Boy Band - General Discussion

[alrightokay]

IRL did a livestream earlier tonight and started with a new acoustic version of "Eyes Closed" with clearer harmonies, a different rap(!) and more riffs/runs from Brady and Chance.  They followed up with "Despacito."  They're sounding a lot better as a group!

They were also interviewed on KIISfm in LA tonight and announced the title of their holiday song: "Feel this Christmas," which will be released in November.  During the show, they did a snippet of "Eyes Closed" a cappella.

Finally, here's an interview from when they were in Long Beach last week.

 

ETA: iHeartRadio print interview (posted on KIISfm but different from the on-air interview).  Nice pictures here.

ETA2: Another upcoming radio station appearance, this time in Chicago, Wed., Oct. 11.  --And another Chicago one!

Also, several of the guys posted/tweeted that they're shooting their latest music video today (is it for the holiday single?).  (Please let the styling be good for this one!)

Edited October 6, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

They're getting busy:

Jump, Jive, and Thrive in LA tomorrow.

Milwaukee radio station stop on Friday, 10/13.

And here's a glimpse of the set for their holiday single video.  Spoiler/Speculation: 

Spoiler

They're on a rooftop again...  and there's someone else on set making me wonder if this is going to be "A Perez Family Christmas."

Edited October 8, 2017 by alrightokay

[waving feather]

IRL attended and performed four songs at the T.J. Martell Foundation’s 8th annual ‘Family Day’ event held at The Grove in LA.

Walking the carpet

Performances:

That's What I like (cover) -- This is fun on the show and fun here.

Despacito (cover) -- Topline - Mikey + Brady

Jealous (cover) -- video pending

Eyes Closed -- got rid of most of the cringey choreography.

[soamused]

Thanks for all the links!  Looks like they are working out the kinks in these small performances.  Hope they get something on a bigger stage once they are more comfortable/professional.  I'm glad Michael revised the beginning of the rap in Eyes Closed; the original was a bit too Disney and completely cringe-y. 

(And looks like something's going around, because now Michael has both Drew and Chance playing with their hair in mid-performance.  Maybe they should synchronize and build that into their choreo!)

Edited October 8, 2017 by soamused

[waving feather]

22 minutes ago, soamused said:

(And looks like something's going around, because now Michael has both Drew and Chance playing with their hair in mid-performance.  Maybe they should synchronize and build that into their choreo!)

Ha! Great idea. They had a part in Eyes Closed where they run their hand over their torso. Instead of doing that, they can run it over their hair, Grease-style. ;-)

 

Is it bad that out of all their performances, Eyes Closed is my least favorite? That's supposed to be the song they are selling but the choreo and arrangement on the other songs done by the show are much more appealing.

[thehepburn]

I wish they did all of the That's What I Like choreo. What's the pt of using Nappytaps if u dont take advantage?

Glad that Conor ditched the jacket. It looks hot there. Now if only he would get a trim. That pompadour is obviously too high.

[alrightokay]

Hee, Sergio was the only one left with a jacket on by the end of the Family Day performance (he's such a trouper, given all the microphone problems).  Again, I wish their stylist wouldn't insist on putting so many layers on the poor guys.

Sergio's mom (Go Calderon family!) recorded the whole set as a Live yesterday (fyi, the video goes "sideways" during "Jealous").  Watching this gives you a sense of the guys' stage banter, which they still need to work on.  They didn't have enough time here, but eventually, they should tell funny stories about each other, because from their IG stories, it's clear they can be quirky/silly/entertaining (last night, Chance posted a funny story of Brady having a LOT of trouble packing his suitcase for their upcoming trip).

