How a nine-month audition process built a multi-platinum boy band
In short: In 2009, over 1,000 hopefuls faced a grueling nine-month audition process to join a new British-Irish group. The result was The Wanted, a band that climbed the US Billboard charts and achieved massive UK success before stepping away to face an impossible market competitor.
The formation of The Wanted was a meticulous undertaking led by Jayne Collins, who also assembled the groups The Saturdays and Parade. The process began in 2009 with more than 1,000 applicants. While Max George, Tom Parker, and Nathan Sykes were involved from the start, Siva Kaneswaran and Jay McGuiness joined later. Even after the initial line-up was set, seven additional people underwent re-auditions before the group signed with Maximum Artist Management and Geffen Records.
The band achieved significant international success, particularly with the single 'Glad You Came.' In the United States, the track reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks, marking the highest American chart entry for a British boy band at that time. 'Chasing the Sun' and 'I Found You' also earned the group hits on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Within the UK, the BPI has certified the band for 3.6 million singles and 800,000 albums.
The group entered a hiatus in early 2014, a decision driven by the overwhelming market dominance of One Direction. Member Max George noted that the phenomenon of One Direction made it almost impossible for other bands to compete. However, the band announced a reunion in September 2021, releasing a greatest hits album and performing at the Royal Albert Hall to support member Tom Parker, who had been diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in late 2020. Parker passed away on 30 March 2022.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Wanted
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