It’s been a summer of boy bands. They seem to be everywhere. One Direction. Mindless Behavior. The Wanted. Even the boy bands of the past are thinking about making a comeback. The Jonas Brothers. The Backstreet Boys. NKOTB. They seem to be proliferating. Their bubble gum, polished pop sound permeates the airwaves with catchy hooks that worm their way into our minds. Their fit, athletic frames and perfect features complete a gilded package. Critics argue that all of this positive energy is simply staged by the music industry in a mass-market effort to churn out superficial sound that lasts about as long as, well, a bubble. Unfortunately, these critics are often too quick to judge as they base their opinions on the outside wrapping rather than delving deeper into the person behind the entertainment persona.
James Maslow is best known for playing the role of James Diamond on Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush. Maslow, along with Carlos Pena, Jr., Logan Henderson, and Kendall Schmidt, from the band Big Time Rush. While Big Time Rush is a successful boy band — they recently won Parade Magazine’s first annual ‘Boy Band smackdown,’ voted as all-time favorite by more than 800,000 — they are so much more than the typical stereotype. Big Time Rush is a talented group of musicians who work hard at perfecting their craft. OMN had the opportunity to talk with Maslow and get to know the guy who could have been Hollywood arrogant but was thoroughly unpretentious and down to earth.
Raised in La Jolla, California, Maslow began training as a singer at age six. Music played the starring role in his life growing up.
“When I was six, I started singing in the San Diego Children’s Choir, and at that point in my life it was just something that was fun. I never thought of it as something beyond singing in the shower. My parents encouraged me to develop a skill that they thought I had, and I’m extremely glad that they did. In eighth grade I decided to transfer to the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. I thought, ‘You know what? I could actually do this for a living. I see a potential in myself and so did others.’ I felt that if I worked hard enough I could do this for a living. So music has always been a passion of mine and I’m so blessed that I was able to turn that passion into what is now a job,” Maslow explains.
One would think that being a singer as well as an actor on a hit TV show would be enough to keep a person busy, but Maslow is also a songwriter who finds himself intrigued by common themes of everyday life: building friendships, finding romance, and taking time out for fun.
“Almost everything inspires me! A lot of my personal ballads and love songs which haven’t come out through Big Time Rush, but maybe will down the line, or maybe will come out when I do a solo project, are inspired by girls I’ve been trying to be in a relationship with for a while now. It’s very tough being gone on tour and being gone for six months out of the year. It’s pretty much impossible to hold that down. So in that sense, the interesting and unique life that I’m living really inspires my music,” explains Maslow.
“The upbeat songs that I write, like the title song, ‘Elevate,’ that’s inspired by trying to forget everything I just said and have a really good time! Although it seems like it’s one or the other, sometimes it’s just how you feel in the studio. That day I decided, ‘You know what, I don’t want to worry about anything. I want music to bring a smile to people’s faces and just kind of encourage a positive attitude.’ ‘Elevate’ is really about having fun and forgetting about your day and your work week. It’s about having fun,” Maslow says.
One reason that Big Time Rush connects with fans, also known as Rushers, is because Big Time Rush is genuine. They don’t pretend to be something they aren’t. They are a paradigm of positivity without being Pollyannaish. Finding hopefulness in life and in a world where pain and suffering are all too common is refreshing and doesn’t need to rely on a canned formula.
“One thing I can say about my personal music and all the music that we release through BTR is that it really has a positive message. We dig it! I’m in my twenties. We think it’s cool. I write it and I listen to it. We try to bridge that gap of having radio friendly music that young kids and adults will listen to but that will always have a very positive message so that anybody can listen to it. We don’t need to have swear words or downer lyrics because everybody goes through enough crap in their day or life that when they go and put on music or watch our TV show, I don’t think they want to hear a sob story. I think they want to hear or see something positive to make their day a little bit better and that’s what we try and do,” Maslow adds.
With a contagious enthusiasm, Big Time Rush’s optimism and confidence are evident in their distinctive sound that has appeal with artists as well. Their new hit single, “Windows Down,” released on June 25, 2012, has been getting a lot of buzz. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 97 on July 7, 2012.
