Behind the Boy Band Business
Many women have swooned over Dan, Jacob, Ashley, Trevor and Erik-the five members of the boy band O-Town whose career-beginnings were featured in ABC's "The Making of the Band" documentary series. But what happened to the other guys who didn't make the final cut?
To Connor O'Brien, a semi-finalist on the show who made it into the top 25, "The Making of the Band" experience was not all the fun and games he thought it would be.
"I hated the fact that most of the guys there wanted to do nothing but beat you," O'Brien said in an interview with The Daily Californian. "You were automatically hated because you were a singer just like them. When I walked into the Hard Rock Cafe for the audition, each guy would glance at me, look me up and down and then look away."
"The Making of the Band," made by the folks who created MTV's "The Real World," gave light to all the scary auditions and nerve-wracking processes of elimination that finding fame is all about. At the end, five guys were left and they now make up the group known as O-Town.
"Everyone was singing to themselves, or anyone who would listen, in hopes to prove that they were the best there," O'Brien added about the audition. "They don't show what I saw on MTV. If you watch the show, you will notice a skinny assistant named Jay. When I was in the final auditions, Jay knew I was a semi-finalist and treated me like a king because I could possibly be their next star. Once I didn't make the cut, he treated me like trash and told me to leave."
O'Brien was not even allowed to congratulate the men who made the cut.
Short for Orlando-town, O-Town is the musical brainchild of Lou Pearlman, who helped give the New Kids On The Block, the Backstreet Boys and *N Sync their starts.
O'Brien said that he decided to audition for O-Town because he wanted exposure and experience in auditioning. After this experience, he realized there are so many people out there just trying to make money at any cost.
"The music world is a beautiful thing, however, the music business simply is not!" O'Brien said.
Nonetheless, he said the experience was terribly important to him. He maintained that since he got so far through the auditions, it gave him the credibility he needed to jumpstart his solo music career.
"By telling record labels, management, web sites and producers that I was a finalist for O-Town," he explained, "they believe that I have already been assessed talent-wise and [I am] capable of being successful."
Things are looking brighter for O'Brien after the show. He is working on his demo album in New York. "That's what I use to attack the music world," he said, adding, "It's just a good way to show off what you can do and establish a name for yourself. I have invested thousands of dollars in it which I don't have, making it harder to produce."
"I've recorded five songs at five different studios from Maryland to New York," he went on. "I am currently recording in a multi-million dollar studio that has housed the projects of Busta Ryhmes, 98 Degrees and the Goo Goo Dolls. I was lucky enough to go to the Eastman School of Music, and most of my best friends are full-time musicians, so they play the instruments for me. I would do the same for them!"
O'Brien sees a huge void waiting to be filled in the pop music world. He notices that new acts are continuing to follow and imitate the original trendsetters, so he is willing to take a chance and carve his own niche.
"That is exactly what I'm going to do-create different songs, push my voice to the limit and collaborate with artists no one would expect," he said. "That is how you make it to the top. But more importantly, that is how you stay at the top."
