but it was postponed to June 2021 due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
and then postponed to October 2021.
According to the
British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
(BPI), JLS have been certified for 2.3 million albums and 3.2 million singles in the UK.
Music career
2007–2008: Formation as UFO
Oritsé Williams decided to get into the music business mainly because his mother has
Multiple sclerosis and he wanted to raise money to help find a cure. He was originally scouted for a number of boy bands but did not feel they were right and believed that a group should have a "real" connection with each other, like his heroes
Four Tops. Williams decided to form his own boy band and, through friends, met
Marvin Humes
Marvin Richard James Humes (born 18 March 1985) is an English singer, disc jockey, television presenter and radio host who used to present the Monday–Thursday late night show across the Capital Network. He previously hosted ''The Official Bi ...
who had experience in R&B and pop music, being a part of
VS in 2004. Next to join was
Aston Merrygold
Aston Iain Merrygold (born 13 February 1988) is an English singer, dancer, television personality and actor. He is known for being a member of the British boy band JLS, who were the runners-up to Alexandra Burke in the fifth series of ''The ...
, who was once cast in the
ITV children's programme ''
Fun Song Factory
Fun Song Factory is a British preschool children's television series. It was originally created in 1994 by Will Brenton and Iain Lauchlan, who at the time, were part of the '' Playdays'' production team. The series was produced through their st ...
'', because of his athletic ability.
[Family cheer on X Factor star]
Retford Times, 24 December 2008 Last to join the group was
JB Gill
Jonathan Benjamin Gill (born 7 December 1986) is an English actor, farmer, presenter and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a member of boy band JLS, who came second on ''The X Factor'' in 2008. They went on to have five number-one single ...
, for his "musical ear" and harmonies. They bonded, became friends and together they were called UFO (an initialism of Unique Famous Outrageous). They signed to
Tracklacers
Tracklacers was a British music production and songwriting team consisting of Jon Keep and Steve Daly. Collaborations include Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lana Del Rey, The Saturdays, Afrojack, and Danja. The team was based in London and Los Angele ...
developing a sound they then called "Jack the Lad Swing", combining the phrase "Jack the lad" and the urban music of
new jack swing. While working their way into the music business, UFO instantly signed to
Epic Records, before winning their first award in late 2007 at the
Urban Music Awards
The Urban Music Awards (UMA) is a hip-hop, R&B, dance, and soul music awards ceremony which was launched by Jordan Kensington in 2003 and is now held in several countries.
The US version of the award ceremony, the Urban Music Awards USA, was ...
for Best Unsigned Act thanks to their
mash-up of "
Stand by Me" by
Ben E. King
Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later ...
and "
Beautiful Girls" by
Sean Kingston. Shortly thereafter, they released their second single, "Slap Ya Elbow". The group give credit to 'DJ Triz' who produced one of UFO's first songs and helped them write it.
2008–2009: ''The X Factor'' and new name
In 2008, UFO auditioned for the
fifth series of ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'', but had to change their name because it was already being used by
another group, so they decided to go with the name JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing, the style created with Tracklacers some months back). Following the elimination of girl groups
Bad Lashes and
Girlband in weeks one and two respectively, JLS were
Louis Walsh
Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later be ...
's last remaining act in the competition, but throughout the live shows the judges called them the best band to come out of ''The X Factor''. In week 7, JLS were in the bottom two along with
Rachel Hylton. However, they survived thanks to votes from Walsh,
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstar ...
and
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...
. Cowell stated when deliberating that JLS did not deserve to be in the bottom two. In the quarter-final, JLS performed "
...Baby One More Time" and received negative comments from two of the four judges, with Cowell saying "at the moment you're out", but after their second performance, "
You Light Up My Life", Cowell commented that they were "back in the race" and that they could "have a hit record" with the performance.
In the semi-final, JLS performed "
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...
" and "
I'm Already There
''I'm Already There'' is the fifth studio album released by American country music band Lonestar. Released in 2001 on BNA Records (see 2001 in country music), the album was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of one million copies.
Serving ...
". Cowell then predicted they would win the competition. They made it to the final and performed their own version of the winner's song, "
Hallelujah
''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...
", which the other finalist
Alexandra Burke also performed. The public voted for the second time that night and Burke won the competition, JLS coming second. They were the fourth band to make the final. JLS's manager thought the band would be well suited to
Epic Records, with whom they signed a record contract in January 2009.
