Big Time Rush | |
|---|---|
 From left to right: Logan Henderson, James Maslow, Kendall Schmidt and Carlos PenaVega (2010) | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | BTR |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
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| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Website | bigtimerushofficial |
Big Time Rush is an Americanpop musicboy band formed in 2009. The group is composed ofKendall Schmidt,James Maslow,Logan Henderson, andCarlos PenaVega. They initially signed withNick Records in 2009 and then transferred toColumbia Records. The group starred as a fictional version of themselves inNickelodeon'stelevision series of the same name. The show ran from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013. The pilot episode featured the group's first promotional single, "Big Time Rush". The group has released four studio albums:BTR in 2010,Elevate in 2011,24/Seven in 2013, andAnother Life in 2023. The band went on hiatus in 2014, which lasted until 2021 when the group resumed live performances and released the single "Call It Like I See It".[1]
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Nickelodeon signed Big Time Rush to a record deal in 2009 simultaneously with the television series,Big Time Rush.[2] Then, Nickelodeon partnered withColumbia/Epic Label Group to produce the show and include the original music to the show.[2] For the series, their debut single, "Big Time Rush", was released on November 20, 2009.[3] It debuted during a one-hour special preview of the series and was the show's opening theme.[3] The series was first broadcast in the U.S. in November 2009,[4] until it was eventually released worldwide.[5][6] The series also saw the releases of promotional singles. The first promotional single, "Any Kind of Guy" was released digitally on February 2, 2010.[7] Another song, "Halfway There", was released to iTunes on April 27, 2010.[8] The single became their first song to chart on theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at number 93.[9] Big Time Rush also covered thePlay song "Famous", which was released on June 29, 2010.[10] On August 3, 2010, "City Is Ours" was released digitally as the fourth promotional single from the album.[11]
On September 21, 2010, Big Time Rush released the single "Til I Forget About You", to promote the release of their debut album.[12] The album, titledBTR, was released on October 11, 2010.[13] The album debuted at number three on theBillboard 200, selling 67,000 copies in its first week of release.[14] The album also topped the USBillboardKid Albums and Soundtrack Albums chart.[15][16] Its track, "Big Night" debuted on theBillboard Hot 100 at number 79.[9] The album was later certified platinum by theRIAA for sales of over 1,000,000 copies in the US.[17] In support of the album, the group toured across the US in 2010.[18] On November 30, 2010, they released the Holiday EP,Holiday Bundle, with two songs: "Beautiful Christmas" and a cover of "All I Want for Christmas", originally performed byMariah Carey.[19]
On February 8, 2011, "Boyfriend" was released as the band's second single from the album.[20] The song was later released to mainstream US radio on February 15.[21] "Boyfriend" peaked at number 72 on theBillboard Hot 100, becoming their most successful song to date.[9] It also peaked at number 32 on theBillboardPop Songs chart.[22] The song was certified platinum by the RIAA.[17] The band performed the song at the2011 Kids' Choice Awards, as well as earning a nomination forFavourite Music Group at the event.[23] Big Time Rush was nominated forMTV's Favorite Breakthrough Band in 2011.[24] "Boyfriend" won the award for Favourite Song at the2011 Kids' Choice Awards Argentina.[25] The song was nominated for aPremios Oye! award inMexico for Best International English Song of the Year, but lost toRihanna's single "Diamonds".[26] The album's third single, "Worldwide" was released on July 23, 2011, and peaked at number 81 in Germany.[27] The song was certified gold by the RIAA.[17] In April 2011, the group embarked on their first headlining tour,Big Time Rush in Concert in support of the debut album.[28]
The group announced they would be recording their second studio album, just after Nickelodeon renewed the series for a third season.[29] On July 22, 2011, the group released a promotional single, "If I Ruled the World" featuringIyaz, in anticipation of their second studio album,Elevate.[30] The group continued to tour across the US in the summer of 2011.[31]Elevate was released on November 21, 2011, and debuted at number 12 on theBillboard 200, selling over 70,000 copies in its first week.[32] The album was certified gold by the RIAA.[17] Its first single, "Music Sounds Better with U", written by the band andRyan Tedder, was released on November 1, 2011.[33] The song peaked at number 26 on the USMainstream Top 40 chart.[22] The second and final single from the album, "Windows Down", was released on June 25, 2012,[34] and peaked at number 97 on theBillboard Hot 100 and at number 35 on theMainstream Top 40, making their third top forty entrance in the chart.[9][22] The song was certified gold by the RIAA.[17] The group opened forJustin Bieber on theMy World Tour in Mexico in October 2011.[35] In November 2011, the group were nominated forBest Push Act at theMTV Europe Music Awards.[36]
To promote the release of their second album, the group held their second headlining tour, theBetter with U Tour, which took place over sixteen dates in several cities in North America in February and March 2012.[37]JoJo opened for Big Time Rush for the first five dates, whileOne Direction opened for ten of the sixteen dates.[38] In late February, Big Time Rush announced anational summer tour starting July 5 at theNationwide Arena inColumbus, Ohio.[39]
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The group announced they would be starring in their full-length 2012 film,Big Time Movie.[40] The film premiered in the United States on March 10, 2012.[40] The film was a ratings success, having over thirteen million views during its premiere weekend.[41] The film was released alongside the EPBig Time Movie Soundtrack.[42] The EP peaked at number 44 on theBillboard 200.[43]