And while they're definitely getting better performing as a group, I wish IRL would do some new covers.  I know it's good for them to do "That's What I Like," "Despacito," etc. because they already know the arrangements and choreography from the show, but aside from the novelty of seeing Brady doing Mikey's parts, I'm worried these will get stale.  I guess these songs are useful for introducing IRL to new fans, because they show that the guys can do "current" music.  But besides having a selfish need to hear new stuff from them, I also think they could benefit from showing more range.  The way they can stand out from all of the other boy bands out there right now is to show that they can really SING.  I feel like Brady (because of the EC part he was assigned) and Sergio haven't really been able to show just how strong their voices are.  Maybe they'll get to do more acoustic covers on this upcoming swing of radio stations.  (Sergio has said a lot about his admiration of Charlie Puth, and Drew covered "Attention" in one of his recent Lives; maybe the guys could do "Attention," which is current but also more vocally challenging?)  

[soamused]

5 hours ago, waving feather said:

Is it bad that out of all their performances, Eyes Closed is my least favorite? That's supposed to be the song they are selling but the choreo and arrangement on the other songs done by the show are much more appealing.

I like the song except for Brady's section - I can't watch or listen to it anymore, Brady's part is still jarring for me and verging on unpleasant.  It's mostly the lyrics and partly Brady's delivery.  It's really a shame because the rest of the song is a real bop.  

[alrightokay]

Justine Magazine: Get to Know In Real Life interview. (You'll get to hear what Chance was like in his English and History classes.)

Justine Magazine: IRL gives tour of their house.  (I wonder how much fan fiction is going to come out of all the snuggling/cuddling they talk about....)

No full videos yet from last night's Jump, Jive, & Thrive event, but here are a couple snippets. The event was filmed to be televised on Sat., Oct. 21 on CBS at 1 p.m., but it's not clear if IRL will make the cut; there were a lot of performers there last night (gymnasts, dancers, singers).  And um, their styling here has got to be the worst I've ever seen.  That plaid!  The flowers!  It all clashes!  Aaaah, make it stop!

More speculation:

Spoiler

Chance posted last night that they went back to the Boy Band set after leaving Jump, Jive, &Thrive.  When IRL visited Dancing with the Stars a couple weeks ago, Sergio let out that DWTS is filmed on what used to be the Boy Band soundstage.  So is IRL going to be on DWTS soon?  Were they rehearsing or filming something that will show up in a DWTS episode later?  They've been pictured with a lot of current and former DWTS contestants lately (Jordan Fisher, Lindsey Stirling, Laurie Hernandez), and DWTS pros Mark Ballas and Val Chmerkovskiy were at the event last night, so ABC/Disney is having them all move in the same circles.  If IRL are going on DWTS, I wonder if they'll perform EC or their new holiday single--or both?

[soamused]

1 hour ago, alrightokay said:

And um, their styling here has got to be the worst I've ever seen.  That plaid!  The flowers!  It all clashes!  Aaaah, make it stop!

Are Brady and Michael hiding behind the others so that we cannot see what atrocities they were forced to wear?

[alrightokay]

8 hours ago, soamused said:

Are Brady and Michael hiding behind the others so that we cannot see what atrocities they were forced to wear?

Brady and Michael were relatively lucky (swipe/click through for three images; I actually like Brady's yellow shoes here--nice pop of color); poor Sergio and Drew!

They looked more relaxed/comfortable today dressed casually for the Texas State Fair.  I wish they could dress like this more often.  It's not as glamorous, but it feels more "them."

ETA: A longer clip from Jump, Jive, & Thrive; some UCLA gymnasts came out and posed/danced along during "Eyes Closed."  Michael reverted to the old rap here, so Drew and Sergio "raced to the money" :).

Video of their set at the Texas State Fair, courtesy of Sergio's mom.  Same four songs, but IRL seem looser, like they're having more fun.  At the very end, you get some backstage shoptalk, where you hear the boys "debriefing" how the show went.

 

ETA: Follow up to my speculation above:

Spoiler

Next week's DWTS is going to have a Disney theme.... that might be the perfect time for a RadioDisney-affiliated boy band to perform.  It'd be too early for the holiday single, but they could keep promoting EC and build up buzz/awareness before they release the Christmas song.  Nick Lachey from 98° is a current DWTS contestant (who almost got eliminated tonight); if they wanted to make the boy band connection, they could have him give IRL some advice.  Heh, it'd be funny to see how his advice compares/contrasts with Nick Carter's.  (And Nick once competed on DWTS, too!)  I might be all wrong about this; but we haven't heard anything about IRL's schedule beyond this week, so it's a possibility....