2009–2010: ''JLS''
As soon as the contract was signed, Epic A&Rs
Nick Raphael
Nick may refer to:
* Nick (given name)
* A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat
* British slang for being arrested
* British slang for a police station
* British slang for stealing
* Short for nickname
Place ...
and
Jo Charrington began album preparation by contacting the pop songwriters and producers who they thought to be the best in the industry. These included
Steve Mac,
Wayne Hector
Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...
,
J.R. Rotem and
DEEKAY
Deekay is a Danish production and songwriting team founded by Lars Halvor Jensen, Martin Michael Larsson with other members Tim "Data" McEwan, Daniel "Obi" Klein and Johannes "Josh" Jørgensen. The name Deekay comes from the acronym dk, which ...
.
When they went to see Mac he played them "
Beat Again
"Beat Again" is the debut single by English boy band JLS. It was released on 12 July 2009 as the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album '' JLS'' (2009). The song was written by Wayne Hector and Steve Mac and produced by Mac. The ...
", a song he had written with Hector, and the pair enthusiastically agreed that it was perfect for JLS. Charrington said: "Once you've got that special song everything else seems to fall into place."
The song was released as the debut single in July, only six months after the band had signed with the label. It reached No. 1 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
on 19 July 2009.
On 9 November 2009 JLS released their eponymously titled debut album, ''
JLS
JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company ...
''.
The album debuted at No. 1 on the UK Album Chart, selling over 1 million copies and named the sixth best selling album in the UK during 2009, only being released for 8 weeks before the list was compiled. Their second single "
Everybody in Love
"Everybody in Love" is a song by English boyband JLS from their self-titled debut album (2009). The song was released as a digital download on 1 November 2009, followed by a physical release the following day. The song became the band's seco ...
", released on 2 November 2009,
also topped the UK Singles Chart.
Their third single, "
One Shot", peaked at number six despite a physical release; however, it did stay in the charts for a number of weeks despite the drop. Due to the success of their album, the group went on their first headline tour, with twenty-five dates around the UK and Ireland. The group also became the first ''The X Factor'' contestants to win a BRIT Award in 2010, winning the British Breakthrough and Best British Single for "Beat Again".
Jay-Z predicted that they would become as big as
'N Sync
NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to Europea ...
.
In the beginning of 2010, a bidding war was underway between (US-based)
Epic Records and
Jive Records to sign JLS to an American deal. The group settled with Jive Records, while continuing to remain with their native signing on Sony Music UK's Epic Records. As of August 2010, the album has sold over 1.2 million copies and has been certified 4× Platinum in the UK. The album was released as a six-track EP in the United States, featuring tracks "Beat Again", "Everybody in Love", "One Shot", "Only Tonight" and "Close to You" from the UK edition of the album, along with "The Club Is Alive" from the second UK album. It was released on 3 August 2010 and JLS also won two awards at the BT Digital Music Awards 2010 winning Best Group and Best Video for "Everybody in Love" .
2010–2011: ''Outta This World''
In an interview with
HitQuarters recorded in March, producer-songwriter
Steve Mac said he was currently at work writing for the second JLS album,
Another album contributor,
Lucas Secon, said that the style of songs he worked on for the album were "a little more acoustic", prefiguring what he sees as a pop music trend shift from synthetic sounds to a more live approach.
Songwriter-producer
Chris Braide
Christopher Braide (born 1973) is an English songwriter, record producer and singer, formerly based in Malibu, Los Angeles, California, United States. Braide is known for being a pianist.
First signed as a solo artist by David A. Stewart in t ...
confirmed in August that he had just written and produced two tracks for the album.
Braide said that he composed "skeleton" versions of the songs by himself, and then two members of JLS then came into his London studio to help complete them.
One song was written and recorded within the space of a day.
"
The Club Is Alive" was announced as the lead single in April and released on 4 July 2010. The group promoted the single on Britain's Got Talent and GMTV. The single debuted at number one, becoming the group's third UK number one single. Then reports suggested that a second single, "Ay Mama", was to be released in United States on 14 September 2010 and was set to feature Barbadian singer-songwriter
Shontelle
Shontelle Layne (born 4 October 1985), known mononymously as Shontelle, is a Barbadian singer and songwriter. She released her debut album ''Shontelligence'' in 2008. Her second album, '' No Gravity'', was released in 2010. Her singles "T-Shirt ...
.
However the group told
Digital Spy that although a song had been recorded with Shontelle, it was never confirmed for the album.
