O-Town | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | OTWN, OTOWN |
| Origin | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop |
| Years active | 2000–2003, 2013–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Dan Miller Erik-Michael Estrada Jacob Underwood Trevor Penick |
| Past members | Ashley Parker Angel Ikaika Kahoano |
| Website | Official website |
O-Town is an Americanboy band formed from the first season of thereality television seriesMaking the Band in 2000. As of 2015, the group consists of Erik-Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood, and Dan Miller. The original line up includedAshley Parker Angel and Ikaika Kahoano, who was replaced by Miller after dropping out of the group.
After releasing two albums near the end of the boy band fad of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the group disbanded in 2003. The group was originally managed byLou Pearlman during their first season ofMaking the Band, but later managed by Mike Cronin and Mike Morin for their debut album and remaining television seasons.
O-Town was assembled for the first season of theABC reality television seriesMaking the Band; the group was named afterOrlando, Florida, the city where auditions were held.[1] In the selection process,Lou Pearlman and a panel of judges selectedAshley Parker Angel, Erik Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood, and Ikaika Kahoano.[2] However, Kahoano left for personal reasons and was replaced by Dan Miller.[2]
After season one, formerArista Records executiveClive Davis signed O-Town to his new labelJ Records.[2] Their first release, the self-titledO-Town, boosted by the publicity of the weekly television series, debuted at no. 5 on theBillboard 200 album chart for sold more than three million copies worldwide.[2][3] Their first single, "Liquid Dreams", peaked at number 10 on theBillboard Hot 100.[4]
In the late spring of 2001, O-Town released "All or Nothing", which became the biggest hit of their career as a group, reaching no. 3 on the Hot 100.[5] In 2001, the group was the opening act forBritney Spears'Dream Within a Dream Tour in the U.S.[citation needed]
O-Town's second albumO2 was released in November 2002 by J Records. It included a newer single, "We Fit Together".[1] The album was observed to have a different sound from O-Town's debut album, with a mix of "soulful ballads and songs with more of a rock ‘n’ roll approach," according toContemporary Musicians.[1]MTV News reported that O-Town hoped that the album would show the group to be more than "'NSYNC wannabes."[6] However, with teen pop trending down in listener interest in 2002,O2 did not sell as well as the first O-Town album.[2] As a result, in 2003, J Records released O-Town from their contract, and the group disbanded.[2][7]
The members of O-Town moved on to solo careers. The most successful member was Ashley Parker Angel, who was signed toUniversal'sBlackground Records, also given his own reality show on MTV,There and Back. Angel released a solo album,Soundtrack to Your Life, in 2006.[8] In 2007, he began playing the role ofLink Larkin in theBroadway production ofHairspray.[9] Trevor Penick signed to Mach 1 Music and performed as Tre Scott.[10] Erik Michael Estrada stayed in the music business as a songwriter. Jacob Underwood went on to start his own country band, Jacob's Loc.[11]
In 2013, Angel declined to join the O-Town reunion: "It was a difficult decision, that ultimately necessary to move on to the next chapter of my career."[12]
On May 28, 2014, O-Town released a preview of the single "Skydive" on SoundCloud. The single is from their third studio albumLines & Circles. The album was released on August 24, 2014.[13]
In 2017, they premiered a new single "Empty Space" in addition to announcing a new EP.[14][15] They also announced a new 2017 tour featuringRyan Cabrera on select dates, as well as some spots on theI Love the 90s nationwide tour.
TheirPart 1 EP was released on August 4, 2017.[16][needs update]
In June 2019, O-Town planned on filing a trademark for their band name, whichUniversal Music Group believed was too similar to theMotown Records label.[17]
On August 2, 2019, they releasedThe O.T.W.N. Album.
In January 2025 it was reported that the band had suffered significant damage to their brand due to the false assumption that they are associated with disgraced music mogulDiddy, who was arrested in September 2024 on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The confusion comes from the fact that both O-Town and Diddy starred onMaking the Band, however Diddy didn't join the show until after O-Town had left.[18]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music: Breakout Artist | Themselves | Won | [19] |
| Choice Music: Pop Group | Nominated |
Now, as the group nears 25 years since forming on the musical reality series, they're facing brand damage, hesitant show bookers and a major event cancellation due to being associated with Diddy through Making the Band. Yet the group's episodes were helmed by another disgraced music mogul — late Lou Pearlman — and they weren't involved with the series once Diddy took over.
| First First season of show | Making the Band winners 2000 | Succeeded by |
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