Edited October 10, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

Interview with Shine On Media at the TJ Martell Family Day.  Who'd have guessed that they'd be so excited to meet David Spade?  And it's funny to hear which actors they'd want to play them in a movie.  (Really? Michael's heard that he looks like Robert Pattinson?)

[soamused]

2 hours ago, alrightokay said:

(Really? Michael's heard that he looks like Robert Pattinson?)

Well to be fair, he did say "Edward Cullen" first, and maybe he means there is a *hair* resemblance.

[alrightokay]

2 hours ago, soamused said:

Well to be fair, he did say "Edward Cullen" first, and maybe he means there is a *hair* resemblance.

:) I can see that: Michael.  Edward.

And I know I've been harsh about IRL's styling lately; maybe I should I take solace that their outfits still aren't as bad as these.  I must have blocked out some of those BSB outfits back in the day....

[waving feather]

10 hours ago, alrightokay said:

I must have blocked out some of those BSB outfits back in the day....

But...but... Their album covers are always perfection, especially the first four. During Boy Band, I felt sad for the boys that they had no idea what a BIG deal Nick Carter or BSB was back then (bigger than 1D). If they could have a tenth of the success BSB had, they would be gold.

Michael and Edward Cullen are both extremely pale, so I see it. ;)

And Drew? Leo DiCaprio, really? Dylan O'Brien would suit the bill better with the goofy mannerisms. And I don't know why I thought of a young Kevin Bacon, as well...

Chance was right on the money with Zac Efron. IMO, Chance is even better looking than Zac.

[alrightokay]

YESSS!  BSB looked great on those album covers!  And while Nick could be a little over the top at times, he actually gave the most constructive criticism on the show.  He was okay with being the "bad guy" when the other two judges, I mean architects, were too nice.

IRL have been doing radio station interviews/performances and appearances at high schools (is this a Johnny Wright thing? because I remember NSYNC doing high school appearances when they were first starting out).

Here's part of EC at a high school yesterday.

Here's a sneak peek of their cover of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" at another high school today.  From another angle.

ETA:

Video of IRL's performance at B96 Chicago is streaming on a loop on their website.  They sound a lot better just sitting on stools and singing than when they have to jump around on stage.  Sergio's getting to shine more.  They also reveal that they've renamed Topline to include Brady.  

Video of their appearance at the high school today (again, thanks to Sergio's mom).  It's a long vid (quite a long school assembly devoted to a boy band!) so just FYI, the Christmas cover comes at 35:00, followed by Brady being asked to Homecoming.

Edited October 12, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

Videos and photos of their interview and performances for the KiddNation radio show, including an a cappella version of "That's What I Like."

I wonder if Sergio's tired of always being labeled the "Latin" one or the "Mexican" one.  The DJ who brings it up here says he's Mexican as well, so he's trying to make a connection, but I wonder if there's something behind Sergio saying (jokingly, but quietly), "That's my only role."  I've always felt a little weird about that whole "Sergio's a Spanish-speaker" thing; yes, it's a skill he has, but he does so much more than that for the band, and it's kind of reductive that that's how he's always introduced/praised.  And it also awkwardly erases the fact that Drew and Chance come from (at least part-) Hispanic families as well.

ETA: Interview with iHeartRadio.  (A video of an interview already covered in a print version, so the quotes are familiar, but it's here if you want to see the boys answering the questions.)  Another iHeart interview, this time more focused on musical influences.

ETA 2: Random but interesting, if you've ever wondered how these things are done: here's IRL recording some radio station identifications for the Cleveland station they visited today.

Edited October 13, 2017 by alrightokay

[soamused]

Their management is doing a decent job getting them some exposure.  EC is still not showing up on any Billboard or itunes charts - hope the promo will start paying off soon.