On 16 September 2010 the group unveiled the second single, "
Love You More" and was a
BBC Children in Need single. It was their 4th UK number-one.
The group wrote the song with
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and produc ...
and
Wayne Hector
Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...
.
''
Outta This World'' was released on 22 November 2010 and debuted at number 2 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
selling 152,000 copies, being held off the number 1 spot by the second-week sales of
Take That
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
's record breaking ''
Progress
Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension w ...
'' album. The album's third single "
Eyes Wide Shut
''Eyes Wide Shut'' is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on the 1926 novella '' Traumnovelle'' (''Dream Story'') by Arthur Schnitzler, transferring the story's set ...
" was remixed to feature
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his own entertainment compa ...
, and has so far reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
Merrygold said that the group had teamed up with
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...
for songs on the third album, and had spoken about the possibility of working with
Usher or
Rihanna. On 7 January 2011 the album was certified double platinum by BPI, representing sales of over 600,000 in the UK.
2011–2012: ''Jukebox'' and ''Evolution''
JLS began working on their third album, ''
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to sele ...
'' in March 2011. In May 2011 it was confirmed that the first single will feature American singer-songwriter
Dev, and is titled "
She Makes Me Wanna".
The song was produced by BeatGeek, Jimmy Joker, Teddy Sky, who are part of
RedOne's production company, after the group bid £30,000 for a recording session with the producer at
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
' Black Charity Ball in 2010.
It was serviced to radio stations on 25 May 2011, while it was released for
digital download on 24 July 2011. The album was released on 14 November 2011, and the band will embark on another UK arena tour in support of the album in March and April 2012. On 15 September, JLS announced that "
Take a Chance on Me
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' ABBA: The Album'' (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses an ...
" would be their second single from their album ''
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to sele ...
''. It was released on 4 November 2011, and charted at number two on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The song was written by Emile Ghantous,
Frankie Bautista,
Nasri Atweh
Nasri Tony Atweh ( ar, نصري طوني عطوة, born 10 January 1981), known mononymously as Nasri, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is the lead vocali ...
, and Nick Turpin. The band's third single "
Do You Feel What I Feel?" was released on 1 January 2012 and became their lowest-charting single to date, peaking at number sixteen. The album charted at number 2 on the UK Album Charts, making it the second consecutive album to miss the number 1 spot, and entered the Irish Album Charts at number 5.
In 2012, JLS recorded the official
Sport Relief
''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002.
It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educat ...
charity single, "
Proud
Proud may refer to:
Music
* ''Proud'' (Heather Small album), the debut album by Heather Small
** "Proud" (Heather Small song), a song by Heather Small that was the official song for the London 2012 Olympic bid
* ''Proud'' (compilation album), ...
". It was released on 18 March 2012. The song was co-written with Daniel Davidsen, Jason Gill,
Cutfather
Mich Hedin Hansen (born 9 April 1968), known professionally as Cutfather, is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ based in Copenhagen. Cutfather has a studio on Njalsgade, Copenhagen.
Career
Cutfather is perhaps best known for hi ...
and Ali Tennant, who also worked on the ''Jukebox'' album. The band were among the performers at the
Diamond Jubilee
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniver ...
concert held outside Buckingham Palace on 4 June 2012. On 7 June 2012, they performed at the Royal Albert Hall for the Rays of Sunshine concert, which grants wishes for seriously ill youngsters in the UK aged 3–18 years old. On 8 June 2012, they were announced to perform at the
iTunes Festival 2012, along with ''The X Factor'' alumni
Olly Murs
Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...
,
One Direction
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
and
Rebecca Ferguson
Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström (born 19 October 1983) is a Swedish actress. She began her acting career with the Swedish soap opera ''Nya tider'' (1999–2000) and went on to star in the slasher film ''Drowning Ghost'' (2004). She came to in ...
.
On 21 August 2012, JLS began filming a music video for "
Hottest Girl in the World
Hottest Girl in the World is a song by English boy band JLS, released as the official lead, and second overall, single from the group's fourth studio album, ''Evolution''. The track was released on 21 October 2012. The track is a preview of t ...