“Ke$ha cut the song. Somebody in her camp released it. That’s how a great song works you know, a lot of artists will want it, and our good friend wrote the song. This song was one of the few that the band didn’t have a part in but we thought the song was so great and obviously so did Ke$ha and several other artists who also cut the song. It’s been our song all along. We got it and we dig it! Ke$ha had a cool version as well but it wasn’t like she wrote it or anything,” comments Maslow.
While atypical for many corporate-constructed boy bands, maintaining some creative control is important to Maslow and his band mates. Big Time Rush members continue to be involved in the band’s direction from choosing the band’s name to writing the music and coming up with dynamic videos to give Rushers an inside look.
“We had five days off and we decided to spend a few days in Maui. We had such an amazing time that we thought it would be a really cool way to share it with our fans through a music video. We went back and wrote up a treatment. We asked Sony Nickelodeon if we could go and film our concept of what we get to do in our time off and what we think our fans would like to see for this music video which was essentially about having a good time and they said ‘yes.’ We tried to share our experience in the video. We recreated a lot of what we did on our break with the cliff divings and just hanging out with friends and partying on the beach. I think it turned out very well. I think it was an honest portrayal of what the band and I like to do in our free time. It was one of the greatest experiences we’ve ever had. It was definitely fun to make. It was kind of like a work-cation; not exactly all work with a little bit of vacation,” Maslow laughs.
Playing hard and working harder is the lifestyle for Big Time Rush. While they have toured many times, each time is unique and their 2012 Big Time Summer headlining tour is no different. The tour began on July 5 and will continue through December. Big Time Rush will play at the Rose Garden Arena on September 18. Cody Simpson and Rachel Crow will be the opening acts.
“The rehearsal process for a tour like this can be pretty extreme especially since we only really had a week and a half to prep for this tour. So in the week and a half it’s running vocals, learning new choreography, changing old choreography, and, most importantly, once you get those basics down it’s running the show. We run the show maybe three, sometimes four, times a day just trying to work out the kinks because it’s not only us knowing where to go and what to sing, it’s also coordinating the lighting and the pyro, which can be dangerous, and the people running the TV screens and the lifts. To make all of this happen we have 60 people just on our show alone, not including our openers, so it’s a lot of people and a lot of moving parts,” explains Maslow.
One thing is for certain: Audiences can expect an entertaining show when Big Time Rush hits the stage.
“My favorite song to perform is ‘Windows Down.’ Man, I see the crowd already knows the lyrics even though it’s our newest song and seeing them responding to it in such a positive light is so much fun. It’s just upbeat with the least amount of choreography so that means we get to just have fun and rock out on stage. It’s great just seeing that crowd reaction in one of my favorite songs. Being able to share that with everybody is awesome! Nothing beats it,” Maslow says.
Being true to himself on stage is where it all began when Maslow was just six. His joy is infectious, like a splash in the pool with your friends on a hot summer’s day, and one of the many reasons why Big Time Rush is so appealing. While Summer is fleeting, Big Time Rush is here to stay.
I won't get what they meant by wrote it or anything...they sang totally different lyrics and the only thing similar was the "Woo Hoo" part? They come off as a little pressed to be honest
I won't get what they meant by wrote it or anything...they sang totally different lyrics and the only thing similar was the "Woo Hoo" part? They come off as a little pressed to be honest
They do I just reread the thing and they keep saying how it's their song over and over.
she wrote lyrics for the instrumental. for whatever reason, the instrumental was given to Big Time Rush to write to & officially release. where's the controversy? when did anyone ever claim that Ke$ha wrote the lyrics to Big Time Rush's song?
she wrote lyrics for the instrumental. for whatever reason, the instrumental was given to Big Time Rush to write to & officially release. where's the controversy? when did anyone ever claim that Ke$ha wrote the lyrics to Big Time Rush's song?
Ke$ha fans claiming it's hers even when she has no input for the instrumental and "her version" is just a totally different song.
And please do yourselves a favor and read it well: James explains how Ke$ha cut the song off the album so the producers sold the unused instrumental to any artist that needed it.
I think they mean to say that Ke$ha didn't write the lyrics to "Windows Down", their version of the song.
I find it hard to believe that she didn't write "Woo Hoo" though. The lyrics are very her.
I just reread the thing and they keep saying how it's their song over and over. 
