As soon as you hear the words ‘UK’s freshest new boy band’, you might not be too excited to look what’s behind. But The Wanted, five guys with dialects and backgrounds from all over the UK are on a musical mission; to bring some much-needed cool – and a fair bit of sexy – back to boy bands.
On the surface, Jay McGuiness, Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker and Max George may just seem to be boys in a band. If you take a closer look, you will soon find out that they have wandered far from the traditional boy band route. It’s as if the five guys that make up The Wanted were meant to meet. Nathan always has been obsessed with music and attended London’s prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School. However, not all of them are traditionally trained musicians. Siva has just always been there, a pop star waiting to happen. Although Tom is now into music, he has never had singing lessons and is self-trained. While Max used to be a football pro before he dedicated himself to the band, Jay is a trained dancer who made it through the singing audition of The Wanted. He says, “that’s why I’m glad I found the other lads. It’s like I finally make sense now”.
Over the past year, The Wanted have been travelling around Europe to work with some of the finest names in pop, including Danish pop maestro Cutfather (Christina Aguilera, Pixie Lott), Cathy Dennis (Kylie, Pink), Rami & Carl Falk (Britney Spears), Steve Mac (Leona Lewis, Westlife), Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, James Blunt) and chart-topper Taio Cruz. The group’s debut album is released on 25 October, and includes the number-one smash hit ‘All Time Low’ along with 12 other tracks. The result of the diversity between the guys and their various collaborations is a record that surprises with each track, stretching the pop genre to its absolute limits.
It’s a hilarious journey to get to know The Wanted via their clips on YouTube. However messy they seem to be, they come across as a bunch of charmers who really enjoy being together. There’s a palpable rough-and-tumble energy and down-to-earth air to them, meaning they’re not just band mates on the verge of pop greatness – they’re great mates, too.
Siva from The Wanted called me last Monday morning while in their tour van heading towards Guildford for a radio interview – and we soon bonded over our mutual love of gay clubs! The reception was rather bad, with the first five minutes consisting entirely of “I can’t hear you” and “can you hear me now?” Finally, I heard Siva say “I hear you now” and I was able to ask him six quick questions.
The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
The Beatles.
Best gig so far?
I would say a concert we did at Twickenham Stadium in London last year. We played in front of 75, 000 people! It was the best because people knew our songs.
Do you prefer to write music or lyrics?
Mostly I find it easier to write lyrics to set melodies. But I also tend to write music for the mood I am in.
When are you coming to Brighton?
We did a gig in a gay club in Brighton called Revenge. We performed our single ‘All Time Low’ when no one knew about it. It was such a blast. We went out clubbing in Brighton afterwards. We’re not sure when we are coming back to Brighton as our schedule is constantly changing. But soon, hopefully.
What is your speciality in the band that only you can do?
I sing with a very husky low voice. I’m also the worst dancer..haha.
What does ‘Heart Vacancy’ mean to you?
That’s a very good question. The song is meant to open up and take you in. Right now, it’s pleading to all Sussex listeners to open up your hearts to us.