", the lead single from their fourth album. On 25 August, the band announced that their upcoming fourth album would be called ''
Evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
''. The album will be released on 5 November. On the direction of the album Merrygold said; "We didn't go by any kind of guidelines or anything like that, we just made what felt right and we're really excited about it." The band also confirmed that a Deluxe version of the LP will be available that will feature bonus and unreleased tracks. Producers on the album include chart-topping US studio bods
Rodney Jerkins,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, and
Midi Mafia
The MIDI Mafia is a music production duo consisting of American Bruce Waynne (born Waynne Nugent) from Brooklyn, New York and Canadian Dirty Swift (born Kevin Risto) from Ottawa, Ontario. Together as Midi Mafia since 2003, they are most notable for ...
. On 6 September, they premiered the lead single, "
Hottest Girl in the World
Hottest Girl in the World is a song by English boy band JLS, released as the official lead, and second overall, single from the group's fourth studio album, ''Evolution''. The track was released on 21 October 2012. The track is a preview of t ...
", on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
. The single was released on 21 October and debuted at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.
2013: ''Goodbye – The Greatest Hits'' and split
On 14 December 2012, JLS were invited to ''
Friday Download
''Friday Download'' was a British children's entertainment television programme, produced by Saltbeef Productions on CBBC. It premiered on 6 May 2011. The final presenting team consisted of Molly Rainford, Anaïs Gallagher, Harvey Cantwell, ...
'' as special guests. On 17 December, Humes revealed that the group were to release a follow-up album to ''Evolution'' in 2013. On 1 February 2013, it was confirmed that, work on what would have been their fifth studio album, had begun.
On 24 April 2013, JLS released a statement on their official website announcing that they would be splitting up after releasing their greatest hits collection and completing their third and final arena tour. On 24 April 2013, the band confirmed plans to release ''
Goodbye – The Greatest Hits
''Goodbye – The Greatest Hits'' is the first greatest hits album, and fifth album overall, to be released by British boy band JLS. It was released in the United Kingdom on 18 November 2013, via RCA Records. The album contained a total of twelv ...
'' in late 2013, which would be preceded by a new single to coincide with their farewell arena tour across the UK.
It was confirmed on 26 September that their final single will be called "
Billion Lights", which was released on 17 November 2013 and charted at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.
JLS officially disbanded following the final gig of their Goodbye Tour at
The O2 Arena
The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...
in London on 22 December 2013.
2020–present: Reunion, ''Beat Again Tour'' and '' 2.0''
In November 2019, it was reported that JLS would return as a band after six years, with plans to launch a tour and release new music. This was confirmed on 12 February 2020, when JLS announced their reformation for a reunion tour called the Beat Again Tour. In February 2021, the band confirmed that a drill track called "Time" was not by them, after the song was thought to be their new single, due to it being credited to an act called JLS (with the song actually being by rappers Switch and J9). 8 March it was revealed that JLS had signed a new record deal with
BMG to make new music.
On 3 September 2021 the band released “
Eternal Love” the lead single from the band's fifth studio album “2.0”.
Influences
At their ''X Factor'' audition in 2008, JLS stated that they aspired to be like groups like
Four Tops,
Take That
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
,
Boyz II Men,
Westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
and
Jodeci
Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limi ...
. Other influences include
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
and
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...
,
Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.
The ...
,
NSYNC,
Take 6
Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group integrates jazz with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 has received several Grammy Awards as well as Dove ...
,
Will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
,
The Temptations
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...
,
Bell Biv DeVoe
Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts, formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe.
The band is best known for their debut album, the multi-p ...
,
Frank Sinatra,
Lionel Richie and
the Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...
.
Aston Merrygold has cited
Usher, Michael Jackson,
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...
,
Beyoncé,
Chris Brown and Boyz II Men as influences. Marvin Humes cites Michael Jackson,
Marvin Gaye,
Stevie Wonder, Usher,
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...
,
Mariah Carey,
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
, Boyz II Men,
Justin Timberlake and
Craig David
Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single " Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ''Born to Do It'', was released in 2000, after which he has re ...
as influences. JB Gill cites Michael Jackson, Beyoncé and Lionel Richie as influences.
Other ventures
Television appearances
As well as appearing on numerous TV programmes for promotion of their albums/singles, JLS have had two special TV shows of their own broadcast. The first was an hour-long documentary for
ITV2, titled ''JLS Revealed'', which first aired on 7 November 2009. The documentary followed them in the year after they had finished second in ''The X Factor'', capturing them as they toured with
Lemar
Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), known as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the first series of British talent show ''Fame Academy'', he was later signed to Sony BMG ...