In 2012Nickelodeon renewed theBig Time Rush series for a 13-episode fourth season; production started in early 2013.[44] Big Time Rush released their third studio album,24/Seven, on June 11, 2013. The album peaked at number four on theBillboard 200 and marked the lowest first week sales for the quartet, selling 35,000 copies.[45][46] Their previous two,BTR andElevate sold 67,000 copies and 70,000 copies in their first weeks, respectively.[47] It was preceded by the release of the promotional single "Like Nobody's Around".[48]Logan Henderson described the album as "much more down-to-earth pop" and stated that album was "much more organic" than their previous two.[46] The group co-headlined theSummer Break Tour withVictoria Justice from June to August 2013.[49] The group won the World's Best Live Act award at the 2014World Music Awards, making them the first and only Nickelodeon act to win a World Music Award trophy.[50]
In 2013, after the end of the run of theBig Time Rush television series, the group members continuedtouring[51] until March 2014 and later put the band on hiatus, and went on to pursue solo careers.[2]Kendall Schmidt stated at that time that they would like to come back together again as a band if they have an opportunity.[52] Schmidt later reformed the bandHeffron Drive withDustin Belt In May 2013.[53]James Maslow competed onDancing with the Stars in 2014 andCelebrity Big Brother in 2018, whileCarlos PenaVega voiced the character of Bobby Santiago onNickelodeon's animated seriesThe Loud House.[2] Henderson took some time away from performing before launching a solo career, releasing his debut single "Sleepwalker" in 2017.[54]
On April 20, 2020, the band reunited virtually, as they uploaded a video on the band's social media platforms, sharing some wishes to their fans about theCOVID-19 pandemic.[55] On June 16, the band released an acoustic performance of "Worldwide".[56] In December 2020, member James Maslow uploaded a video of the band performing their song "Beautiful Christmas" via YouTube.[57]
On July 19, 2021, the group announced reunion performances which occurred in December 2021.[1][58] The group released the single "Call It Like I See It" on December 13, 2021, marking the group's first release since 2013.[59] On February 21, 2022, the band announced onGood Morning America that they would be holding a reunion tour throughout 2022.[60] Four days later, the band released the single "Not Giving You Up".[61] The group continued releasing non-album singles in 2022 including "Fall", "Honey" and "Dale Pa'Ya" (featuringMaffio), before announcing that two EPs and an album were in the works.[62]
On February 6, 2023, the group released the single "Can't Get Enough" which served as the lead single for their fourth studio album.[63] The group also headlined the Can't Get Enough tour.[64] Their fourth album,Another Life, was released on June 2, 2023.[65] The album's second single, "Waves", was released on May 3.[66]Another Life peaked at number 15 on the USBillboardTop Current Album Sales chart.[67] The third single, "Weekends", was released on October 24, 2023, alongside the announcement of the album's deluxe edition, which was released on November 10.[68]
On February 21, 2025, the group announced that they'll embark on a new concert tour titled the "In Real Life Worldwide Tour" from July to December 2025. The tour is currently set to take place over 54 dates spanning across North America and Europe, and is to feature performances of every song from their Nickelodeon television series. In addition, the tour is also set to feature appearances by original cast membersKatelyn Tarver andStephen Kramer Glickman, who played Jo and Gustavo Roque respectively, throughout the duration of the tour.[69][70]
Because the group is associated with the TV series and children's networkNickelodeon, they have been presented as a "child-friendly" group, but have musical differences. In a review of their first studio album,BTR, Jessica Dawson fromCommon Sense Media wrote: "Big Time Rush is a standout, not only because of their boyish charm and good looks, but because their music is a cool blend ofsynth-pop,hip-hop, and boy-band harmonies."[71] The sound of the band is described as "pop-inspireddance-rock".[72]
The group has been compared to otherboy bands of the time such asOne Direction andthe Wanted.[73] Michael O'Connell fromThe Hollywood Reporter said "One Direction is but one group in this resilient and timeless fad. They follow the recent success of fellow Brits [the Wanted] and Nickelodeon's cross-market creation [Big Time Rush]. One [One Direction] is fluke. Two [the Wanted] is a coincidence. And three [Big Time Rush] is a trend that you want to father your unborn children.'[74] Melinda Newman fromThe Washington Post stated, "In the grand tradition of boy bands, these acts share certain traits with their similarly manufactured pop ancestors: Members of the Wanted and Big Time Rush auditioned for their parts at a casting call. The members of One Direction were put together by Simon Cowell after trying out individually for the British edition ofThe X Factor."[73] However, she positively compared them tothe Monkees by saying "Big Time Rush is similar to the Monkees with its own TV series as a launchpad, and the group appeals to kids, tweens, teens, and adults. They are also credited as the pop group that have once again restored creditably, relevance, and for relaunching boy bands back into the public eye once again."[73]
InParade's 2012 poll, Big Time Rush was voted the "Best Boy Band in the World", topping bothOne Direction andthe Wanted. Over 800,000 votes were cast. The band was featured on the cover of the August 5, 2012, issue ofParade, which was a national top-seller. An interview and photo set highlighting the group's win that coincided with the honor was featured in the same issue.[75][76][77] The magazine's website also featured the group amongst its list of "Greatest Boy Bands of All Time", along withNSYNC and theBackstreet Boys. Big Time Rush have been honored and recognized multiple times by major media outlets throughout their time as a group.
