US5 was a multinational
pop boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
. The band originated in 2005 on the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
RTL II
RTL Zwei (stylised as RTLZWEI), formerly spelled RTL 2 and RTL II, is a German-language television channel that is operated by ''RTL2 Television GmbH & Co. KG''. RTL2 is a private television broadcaster with a full program ''(Vollprogramm)'' ...
television
reality show
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
''
Big in America'' and debuted in June of the same year on
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay Pearlman (June 19, 1954 – August 19, 2016) was an American record producer. He was the person behind many successful 1990s boy bands, having formed and funded the Backstreet Boys. After their massive success, he then developed NSYNC. ...
’s Transcontinental
label
A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...
. US5 became successful throughout
central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
with their first album ''
Here We Go'' and with several hit records thereafter.
Career
US5 enjoyed success, gaining their first Gold Record in America from their first single called "
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
" released in 2005.
The same song went straight in at number 1 in Germany and became a huge summer hit in several other European countries. On the back of the success of "Maria" their debut album titled ''Here We Go'' released in October 2005, became a huge success gaining them Gold and Platinum records in Germany and Austria.
In 2006, US5 did a string of school tours and various promotions up and down the UK. This coincided with the second season of ''Big In America'' airing on UK's MTV channel. They released 'Maria' and it entered the UK top 40 at number 38. US5 continued their success in central Europe in 2006 and 2007.
Original member Mikel Johnson left the band for a solo career. He was replaced by Vincent Tomas. In 2008, the remaining German member of the band, Chris Watrin, also decided to leave the band citing "lack of interest" as a major reason. US5 released their single "The Boys Are Back" from the successful film ''
High School Musical 3
''High School Musical 3: Senior Year'' is a 2008 American musical film written by Peter Barsocchini and directed by Kenny Ortega. The sequel to ''High School Musical 2'' (2007) and the third installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, ...
''. This was followed by a third studio album titled ''Around the World''.
At the end of 2008, the group welcomed another new member, Cayce Clayton. With four of the five members now being American, the group decided to relocate to the USA. In 2009, Vincent Tomas decided to leave the band. Later in the year, US5 had a competition called Make US5 Again to replace Vincent Tomas. Jayson Pena ended up winning the competition. The last line-up of US5 was Richie Stringini, Izzy Gallegos, Cayce Clayton, Jayson Pena all from the United States, and Jay Khan from England.
Band members
* 2005–2010:
Christopher Richard "Richie" Stringini
US5 was a multinational pop boy band. The band originated in 2005 on the German RTL II television reality show '' Big in America'' and debuted in June of the same year on Lou Pearlman’s Transcontinental label. US5 became successful throug ...
* 2008-2010: Cayce Clayton
* 2005–2010:
Izzy Gallegos
Izzy is a common nickname for the given names Israel,Isaac, Isambard, Isidor, Isidore, Isidora, Isabel, Isobel, Isabelle, Isabella, Isaiah, Ishmael, Izzet, Isarn, Ismail, Isra, Izebel, Izmara, Isobelle, Isaura or Isam (عصام).
Izzy, Izzie, ...
* 2005–2010:
Tariq Jay Khan
Tariq ( ar, طارق) is an Arabic word and given name.
Etymology
The word is derived from the Arabic verb , ('), meaning "to strike", and into the agentive conjugated doer form , ('), meaning "striker". It became popular as a name after Tariq ...
* 2009–2010:
Jayson Pena Jayson is a masculine given name.
Notable people with the name include
A
*Jayson Adair (born 1969/1970), American businessman
*Jayson P. Ahern, American civil servant
*Jayson Aquino (born 1992), Dominican baseball player
B
*Jayson Blair, Jayson ...
Former band members
* 2005–2007:
Michael “Mikel” Johnson
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
* 2005–2008:
Christoph “Chris” Watrin
* 2007-2009:
Vincent “Vince” Tomas
Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer'').
People with the given name Artists
*Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor
*Vincent van Gogh ...
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
DVDs
* ''US5 – The History'' (2005)
* ''Here We Go – Live & Private'' (2006)
* ''US5 – Live In Concert'' (2006)
* ''US5 On Holiday'' (2008)
Awards and nominations
;2005
* Gold for - "Maria" (Germany)
[
* Gold for - "Maria" (USA)][
* Gold for ''Here We Go'' (Germany)][
* Platinum for ''Here We Go'' (Germany)][
* Goldener Bravo Otto to "Superband Pop"
* Yam! Award "Superstar 2005" for Richie
* German Radio Award als "Best Newcomer Male"
* ADTV Music-Award for "Maria"
;2006
* XPress-Award "Goldener Pinguin" to "Best Band"
* Gold for ''Here We Go'' (Austria)][
* Gold for ''US 5 - The History'' (Germany)][
* Jetix Kids Award "Best Band"
* Goldener Bravo Otto "Superband Pop"
;2007
* Gold for ''Here We Go'' in Poland (10,000)][
* Radio Regenbogen Award "Popgroup of the Year"
* Steiger Award "Nachwuchs"
* Goldene Kamera "Pop International Band"
* Goldener Otto "Super Band Pop"
* Vivalicious Style Award
* Viva Comet in Polen "Superband // Show of the Year"
* Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards "Favoriteband"
* Jetix Kids Award "Best Band"
;2008
* Goldener Otto "Beste Band"
* Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards "Favoriteband"
* Jetix Kids Award "Best Band"
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Us5
American boy bands
German boy bands
English boy bands
Vocal quintets