by SHYAMA SRIKKANTH Staff Writer
The next British Invasion has struck America. Rivaling infinitely popular One Direction, the latest boyband, The Wanted, have released some music of their own. The quintet consists of members, Jay McGuiness, Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Nathan Sykes and Tom Parker. “Glad You Came,” their debut single in America, stormed up the charts. Selling over two million copies upon release, it topped the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 Charts at number one. The song has also gone platinum, and The Wanted were presented with a plaque at their iHeart Radio show in New York City. Freshman Lauren Gaskel says,” I really like their song ‘Glad You Came!’ It’s fun to dance to.” Their biggest hits from the UK have also been released on the record, such as “Warzone,” and “Gold Forever.” They have toured around famous cities in America, trying to spread their music and meet fans. They have done a CD signing in L.A., live shows in New York City and performed at MTV’s Spring Break 2012 in Las Vegas. To promote their music nationally,The Wanted have performed on numerous talk shows and reality shows such as “The Voice”, “American Idol ,” and “The Today Show”. “Mostly in the UK, you grow up watching shows like Idol, so it was really surreal,” says Sykes. The boys also had no clue what to expect when they came to America. With the help of Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, they booked radio shows and appearances. “Scooter made all the difference because he knows so many people over here,” says George. The Wanted developed a sound that fans really seem to respond to. They sing songs that range from heartfelt ballads (“Rocket”) to dance-based pop (“Chasing the Sun.”) “We’re in a very party sound right now,” say the boys. Freshman Priyanka Bhatt says, “I love The Wanted and all of their music is really great to listen to. I especially love Siva!” The majority of tracks on their EP include all of their hit singles from the UK that have finally made it stateside. In the weeks leading to the release of the EP on April 24, they released a track every few weeks, starting with “Gold Forever” and ending with “Chasing the Sun.” They worked with many different producers for the album from Ryan Tedder, member of OneRepublic, to producers for the likes of One Direction, Britney Spears, and Nicki Minaj. The boys also make sure that they all get to shine on the tracks. They say, “We want to be involved on every track. There are five voices on every track.” Although their ventures in America have proven fruitful, TW does not want the enthusiasm to dwindle. “We were very surprised we managed it. We’re not where we can be yet. There’s still a lot more we can do… if you’re establishing, I think it’s good to keep reminding people,” say The Wanted. They are prepping for their upcoming tour beginning in August. Also, a third UK album and a future international album is slated for release at the end of this year. The Wanted are on their rise to the top, and fans are certainly going to be glad they came.