, released their singles and attended the
MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...
amongst other highlights. The second show was an hour-long entertainment show for
ITV titled ''This Is JLS'', which first aired on 11 December 2010 before the first show of that year's ''
X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003) ...
'' final. Filmed before a live studio audience, the band performed all of their hits, tracks from the ''
Outta This World'' album and a special duet with
Kylie Minogue on her hit song "
All the Lovers
"All the Lovers" is a song recorded by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue for her eleventh studio album, ''Aphrodite'' (2010). It was released by Parlophone on 11 June 2010 as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Jim ...
", as well as partaking in surprise hidden camera stunts for lucky fans who had been invited to be in the audience for the show.
The group have also released their own documentary film titled ''JLS: Eyes Wide Open 3D'', making them the first British music act to release a 3D film. Filmed at
The O2 Arena
The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...
during the tour for their second album ''
Outta This World'' in December 2010/January 2011, and incorporated with documentary footage shot by Ben Winston and
Andy Morahan
Andrew Douglas Morahan (born 11 August 1958) is a British commercial, film and music video director. He is the son of director Christopher Morahan and the half-brother of actress Hattie Morahan.
Married to Joanna Lewis, he has two children.
...
, it was shown exclusively for three days only from 3 June 2011 in over 300 UK cinemas. Due to many cinemas selling out tickets for the initial weekend, additional screenings were made in cinemas for the following weekend from 10 June 2011, thus, more tickets were available to buy online or on the day of screening. It opened at number 5 in the UK Box Office chart, raking in £463,914 from three June weekend screenings alone. A DVD of the film was released on 5 December 2011. JLS also created a one-off Christmas special TV programme called ''A Very JLS Christmas'', in which various celebrities appeared such as
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She gained recognition in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B, garage and hip hop group Mis-Teeq. The group disbanded i ...
.
On 28 June 2013, JLS appeared on ''
The Million Pound Drop'', playing for charity.
Products and endorsements
They have also had two best-selling books published, with both featuring photography from the renowned fashion photographer Dean Freeman. The first, ''Our Story So Far'', was published through
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...
in September 2009, and went on to become a
Sunday Times best-seller. The second, entitled ''Just Between Us: Our Private Diary'', was also published through HarperCollins in September 2010, and was again a best-seller in the run up to Christmas that year.
In addition to launching their own clothing line, and the usual merchandising of calendars, posters etc., JLS have also released branded condoms with Durex under the campaign line "Just Love Safe", as part of a charitable organisation they have established called the JLS Foundation, where they are working together with sexual health charities such as Brook to raise awareness of practising safe sex and family planning. The initiative was launched at a press conference in September 2010. Individually, the band have also become patrons for different charities, namely
Beatbullying (Merrygold),
Childline (Humes), Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity (Gill) and
National MS Society
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in New York City as the Association for Advancement of Research on Multiple Sclerosis on March 11, 1946 by Sylvia Lawry. Ms. Lawry was a lawyer looking fo ...
(Williams). Williams was awarded by the
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain
The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) is the UK's largest charity for people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). Based in London, it has offices and local groups in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It gained charitable compan ...
with the "Inspiration Award" in April 2010 for his work for the charity.
In January 2011 it was announced that they and
Alexandra Burke have worked together to create brand new fashion line, ''2KX''. Burke and JLS stated, "We are eagerly waiting for the first stocks of the ultra-hyped menswear and womenswear range, due very soon." To coincide with the launch of their third album "Jukebox", they will feature in their very own edition of 'TheirMag', a newly formed sister publication to
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and w ...
's "#5" magazine.
In March 2012, they launched their first fragrance, ''Kiss''. All four of the band members worked with perfume designer
Azzi Glasser to form the scent. In February 2013, they launched their second fragrance, ''Love'', which scent ranges from hints of jasmine, white tea, pink orchid and orange-blossom.
Philanthropy
In 2010 the group founded "The JLS Foundation" a foundation that sets out to raise money for 6 different charities:
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...
, Rays of Sunshine, Brook,
Childline, Beat Bullying and the
MS Society. Despite the split, the foundation still exists and all members are still committed to continue the foundation.
JLS have appeared on every
Children in need night since 2010. All sales from the JLS number one single
Love You More went to Children in Need. In 2011 Merrygold did a VT for the charity in which he met seven-year-old Emily who suffers from
Osteogenesis imperfecta
Osteogenesis imperfecta (; OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, is a group of genetic disorders that all result in bones that break easily. The range of symptoms—on the skeleton as well as on the body's other organs—may b ...