[waving feather]

Brady's vocals in Eyes Closed and in these pop & rnb songs are really unpleasant, which is unfortunate because through out the show I thought he's one of the stronger singers.

[soamused]

41 minutes ago, waving feather said:

Brady's vocals in Eyes Closed and in these pop & rnb songs are really unpleasant, which is unfortunate because through out the show I thought he's one of the stronger singers.

I agree.  Brady can hit the notes - but his voice is jarring/sharp/unpleasant to listen to, for me.  In contrast, Drew's voice is smooth and I could listen to him all day long.  The others are listenable, but Brady is not for me - I always skip past him.  It's a shame they didn't just take Topline as the final band; Mikey's voice didn't bother me at all and it fit right in with the others.

[alrightokay]

Interview from when IRL were in Chicago.  They won't be flying back to LA until tomorrow, so I guess my speculation about Disney week on DWTS isn't going to pan out (since DWTS tapes live early Monday evening).  In any case, I don't know if the DWTS demographic (which I guess I'm part of, LOL!) is one that will help IRL, though they've had (older) boybands on the show before.

ETA: An interview from TJ Martell Family Day last week.  This is the first time I've ever seen Chance get tongue-tied.  Plus, we get to hear what the boys are going to dress up as for Halloween (it's pretty cute!).

Edited October 16, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

IRL visited Brady's high school today.  I was hoping to find video of the Q&A because there must have been some funny/teasing questions for the hometown boy, but so far no Q&A vids, just a snippet of TWIL.  (The IRL Instagram has Lives of the full "Despacito" and "Eyes Closed" performances but they're from far away and the sound isn't always good.)  

[waving feather]

This is a really cute clip of the boys with Jojo Wright, talking about Ouija Boards. They need to do more fun stuff like this, it shows off their personalities more. 

ETA: IRL did an interview and acoustic Eyes Closed (which was lovely) on Eagle Nation News. Apparently it's a news/media outlet for a high school but the production is really professionally; a lot of effort was put in.

Edited October 18, 2017 by waving feather

[alrightokay]

Yes, that acoustic EC is really good!  And there was something so sweetly earnest about those high school reporters/newsreaders.  I liked the question about what they'd change from their whole Boy Band experience (the answers weren't very revealing, but it's a good question that maybe the guys can be more forthcoming about when they have more distance from the competition).

Here's an interview with Brady that uses old footage but didn't get published until today.

News about an upcoming performance; here's more info about the event and the foundation, if you're interested.

[alrightokay]

Another acoustic EC, this time from when they were in Texas.  (Brady still sounds a little off to me here....)

ETA: Interview at the Jump, Jive, & Thrive event; you see them lingering behind Laurie Hernandez in the beginning and then they're interviewed at 0:40.  They were also interviewed by KTLA at Disneyland this morning, but no video has popped up yet.

 

ETA2: Here's the KTLA video.  They had to cut Brady's solo, and Michael added a Disney twist to his rap (he looked so proud of himself!).  I love how the newscaster at the end pretty much says what poster mtlchick said way back when naming the episode thread.

Edited October 20, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

It looks like IRL made the cut for the Jump, Jive, & Thrive broadcast (at least they're tagged in the post); it's supposed to be on at 1 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow on CBS (but check your local listings).  Is this IRL's first nationally broadcast performance since the Boy Band finale?  (Oh dear, I just realized that Drew's ugly flowery shirt from that night is going to live on in infamy.)

 

ETA: Here's video of their performance; swipe/click through to see three parts (CBS didn't show the whole song).

ETA2: No complete videos of IRL's performance at the Starlight Children's Foundation event last night (though you can find some clips on Instagram and Facebook), but here are some pics from their set as well as cute photos from the red carpet, where the guys dressed up as superheroes.

Edited October 22, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

IRL plays "Never Have I Ever" with Shine On Media.  (Who's cheated on a test?  Who's been skinnydipping?  Who's the only one who hasn't cried at a movie?)

