Everybody loves

JLS

JLS may have come second in last year’s The X Factor but since then they’ve been number one in everything they do. In under a year the band can boast a chart-topping debut album, two number one singles and two MOBO awards. Not bad for some runners up.

Click here to win the JLS album

Whilst the decisions of this year’s X Factor judges have met with some controversy, a shining beacon of hope that raw talent can emerge from a reality TV show are the JLS boys.

But it’s not just talent that has made JLS a roaring success, it’s their attitude and professionalism, too. The boys have worked hard on their boyband dream from day one as Jonathan ‘JB’ Benjamin explains: “It’s important to do things properly. JLS is all about excellence.”

“Somewhere along the line the stars have aligned for us.” - Oritsé

 

Two years ago band member Oritsé Williams had a vision for a supergroup. “There were a lot of quality UK solo acts like Lemar and Craig David, but Oritsé had spotted a gap in the market that we wanted to fill. But to do it with a British twist,” says JB.

Oritsé put up signs all around his University of North London campus and trawled through endless MySpace pages to scout people who he believed could turn his boyband supergroup dream into life.

After meeting Marvin at Niketown on Oxford Circus, Aston on a football pitch and JB at Starbucks, Oritsé had found his perfect line-up and JLS were born.

The boys hit it off straight away, united in their dedication and passion for being a success as Aston explains, “It clicked immediately. Oritsé had put in the groundwork and we felt like a group from the start.”

What many people don’t know is that JLS were a polished group before they auditioned for The X Factor. The boys weren’t even sure if they wanted to enter. “We were quite anti the idea of going into it,” says JB now.

“We were our own industry, doing our own management meetings, organising our own showcases, sorting out our own lawyers. We got stylists and photographers to work for us for free. We had that level of achievement before any of the X Factor thing started,” continues JB.

“We were quite anti the idea of going onto The X Factor.” - JB

 

The X Factor gave JLS the platform they needed to showcase their talent and for most of the British public, they are the most successful group of all time to enter the show.

Even before the final results, it was clear that JLS were here to stay. A sign of their immense popularity came in December last year when JLS performed in Croydon, Surrey and were bombarded by their legion of devoted female fans. Now, the boys can count Keri Hilson, Tinchey Stryder, Mr. Hudson and even The Pet Shop Boys among their celebrity fans.

Early this year JLS signed with Epic Records, the label responsible for the world’s biggest selling album of all time, MJ’s Thriller. With that level of prestige and experience behind them, it’s no wonder the boys are dominating the UK single and album charts.

Their debut single ‘Beat Again’ was released 13 July and went straight to number one selling over 100,000 copies in its first week of release. Not bad considering the release of this single came in the midst of public mourning for the late, great Michael Jackson.

Riding high on this amazing achievement, JLS have trumped their own success selling over 120,000 copies of their latest chart-topping ballad ‘Everybody in Love’ in its first week of release. “It was the obvious second single,” says Oritsé, “in many ways it is even catchier than Beat Again.”

“We felt like a group from the start.” - Aston

 

It seems like there’s nothing the JLS boys can’t do and perhaps the ultimate validation for the band came in the form of two MOBO awards in September this year. Beat Again earned them Best Song and in an ironic twist of fate, it was X Factor winner Alexandra Burke who lost out to JLS for the Best Newcomer gong.

Despite the band’s rapid rise to fame, their feet remain firmly on the ground and speak humbly about their success as Oritsé explains: “I never anticipated anything happening this fast for us but somewhere along the line the stars have aligned for us. And most of all it is about sharing the most incredible journey of your life with three other guys that share this ambition and love for what you do.”

Win!

Xcel has copies of the JLS album to giveaway to 5 lucky readers. To win, answer this question correctly.

JLS were runners up in last year’s The X Factor. Who came third?

a) Diana Vickers
b) Eoghan Quigg
c) Scott Bruton

Send your answer to: emily@srmedia.net
Closing date for competition is December 31st