After Romeo On New EP “Good Things”, Unforgettable Christmas Show & One Direction Comparison - DirectLyrics Interview
After Romeo have come a long way since we interviewed them late last year - at the time they were promoting their single “Where The People Go”. Right now the four-piece boyband is gearing up to release their new EP “Good Things” for their fans, they have been recently called “The Next One Direction” by a major publication, they’ve been selected by iHeartRadio to compete on its “Rising Star” online competition for a chance to open the 2016 iHeartRadio Festival (a huge deal!), and they appear on a new Samsung commercial promoting the Galaxy S7. Not bad, huh?
After Romeo, made of members Blake English, Drew Ryan Scott, Jayk Purdy and T.C. Carter, started their career as a band around 2013, they’ve released a bunch of singles since then, they’ve toured all across the USA and even Japan, their fanbase is still on the rise, and this upcoming “Good Things” EP filled with all new music is proof that they have a long journey ahead.
Check out below the new interview we at Directlyrics.com did with the After Romeo guys earlier this week. In it they talk about everything major that’s going on in their career right now, what their last best concert was, they show major love for Melanie Martinez and DNCE, among other things!
The Interview
1. Hey guys, where are you answering this Q&A from and how’s your day been like so far?
We’re in the studio just hanging out and putting some finishing touches on our upcoming EP “Good Things.” The day has been great – the weather is beautiful and we’re just enjoying Memorial Day weekend.
2. Last time I interviewed you was last October when you were promoting your single “Where The People Go.” How has After Romeo evolved as a band since then?
Good to chat with you again! A lot has changed since then. Our music has definitely evolved. We spent the past few months sculpting a sound that really best represents us as a group. The new sound represents how we collectively work together. We were able to work with a bunch of awesome producers and writers on the EP. We found something that works and is going to be loved by our fans, so we’re excited. We are super proud of the “Good Things” EP and can't wait for everyone to hear it when it releases on June 24. Fans can pre-order the EP now and also purchase two of our singles from the album “Good Things” and “Convenience” which are available now.
3. In a recent article People Magazine called you “The Next One Direction.” What did you think of this, and do you feel the pressure?
We’re very excited to be compared to One Direction, it’s like being compared to Michael Jordan. We think anyone would be flattered. We’re definitely humbled by it because they are huge, are so loved by their fans and their music is great. We’re obviously a different band so we do our thing and they do theirs, but no pressure. We’re excited to be compared in the same sentence as One Direction. We definitely appreciate the compliment.
4. Currently you’re part of Macy’s iHeartRadio Rising Star online competition where the winner will have the chance to open the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival. A huge prize! How grateful were you to have been included in this competition with other amazing up-and-coming artists and what do you plan to do if you win?
We’re extremely thankful for the opportunity. We are really excited. If we win, we’ll get to perform at the iHeartRadio Music Festival and we’ll get to perform at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It will help take all our hard work to the next level. We’re just really grateful. We will definitely celebrate big time if we win!
5. Another exciting thing that’s happened in your career recently was that you partnered with Samsung. You star in one of the company’s new commercials promoting the Galaxy S7. You appear in the commercial performing a concert and viewers can also hear snippets of two of your brand new songs, “Good Things” and “Convenience”, throughout the ad. How did this collaboration with Samsung come to being and what do you make of starring in a commercial that will be seen by the millions of Samsung mobile users?
Samsung actually found us through Spotify. They heard our music and contacted our team and that’s what got the whole conversation started about us being in their commercial. Being supported by such a huge brand and having this debut during the iHeartRadio contest is amazing. Everything is happening all at once, it’s just a blessing. It’s cool because we have noticed fans tweeting us saying they’re seeing the commercial in different countries and on different TV channels so that’s really cool to see.
6. Your new songs “Good Things” and “Convenience” are part of a new EP that you plan to release next month - just in time for the kick-off of the summer. This EP will feature 5 original songs and a remix. How long did it take recording this EP, where did you record it, and if you HAD to choose your most special song, which would it be and why?
We started recording around Thanksgiving. We held a huge writing camp, which featured 15-20 different writers and producers. There were 3 different studio rooms going at once with 2-3 writers and a band member in each room. We did 3 sessions per room per day so by the end of the camp we had 25-30 new songs! We narrowed them down to 5, which we are super stoked about! Our favorites would have to be “Pull Over” and “Shut Up and Kiss Me.” “Pull Over” is about seeing someone while you’re driving and you just want them to pull over, in a charming way. It’s got a little bit of R&B/hip hop flavor in it. The song “Shut Up and Kiss Me” we actually just heard the final mix of that and it’s really cool so we’re excited about that.
7. I see too that there’s a song called “Oprah” on the EP. I want to know the story of it please!
It’s more about the idea of a woman like Oprah. We have a specific type of girl we’re looking for, someone super driven and a hard worker and someone who knows what she wants. That’s what the song is about.
8. I hear that you will be supporting this new EP with a tour across the US. What can fans expect from this new tour?
We’re going to have all new music to perform, so that’s going to be exciting. I’m sure we’ll throw in some older songs that fans have heard before, but for the most part it’s going to be all new music and all new set ups. We’ll have tour dates up soon on our website - afterromeoworld.com. Keep checking back and they’ll be up before you know it! If you've been to one of our concerts you know we have crazy energy on stage and we always have a few surprises up our sleeves!
9. What are After Romeo’s Top 5 songs of the moment?
We love Melanie Martinez and all of her songs, same with Troye Sivan. Lately, we’ve been listening to Zayn’s new album, Kanye West’s new album, Drake’s new album and Justin Timberlake’s new song, “Can’t Stop the Feeling.”
10. Of the latest shows you’ve performed, which one caused the biggest impact on you? Where was it, and what happened in it/what was the anecdote?
Denver always has a huge turn out. We have a really big following in Denver so that’s always fun, but we did the Christmas Tree lighting at the Citadel and it was just really awesome because we had a bunch of fans travel from all over the United States to attend. They showed up earlier than any other artists’ fans. They covered the entire audience area and we don’t think the people at the Citadel even knew how to handle it. They weren’t even ready to have that crazy of a crowd. It was just cool to see all of that support. They actually didn’t even have us on the main stage at first. They had us on a side stage, but then when fans showed up at 4/5 o’clock in the morning, they realized they had to move us to one of the top spots on the show. It was such an honor to see the dedication from our fans and we’ll never forget that. We also make stops at children's hospitals across the world and those are really impactful. People don't think about how a lot of these kids can't go to see their favorite artist in concert, so we come to them. We go room to room and sing for them and spend time with each child individually. We hope that it brightens their day some and makes them forget about all that they're going through.
11. If you had to choose a hit song from another band that you wish you had recorded and released, which would it be and why?
We all really like “Cake By The Ocean” by DNCE because it’s really fun to dance around to. We think it’s a great song and we kind of wish it was ours.
12. Thank you for your time, guys! Any last thing you’d like to share with our Direct-lyrics.com readers?
Please continue to vote for us in the iHeartRadio Rising Star competition at iheartradio.com/risingstar. You can vote 50 times a day on the website so please please please help us out. Also our songs “Convenience” and “Good Things” are out now, so go listen. The full EP comes out June 24. We love you all and can't wait for you to hear all the new music! Send us a message on any of our social media and we will try to follow you back or reply. We love interacting with the fans!