 

ETA: Yet another acoustic EC, this time for Popmania TV.

ETA2: Sergio tweeted that IRL will attend the Latin AMAs this Thursday.

Edited October 25, 2017 by alrightokay

[waving feather]

'Boy Band'-Made Quintet In Real Life Serve Up Boy Band Throwbacks - The boys created a playlist of their favorite Boy Band songs.

[alrightokay]

IRL performed their original Christmas song for KIISfm today; here's a preview (swipe/click through for three snippets).  Sergio sounds especially good!

ETA: Interview from the Dream Halloween red carpet.  The interviewer is OTT with her constant empty praise ("I'm so proud of you!" "You're taking the entertainment world by storm!"), but she does get a couple of interesting tidbits out of the guys (well, mainly about which sports Brady and Drew played when they were younger, LOL).

Edited October 26, 2017 by alrightokay

[waving feather]

16 hours ago, alrightokay said:

The interviewer is OTT with her constant empty praise ("I'm so proud of you!" "You're taking the entertainment world by storm!")

The interviewer is definitely a gusher but wow she's really pretty. Surprised the boys didn't flirt with her a little. Heh.

[alrightokay]

Interview with Tanya Rad from KIISfm (podcast), includes the guys singing "I'll Be Home For Christmas."  

 

13 hours ago, waving feather said:

The interviewer is definitely a gusher but wow she's really pretty. Surprised the boys didn't flirt with her a little. Heh.

LOL, I think that she was so fake that the boys were all internally rolling their eyes at her, when they weren't laughing at Drew for being on the e-sports team.

 

ETA: IRL on the purple carpet at the Latin American Music Awards.  A few posed pics: here, here, and here (scroll way down on this page to find them).  Finally, an enterprising fan caught them on camera during the ceremony.

Edited October 27, 2017 by alrightokay

[thehepburn]

Can someone explain Drew's costume? i dont recognize it.

[alrightokay]

2 hours ago, thehepburn said:

Can someone explain Drew's costume? i dont recognize it.

He was playing Deadpool.  (He originally wanted to be Batman but couldn't find a good costume.  Batman would definitely have been more recognizable!)

IRL were interviewed on KIISfm last night; here's a podcast version.  (Some fans found their house....)

Also, for fans in Orlando, IRL is doing a meet and greet on Monday.

ETA: Short videoclip of the KIIS DJ harmonizing with IRL.

Edited October 28, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

Yet another interview from TJ Martell Family Day but not published until now.

 

ETA: Interview at Starlight Children's Foundation Dream Halloween (sigh, I shouldn't be surprised that this interviewer has no idea who they are).

Another very short clip at Dream Halloween (start at 1:50, if the timestamp doesn't work), in which they talk about their scariest Halloween experiences.  The boys love to make fun of Drew, don't they?  In case you're wondering what Brady's talking about, here's Drew from this morning.  (IRL is at Johnny Wright's compound in Orlando this week, where they're going through boy band boot camp.)  

Speaking of Halloween, IRL's moms posted cute pics from Halloweens past.

Edited October 31, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

IRL did an interview at an Orlando station this morning (swipe/click through for short video clips).

The guys will be in Colorado soon to sing at a tree lighting (okay, the original Christmas song is supposed to come out Nov. 10, so we should definitely hear a full live version at this event, right?)

Also, another glimpse of boot camp (and Drew's big morning hair).

[waving feather]

Drew's morning hair should be his all-day hair because it's freaking adorable.

Interview at 101.9 AMP Radio. The boys talk about the celeb number they have in their phones and what song they last bought on iTunes.

[alrightokay]

IRL is dropping something tonight at midnight--are they releasing the Christmas song early?

They're doing another Christmas tree lighting in Arizona on 11/18.

Last but not least, they're performing at Disney's Christmas Show, which will air on ABC on 11/30.

 

ETA: YES, both "Feel This Christmas" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" are now available on iTunes.  Here are the Youtube versions: Original; Cover.