. In 2012 JLS performed at the "children in need rocks Manchester" concert performing
Take a Chance on Me
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' ABBA: The Album'' (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses an ...
. In 2013 Aston appeared on Children In Need for the last time as a member of JLS where the group sang a medley of JLS songs at the
EastEnders set.
JLS have also helped raise money for
comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
, appearing in comedy sketches with both
Miranda Hart
Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke (born 14 December 1972) is an English actress and writer. Following drama training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Hart began writing material for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and making appearances in va ...
and
James Corden.
In 2012 all the band members visited Uganda for
Sport Relief
''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002.
It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educat ...
appearing in emotional VT's across the night. The same year JLS released the official sport relief Charity single "
Proud
Proud may refer to:
Music
* ''Proud'' (Heather Small album), the debut album by Heather Small
** "Proud" (Heather Small song), a song by Heather Small that was the official song for the London 2012 Olympic bid
* ''Proud'' (compilation album), ...
", which peaked at number 6 in the chart, as well as hosting a special charity concert "JLS sing for Sport Relief" and doing the Sport Relief Mile.
In total JLS have appeared in 5 charity singles: A cover of
Mariah Carey's "
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
" as part of the X Factor 2008 finalists (for
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes (H4H) is a British charity which provides lifelong recovery support to British Armed Forces service personnel who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty, and to their families, originally only since 11 September 2001, th ...
),
Wishing on a Star
"Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by former The Undisputed Truth member Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. The song was originally offered to Barbra Streisand for her album project but later declined. It was first ...
X Factor finalists featuring JLS and One Direction (for organisation
Together for Short Lives) "
Love You More" (for Children in Need), "
Proud
Proud may refer to:
Music
* ''Proud'' (Heather Small album), the debut album by Heather Small
** "Proud" (Heather Small song), a song by Heather Small that was the official song for the London 2012 Olympic bid
* ''Proud'' (compilation album), ...
" (for Sport Relief) and "
Everybody Hurts
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, '' Automatic for the People'' (1992), and released as a single in April 1993. It peaked at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top ...
" (for
Helping Haiti
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, ''Automatic for the People'' (1992), and released as a single in April 1993. It peaked at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top 10 ...
). Four out of 5 of these charity singles got to number one on the
UK singles chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
Members
Oritsé Williams
Oritsé Jolomi Matthew Soloman Williams (born 27 November 1986) attended St Edwards School in West London, where he was known as Music Boy. He has two brothers and one sister. When he was 12, his mother was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis. He had to care for his brothers and sister whilst attending schools and clubs. He attended the British International School in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
, Nigeria. Here he befriended English/Nigerian singer L Marshall (who also attended the school in Lagos) and won his first talent show performing alongside L in his final year. He also attended Larmenier Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School and Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. Williams dreamed of being a solo artist from a very young age. He was recruited for many boy bands but believed that a good boy band had to have a good bond between the members. He decided to put together his own boy band, UFO, who later changed their name to JLS (there was another British rock band already called UFO). He also wrote the song "
Wow Oh Wow" for
Jedward
John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward (a portmanteau of their first names), are an Irish singing and television presenting duo. They are identical twins who first appeared as John & Edward in the sixth ...
.
On 28 September 2013, Williams won the first series of the
ITV dancing show ''
Stepping Out'', hosted by
Davina McCall
Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show '' Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's ''Streetmate'' (199 ...
.
Williams released his debut single "Waterline" featuring
Pusha T
Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...
in June 2015.
Marvin Humes
Marvin Richard James Humes (born 18 March 1985 in
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
, London, England) is the oldest member of the band. Humes was previously a member of another band called VS, created by
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
member
Simon Webbe, but they split shortly after releasing an album. After meeting future fellow band member
Aston Merrygold
Aston Iain Merrygold (born 13 February 1988) is an English singer, dancer, television personality and actor. He is known for being a member of the British boy band JLS, who were the runners-up to Alexandra Burke in the fifth series of ''The ...
, Humes joined UFO. Humes appeared in ''
Holby City'' on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
for three years from 2000 to 2003, playing Robbie Waring for 14 episodes. At the age of 14 he starred in a children's programme called ''K-Club'', which helped people with computers and how they work. Humes has been in a public relationship with
since March 2010. They got engaged on 31 December 2011 and married on 27 July 2012 at Blenheim Palace. It was announced on Twitter on 22 November 2012 that they were expecting their first child and, on 20 May 2013, Rochelle gave birth to their daughter Alaia-Mai. The couple's second child, a daughter called Valentina Raine, was born on 10 March 2017.