Due to their extreme worldwide popularity and success (along with being heavily credited as one of the bands that helped bring back the boy band wave) the Washington Times Magazine ranked Big Time Rush Number 15 of their "Top 20 Best Boy Bands of the Decade" in 2012, and number 28 on the POP! Goes The Charts website list of the "Top 40 Best Boy Bands of the past 25 years" in 2013.[78]
To Toronto Sun, PenaVega talked about the group's impact on both music and television: "I think the music could stand alone, but I don't know if it would be as powerful. The show has definitely been our main audience. We have four million kids watching. So when you put a song out, four million kids hear it. When you put a song on the radio, you're not going to have four million people listening. It's a blessing and a curse being on Nickelodeon – it's gotten us where we are now, though some people are standoffish to us because of that. But we have to be grateful that Nickelodeon gave us this opportunity. Abandoning the show would not be the best idea".[79]
Current
Touring
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Australian Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite International Band | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [80] |
| 2011 | Australian Kids' Choice Awards | Hottest Guy Hotties | Themselves | Nominated | [81] |
| 2011 | Golden Bravo Otto Awards | Super Pop Artist/Group of the Year | Big Time Rush | Won | [82] |
| 2011 | UK Kids' Choice Awards | Favourite Band | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [83][84] |
| 2011 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Music Group | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [83][84] |
| 2011 | Argentina Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Song | "Boyfriend" | Won | [25] |
| 2011 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best New Global Push Artist | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [36] |
| 2011 | Youth Rocks Awards | Rockin' Group of the Year | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [85][86] |
| 2011 | MTV BuzzWorthy Awards | Favorite Breakthrough Band or Artist of the Year | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [87] |
| 2012 | Shorty Awards | Best Band in Social Media | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [88] |
| Best Music Artist in Social Media | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [88] | ||
| Best Celebrity in Social Media | Themselves | Nominated | [88] | ||
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Music Group | Big Time Rush | Won | [89] | |
| Meus Prêmios Nick | Favorite International Music Artist | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [90] | |
| Argentina Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite International Artist or Group | Big Time Rush | Won | [91] | |
| Golden Bravo Otto Awards | Super Pop Artist/Group of the Year | Big Time Rush | Won | [82] | |
| Favorite Internet Star | Themselves | Nominated | [82] | ||
| Mexico Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite International Artist | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [92][93] | |
| Los Premios Telehit | Best International Pop Group | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [94] | |
| Most Popular Artist | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [94] | ||
| 2013 | Shorty Awards | Best Band in Social Media | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [95] |
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Music Group | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [96] | |
| Fan Army | Rushers | Won | [96] | ||
| Mexico Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite International Artist or Group | Big Time Rush | Won | [97] | |
| Fuse TV Awards | Best New Artist | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [98] | |
| Premios Oye! | Best International English Single of the Year | "Boyfriend" | Nominated | [26] | |
| Los Premios Telehit | Boy Band of the Year | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [99] | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music Group | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [100] | |
| Golden Bravo Otto Awards | Best Global Pop Band or Group | Big Time Rush | Nominated | [101][102] | |
| Favorite Internet Star | Themselves | Nominated | [101][102] | ||
| 2014 | World Music Awards | World's Best Live Act | Big Time Rush | Won | [50] |
| Colombia Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Artist or Group International | Big Time Rush | Won | [103] | |
| 2022 | iHeartRadio Music Awards | Best Fan Army | Rushers | Nominated | [104] |
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