--Why doesn't the cover art include a picture of the band?

On "Feel This Christmas":

--Sergio gets a proper solo--yay!

--Drew gets the chorus--so good!  (Edited because I realized that Michael's part is the actual bridge!)

--Oh dear, Brady still sounds strained.

--Michael's part is awkward--too much autotune.

--All in all, the song is pretty but cheesy; not sure this is going to make them pop stars.  

On the "I'll Be Home for Christmas" cover:

--Wow, too much Chance.  Too much, especially that belt after the rap.

--Michael's rap is, again, awkward (but maybe I'm just not used to hearing a rap in this song!).

--I think I'll like the a cappella version of this a lot better.

Would love to hear what y'all think!

Edited November 3, 2017 by alrightokay

[soamused]

I got tired of Eyes Closed a while ago so my initial enthusiasm for both of these songs may be due to being more than ready for something new from the boys. 

There is no part of either of these songs as jarring or unpleasant as Brady's section in Eyes Closed, so I don't find myself cringing at any point.  I think Michael's rap fits better in the cover than in Eyes Closed; I think they integrated Michael better in both Christmas songs than in EC.  Actually, I think they integrated *everyone* better - these sound like properly produced, more cohesive performances than the single.  And they changed up and modernized the cover enough that both might get a bit of holiday radio play.  At this point, they probably have a better chance of their two holiday songs getting radio play than their single....

Should also mention, I am forced to listen to a fair amount of "real" rap since we still have a teen at home.  Michael's flavor of rap is very tame in comparison so doesn't bug me when it shows up in the middle of songs.  His rap lyrics in the cover are nowhere as awkward as in EC.

....

Thoughts after a bunch of listens:  both songs are rather vanilla and snoozy.  Michael's not the best singer, but his parts add a little bit of interesting to both, so that the songs sound remotely current Everyone sounds fine, each is showing more personality, nobody grates, completely harmless songs but not particularly memorable - perhaps par for holiday songs.  Having said that, I'd much rather listen to these than EC again.  Both EC and FTC are lyrically cheesy, but at least FTC is grownup cheese, not cringe-y tween cheese like EC.

Edited November 3, 2017 by soamused

[waving feather]

I dislike both songs. This band is gonna flop if they put out songs like these.

IBHFC is better than FTC just because it's already a good song, they can't screw it up too much. FTC is dated, boring and bland. At least EC was "Kidzbop" pop and current. The production values for both IBHFC and FTC also sound cheaper than EC.

Since Michael is in the band, I guess they have to shoehorn in a rap in every song. Awesome (not).

And some things never change, like Chance's screechy high notes.

[soamused]

3 hours ago, waving feather said:

I dislike both songs. This band is gonna flop if they put out songs like these.

Well, I think the single already flopped - it didn't really go anywhere.  I don't even know the purpose of holiday songs - aren't they usually vanity projects or a way to squeeze a bit of extra $ and interest out of fans?  Since this band barely has any fans and no airplay to begin with, are they counting on the holiday songs to actually launch them when the single couldn't? 

[waving feather]

15 minutes ago, soamused said:

I don't even know the purpose of holiday songs - aren't they usually vanity projects or a way to squeeze a bit of extra $ and interest out of fans?

Yes, holiday singles are usually to make a quick buck for the label. I just wish they had put in a little more effort to make the song less generic. Perhaps that's the problem; the band doesn't have a musical identity yet (e.g. Sia's new Christmas song is kooky and so uniquely her). I still have no idea what kind of music they want to make. Not sure how they are going to gain new fans this way.

Edited November 3, 2017 by waving feather

[soamused]

Are *any* of the new boy bands breaking through?  My kid isn't listening to any of them, but she's an older teen so may no longer be the target demo.  I don't recall hearing any boy bands on pop radio recently.

[alrightokay]

5 hours ago, soamused said:

Are *any* of the new boy bands breaking through?  My kid isn't listening to any of them, but she's an older teen so may no longer be the target demo.  I don't recall hearing any boy bands on pop radio recently.

