O-Town Performs on 'GMA'

By
Seth M. Cohen
via
January 6, 2006, 6:40 AM ET
2 min read

April 13, 2001 -- Boy bands and reality television — chances are, you either love or despise them. Indeed, in a nation that's become obsessed with one or the other, O-Town is the first hybrid to test the market.

Wherever they go, screaming, teary-eyed teenage girls follow. The five male singer-dancers line up, take the stage and begin moving in sync to rhythms and beats a bit too mechanical to fit into any musical genre.

They sing songs written in factories by hit-makers and move slyly, like their 'N Sync or Backstreet Boys counterparts. It sells. (Just ask 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake and his gal-pal Britney Spears.)

But these particular boys weren't born in the music world — TV gave birth to them last summer and put them on the path to stardom in ABC's Making the Band.

‘Every Guy’s Dream’

Ashley Parker Angel, Erik-Michael Estrada, Dan Miller, Trevor Penick and Jacob Underwood were just five of 1,800 wannabes trying to capture the final slots in a television-made band.

The nation watched as the boys went through an endless series of auditions, vocal lessons, dance choreography, workouts, interviews and studio sessions.

This reality show didn't force the issue with worm eating or seductive dating, but the boys were pushed to be the best, to hone their voices and tone their bodies. They were even thrown into a house and forced to live together in the public eye — reminiscent of CBS' Big Brother series.

In the final episode, the boys — now known as O-Town — inked a deal with legendary record producer Clive Davis to become the first band on his J Records imprint.

"Let's be real: This is every guy's dream," says Penick. "All I ever wanted to do was sing, but being on TV is an added bonus."

O-Town's self-titled debut album hit the stores last January and made it up to No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart. Their single "Liquid Dreams" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.

The band appears this morning on Good Morning America to perform and talk about their recent success and future plans.