By the point O-City wrapped their third season of Making the Band in 2002, the boy band had two prime 10 hits, toured with Britney Spears and have been placing the sequence behind them as they ready to launch their second album. As a brand new iteration of the present, helmed by disgraced Sean “Diddy” Combs, premiered months later, they by no means fathomed how they’d be impacted.
Now, because the group nears 25 years since forming on the musical actuality sequence, they’re dealing with model injury, hesitant present bookers and a serious occasion cancellation resulting from being related to Diddy via Making the Band. But the group’s episodes have been helmed by one other disgraced music mogul — late Lou Pearlman — and so they weren’t concerned with the sequence as soon as Diddy took over.
“We already inherited our personal notorious producer/supervisor [Pearlman] from our model of Making the Band and now one other model and its mogul is affecting us,” says Erik-Michael Estrada, 45. “For our livelihood to be impacted this a few years after the model was moved to him is so unlucky.”
Since Estrada, Jacob Underwood, Trevor Penick and Dan Miller reunited in 2011 (with out unique fifth member Ashley Parker Angel), the group has launched two albums (2014’s Strains & Circles and 2019’s The O.T.W.N. Album), toured, hosted vacation spot occasions, starred in horror flick Lifeless 7 and grown their fanbase of “Townies.” Nonetheless, they inform THR their picture and livelihood has been stained by Diddy’s September arrest, on prices together with racketeering and intercourse trafficking. The fallout noticed a profitable contract for a big gaming firm’s year-end social gathering pulled.
“The company occasions O-City does are usually the strongest gives for the group,” says the band’s agent, Matt Rafal of Common Points of interest Company. “The provide was pulled because of the notion of the group being connected to Diddy. We made it clear O-City’s Making the Band had no affiliation with Diddy, however the firm fearful friends could also be confused.”
“For the reason that Diddy information, we’ve acquired questions and hesitancy from a number of expertise consumers, particularly for comfortable tickets like gala’s and theme parks, in addition to city-funded occasions,” provides Rafal.
The group are additionally discovering their picture plastered over posts about Diddy’s prices and their identify popping up in articles associated to the scandal.
“Of all of the bands in Making the Band, we’re the one one not tied to him,” factors out Underwood, who’s by no means met Diddy. “The extra folks confuse us with a Diddy band and submit our photos together with his story, the extra it goes towards us. We make a dwelling touring and might’t afford to have [bookers] Googling us to seek out the most recent Diddy clickbait.”
Whereas they continue to be grateful for the present that introduced them collectively, Estrada says subsequent sequence of Making the Band have been extra “the Diddy present” reasonably than specializing in proficient acts like Danity Kane. He believes the “energy abuse” displayed by Diddy onscreen was a “peephole” into the individual he’s accused of being.
Estrada acquired a glimpse of Diddy’s character whereas attending the rapper’s New York events on the time.
“There was at all times a salacious vitality,” he recollects. “He inspired folks to dip into their wild aspect, however I by no means witnessed something firsthand. It wasn’t till I moved to L.A. that I began listening to how loopy issues acquired. Gratefully, I can look my fiancé within the face and swear I by no means attended any after-hours model of a Diddy social gathering.”
Though the “All or Nothing” singers are pissed off in regards to the fallout, Estrada feels worse for these affected long-term by Diddy. “I can’t play sufferer as a result of there are individuals who have skilled atrocities from this individual and are scarred for all times,” he says. “We’ve monetary and reserving stress, however they’ve emotional stress. We simply need to take this on the chin and maintain going.”
It wouldn’t be the primary time O-City has weathered storms, whether or not it’s the authorized motion they confronted from Motown Recordings, or working with Pearlman, who created Making the Band to attempt to repeat the success of his earlier boy band tasks — the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. Each acts sued Pearlman for fraud and misrepresentation. The conman was additionally rumored to have acted inappropriately with minors.
In Netflix’s documentary Soiled Pop: The Boy Band Rip-off, Estrada stated he by no means witnessed something that supported such rumors, however that there was “some suspect habits.” He added that O-City had “huge concern” about Pearlman’s authorized disputes.
Estrada tells THR he’s grateful for the “angels” who had O-City on excessive alert for sketchy habits from Pearlman. “We had talks with individuals who had handled Lou and the allegations towards him,” he says. “That made us look out for suspicious exercise. Then as soon as we acquired signed, we have been so busy there wasn’t time for something salacious.”
Finally, the likes of Pearlman and Diddy have solely made O-City stronger, says Estrada.
“I want folks checked out Making the Band and went, ‘Making the Band was O-City and it was the pioneering model for music actuality tv within the States. It created the blueprint for The Voice and American Idol.’ Sadly, the actions of 1 man have tainted the fact, which is 4 people who met on a actuality present and are going robust 25 years later.”
“We’ve already had a Lou and now we’re coping with a Diddy … it’s the MO of our profession,” Estrada provides. “Regardless of the steep climbs, we’ve generated a profitable nationwide tour with Pop 2000, had households, performed different tasks and strengthened our bond with followers, so when noise like this creeps up, we’re in good standing with the individuals who matter most.”
And that’s the Townies, who can look ahead to new O-City music in 2025. The group may even relaunch their Pop 2000 tour (with reveals that includes LFO’s Brad Fischetti, *NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, Ryan Cabrera, BBMak and Mark McGrath) and play occasions together with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cruise, Ladyworld, Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Pageant and Bobby Bones’ Million Greenback Present. And regardless of Making the Band’s tainted picture, they plan to have fun the present’s twenty fifth anniversary.
“We’ll be doing a few smaller, intimate dates, which shall be enjoyable, reminiscent nights celebrating what number of followers discovered us,” says Underwood, 44.
Estrada’s additionally touring symphony halls with Kirkpatrick and 98 Levels’ Jeff Timmons for his or her Boy Band Symphony present. As he continues exploring new musical and enterprise ventures, he acknowledges how straightforward it may be for aspiring artists to fall in with the likes of Pearlman or Diddy, however urges them to stay shut with household, discover reliable associates and construct their model independently.
“As an grownup doing enterprise, I’ve discovered not all cash is sweet cash,” he says. “It’s important to analysis the folks you’re going into enterprise with. A number of younger persons are like we have been — keen to signal a contract that wasn’t favorable as a result of we didn’t have leverage. It’s necessary to construct your leverage and fanbase by yourself. Report labels are extra tech corporations than musical ears now, so if you happen to go that route, lawyer up!”