Right, none of the many boy bands out there (Forever in Your Mind, Why Don't We, Citizen Four, etc.) are really "breaking out" on the radio right now, but I think PrettyMuch is doing a good job making connections in the industry and building their fan base.  They've already released three songs and videos, and while the videos are low-budget, the music is more current and radio-friendly than IRL's, and the band exudes much more charisma.  Plus, PM has been out on the road, doing way more radio performances than IRL and even touring with another teen-oriented band (Jack and Jack), so they're getting their music out there.  Finally, it just seems like PM has gotten more high-profile gigs than IRL--they've performed at the Teen Choice Awards and on MTV's TRL, so they've gotten more national exposure than IRL.  While IRL has attended awards shows, they have yet to perform on a really big platform to show off their talents (I don't think the Jump, Jive, and Thrive show got that big of an audience, and the upcoming Christmas tree lightings they're doing aren't going to help much).  PM's done enough to catch the attention of the pop critic at the NYTimes, who gave them a brief but favorable mention in an article on TRL.  Having Simon Cowell's backing already puts them in a good position, since Simon was the mastermind behind 1D and CNCO (who are huge in Latin America and are trying to break into the U.S market).  So in the crowded field of boy bands, PM is starting to stand out, while IRL seems to be losing momentum.  

Right now, it seems like IRL really only has the Disney market and hardcore fans from the Boy Band show (LOL, like me).  So IRL really needs GOOD mainstream music to make it big, and unfortunately, so far, their music seems mediocre.  I know it's still early in their career, but given how short audiences' attention spans are, they need to do something soon to grab the spotlight.  While the Christmas songs can get them some airplay on those stations that switch to Christmas music for the whole holiday season, I'm not sure they'll get airplay for their own music on the big pop stations.  Let's see what happens when KIISfm (the biggest pop radio station in L.A.) publishes the videos of them singing the Christmas songs at their station; maybe that will get other stations to come on board.  Hopefully, IRL will go back to NYC and visit Z100.  In fact, let's hope they get to do a bunch of radio station Jingle Balls this winter--that'll help.

Finally, I'm not sure how much attention Disney can bring them, since they have a whole roster of acts that are also releasing Christmas songs (Jordan Fisher, country act Temecula Road).  Note how the cover art for all these songs looks the same--eventually, they'll probably all be bundled up into a Disney Christmas album, so IRL won't get to stand out as their own act.  IRL really needs Johnny Wright to work the same magic he did for NSYNC all those years ago.... 

 

ETA: If you want a preview of IRL's performance on the Disney Christmas special, here are a couple clips from the taping today, showing the choreography (still pretty basic, though I guess Christmas songs don't usually need intricate choreo.  But then what the heck are they learning at boot camp?!).

ETA2: Interview with Justine Magazine, recapping what's happened since becoming a band and talking about what makes "Feel this Christmas" special.  Scroll down for an acoustic version of "Eyes Closed."

Edited November 3, 2017 by alrightokay

[Lyinfait]

I'll be honest, the only thing this show did was introduce me to Pretty Much. I'm really loving their style and music. It gets stuck in my head, reminds me of old r&b boy bands and pop...just being young and enjoying it. I have only listened to IRL twice maybe. Just not working for me. 

[alrightokay]

IRL performed again at DisneyWorld last night; this time, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" for the Disney Christmas special.  Here's a little preview.  They sound really good here!

ETA: Update on when these performances will air.  (Chance's sparkly shirt here is making me LOL).

ETA2: A cryptic tweet from WEGMusic (Johnny Wright's firm): does this mean IRL are attending the AMAs, or are they performing?  Maybe they're presenting?

 

ETA3: Okay, CNCO's coming on strong (I know that CNCO's been together longer, so they've had time to polish their act, but it's hard to see IRL ever performing like this; their songs and image are too cute and sedate).