He hosted ''
'' on BBC One alongside his wife, Rochelle.
Jonathan Benjamin "JB" Gill (born 7 December 1986) is the son of Cynthia and Keith Gill, and has one brother called Neequaye. Gill spent the first five years of his life living in Antigua, discovering his musical talent at a very early age. After completing his exams at university, he decided to audition for ''The X Factor'' in 2008. It was at this point that he came into contact with the other members of JLS. Gill grew up, mostly, in Croydon and began making music at the age of seven when he played the recorder, piano, flute and guitar. At the age of nine, he joined the choir and went on to perform at the local church. Gill concentrated on his music and began studying at The Centre for Young Musicians (CYM).
After leaving the CYM, Gill stayed involved with the school music scene. He was involved with the choir at school. He continued this until he was 15 but had to give it up due to the pressures from the school to concentrate on his rugby career; he was involved with London Irish rugby club until he was 18. Gill eventually decided that he wanted to sing rather than play rugby and melon took up vocal coaching during a year out before attending university. During this period, Gill was contacted by Oritse to try out for the band because of his musical ear and attention to harmonies. He studied theology at King's College London, staying in halls in Russell Square, before dropping out to pursue a music career.
In December 2012, he won Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Specials#2012, the Christmas Special edition of the BBC program ''Strictly Come Dancing'', performing the Jive with Ola Jordan. Gill is now an owner of a farm in Scotland and he will take a pause from music and start a different life as a farmer.
In 2014, JB collaborated with DJ and music producer Charlie Hedges to release his debut solo single "Best Night of My Life", making him the first member of JLS to release solo material.
In late 2008, Gill began dating backing dancer Chloe Tangney. In January 2014, the couple announced their engagement and married on 3 May 2014. On 19 September 2014, the couple welcomed a baby boy, Ace Jeremiah Gill. In July 2018, their daughter Chiara Sapphire Gill was born.
He now presents a television show on children's channel CBeebies, called 'Down on the Farm'.
Aston Iain Merrygold (born 13 February 1988 in Peterborough, England) was born to a Jamaican father and an Anglo-Irish mother. He is one of seven children; he has five brothers and one sister. He was born and raised in Peterborough, where he attended Jack Hunt School. In 2002, Merrygold entered ''Stars in Their Eyes'' where he appeared as
, singing "Rockin' Robin (song), Rockin' Robin" and finished in second place. He came in second yet again with JLS on ''The X Factor'' at age 20. Aston performed in school productions and, after leaving school in 2004, was cast in a new
'' alongside children's TV presenter Laura Hamilton. In the show, Merrygold played the character "Cookie".
Whilst still attending secondary school, he played Association football, football on behalf of England in the European Youth Games. His initial aspiration was to play football professionally. However, after developing a nerve problem in his left foot, he tried singing and acting instead. Through acting, he met Humes. As a result, he received a call from Williams (an acquaintance of Humes) about joining a boy band.
Aston worked on his debut solo album Showstopper for a planned mid-2016 release, but it remains unreleased. The lead single of the album, "Get Stupid" was released on 24 July 2015.
In August 2017, Merrygold was announced as a contestant for the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. Merrygold was eliminated on 5 November 2017, coming in tenth place.
In December 2018, Aston reunited with dance partner Janette Manrara for Strictly's Christmas Special. The pair went on to perform the Jive to Cee Lo Green's What Christmas Means to Me. Merrygold scored a perfect score of 40 and the pair won the TV special.
He is engaged to dancer Sarah Lou Richards and their son, Grayson Jax Merrygold was born on 30 January 2018.
;Headlining
*JLS Tour, JLS: The Theatre Tour
*JLS Tour, Outta This World Tour
*4th Dimensions Tour
*Goodbye: The Greatest Hits Tour
*Beat Again Tour (2021)
;Co-headlining
*X Factor Live 2009
*US Summer Tour
*Summer UK Tour
{{DEFAULTSORT:JLS (Band)
English boy bands
British contemporary R&B musical groups
British pop music groups
The X Factor (British TV series) contestants
Musical groups established in 2006
Black British musical groups
Brit Award winners
Musical groups disestablished in 2013
Musical groups reestablished in 2020
BT Digital Music Awards winners