5 Seconds Of Summer

5 Seconds Of Summer is a four-member band: Luke Hemmings, lead vocalist and guitarist, Michael Clifford, lead guitarist and vocalist, Calum Hood, lead bassist and vocalist, and Ashton Irwin, lead drummer and vocalist. Each member has a precise role in all of their songs.

Throughout their musical career, many listeners and viewers have used the phrase "boy band" towards 5SOS, and associating them with having the same energy as teen pop bands like One Direction. The phrase typically refers to bands who don't write their own music nor play their own instruments. However, although 5SOS started off with a similar sound to the typical "boy band" scenario, they are very far from being so.

The first thing you need to know about 5 Seconds Of Summer is that they started performing covers of songs on YouTube. Conducting musical numbers by Bruno Mars, Mike Posner, The Fray, etc., lead vocalist Luke Hemmings recorded and posted multiple videos of him going solo in 2011, and soon began making covers with his future band mates.

After being noticed by One Direction's vocalist, Louis Tomlinson, 5 Seconds Of Summer rose to fame quickly and was offered to go on tour with the famous teen idols. They released their first single, "She Looks So Perfect" in early 2014, and later their first official album.

Their second album was a hit, released in 2015 titled Sounds Good Feels Good. The instrumentals and lyrics weren't too far off from their first album, however, the sound and vibe was associated with famous punk bands like All Time Low. SGFG was the start to becoming a sensation with teenagers and adults alike, and their most recent album, produced in 2018, called Youngblood, has become the gateway to remaining #1 on Billboard and fame.

Across their 3 albums, each individual song has been written by one (or more) of the boys. Adding their own emotions, experiences, and sound, music from the first album to the present title has always been unique. This is quite different to other bands considered as "boy bands." One Direction, although talented in vocals and live performances, didn't write a good portion of their songs, and according to Bustle, only Niall Horan played an instrument that coordinated with their songs.

5 Seconds Of Summer performs their own instruments, whilst putting on a fantastic live show, and writes their own songs. Each tune has a different vibe. As an example, their third and most famous album, Youngblood, consists of many ups and downs. This album, being the most idiosyncratic from the band's previous eras, has songs like "Want You Back" and "Ghost of You," proving that 5SOS has definitely advanced as a band and as song-writers.

Another distinctive characteristic this young band has is that they direct and create their own music videos. Their famous video for "She Looks So Perfect" has an estimated 234 million views on YouTube, their second most popular being "Youngblood's" unofficial music video with 112 million views. The ones visualized by the members of 5SOS has been the music video for "Want You Back" with 30 million views, and "Valentine," created by the band's drummer, Ashton Irwin, with 6.6 million.

In conclusion, 5 Seconds Of Summer has developed musically, emotionally, visually, and physically as artists in the pop/rock genre. Despite them starting off as young boys, they have now evolved further into the music industry, and will continue to do so as special individuals. However, they will no longer be associated as a "boy band."