Edited November 5, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

IRL will perform at the KIISfm Jingle Ball Village on 12/1, which is basically going to be boy band central (the lineup is all boy bands and an ex-boy bander, James Maslow from Big Time Rush).  Let's hope IRL can stand out (heck, maybe Michael should bring out his violin to play the opening of FTC).

[soamused]

The KIISfm jingle ball thing is a good get for them - I wonder if it will be televised?  Good thing CNCO won't be there!  IRL will need to amp up their stage presence though, if they want to stand out.  I feel they've been too cautious - I think that competing on tv, being petrified of being tossed out each week, and trying to get tween girls to vote for them made them aim for nice and safe, which kind of translates to bland and vanilla.  And their single and followup performances just reinforce that Disney tween vibe for me. 

Performing on the Disney thing on ABC will be great because they'll be on tv again, but it's Disney so won't be "cool" - on the other hand, Ciara, Darius Rucker, and Fifth Harmony are also performing so maybe they will make it less tween and a little bit cool.

Performing on the AMA would be *huge* - what are the chances of that happening?  I think they would need a better song to make a good impression, and Nov 19 is too early for them to have a new single, right?

[alrightokay]

On November 6, 2017 at 8:48 AM, soamused said:

Performing on the AMA would be *huge* - what are the chances of that happening?  I think they would need a better song to make a good impression, and Nov 19 is too early for them to have a new single, right?

I was thinking the same thing--EC seems to be done, but the Christmas single isn't appropriate for the AMAs.  I don't see them dropping another single before the 19th (they still haven't released the FTC video), so that's why I'm dubious that they're performing, unless they're singing someone else's song as part of a "celebration" or "tribute" of some sort.  The WEGMusic post tried to make a connection between NSYNC and IRL, so maybe there's some boy band celebration/medley happening?  Who knows?

ETA:

On November 6, 2017 at 8:48 AM, soamused said:

The KIISfm jingle ball thing is a good get for them - I wonder if it will be televised?

Here's iHeartRadio's announcement about the Jingle Ball Tour.  It does say in the middle of the page that the KIIS concert will be live streamed on CWTV.com and then broadcast on the CW on Dec. 14th at 8 p.m.  I don't know if that broadcast will include IRL, though, because they're performing at the Jingle Ball Village, which is the pre-show concert.  It's also not clear if IRL (or PrettyMuch) will be performing at any of the other Jingle Ball tour stops (ideally, they would, to reach out to different parts of the country).  However, Why Don't We is listed as performing at each tour stop.  Hopefully IRL will be a late add to more of those cities. 

 

ETA2: This is sweet.  An IRL superfan won tickets to the KIIS Jingle Ball and got a phone call from Ryan Seacrest and Sergio.

ETA3: IRL's been added to the Columbus, Ohio WNCI Jingle Jam.

Edited November 7, 2017 by alrightokay

[alrightokay]

These TJ Martell videos keep cropping up!  Here's one where the guys are asked about what they like to do with their families and how they resolve family conflicts.  The video is time-stamped at 2:03 to show IRL's part, but earlier, Hudson Yang from Fresh Off the Boat is interviewed; I wonder if he and Brady got to catch up that day? :)

ETA: The gushy interviewer ("mesmerizing!" "extraordinary!") spoke with IRL at the Latin AMAs.  

Edited November 8, 2017 by alrightokay

[soamused]

I

3 hours ago, alrightokay said:

ETA: The gushy interviewer ("mesmerizing!" "extraordinary!") spoke with IRL at the Latin AMAs.  

I like the boys, I'm rooting for them, I bought their songs even though I don't listen to them, but they are a really dull interview.  They need to show some personality.  Really, what is the point of sharing that they need to drink, rest, and hit the loo before performances?  Can't they come up with some funny band rituals or something?  Handshakes?  Chest bumps?  Even fake rituals?  I want them to succeed, but I don't see how these sorts of interviews are going to get them any fans - they don't come across as fun or interesting.  They sound like they crammed for the test, are still a little unprepared, and are a little terrified of failing.