With their ebullient sound, merging ’90s punk-pop energy and cheeky boy-band charisma, Australia’s 5 Seconds of Summer burst onto the international music scene in 2012. Initially a YouTube sensation for their acoustic covers of songs by Mike Posner, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, and others, they quickly developed into a full-fledged band. Catching industry attention, they toured with Britain’s One Direction and drew fans for their anthemic, hook-oriented songs that helped land their self-titled 2014 debut at number one on the pop charts. Since then, they have remained chart regulars, buoyed by their high-energy live shows (captured on LIVESOS) and catchy songs, like their cover of the Romantics’ “What I Like About You” and their Good Charlotte collaboration “She’s Kinda Hot” from 2015’s Sounds Good Feels Good.
Formed in 2011, 5 Seconds of Summer feature Luke Hemmings (lead vocals/guitar), Michael Clifford (guitar/vocals), Calum Hood (bass/vocals), and Ashton Irwin (drums/vocals). After uploading several cover videos to YouTube, they quickly caught the attention of Sony and signed a publishing deal, issuing two 2012 EPs, Unplugged and Somewhere New. The following year, they received a further boost after being asked to open for Britain’s One Direction on tour, and shortly thereafter signed with Capitol Records. A third EP, She Looks So Perfect, arrived in 2014.
A year later, they released their debut album, 5 Seconds of Summer, which promptly hit number one on the charts of more than a dozen countries around the globe. A world tour followed, after which they released the live concert album LIVESOS, which featured a cover of the Romantics’ 1980 hit “What I Like About You.” Following a break, they traveled to Los Angeles to work with producer John Feldmann (the Used, All-Time Low, Plain White T’s), who had previously helmed most of the group’s debut album.
In 2015, 5 Seconds of Summer delivered their second full-length studio album, Sounds Good Feels Good, which found the group collaborating on songs with Good Charlotte’s Benji and Joel Madden, All-Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth, the Monsters & the Strangerz, and others. Included were the songs “Permanent Vacation,” which they had introduced while on tour, the lead single “She’s Kinda Hot,” and “Jet Black Heart.” Upon its release, the album went to number one in the U.S., U.K., and Australia on the same day.
Early in 2016, the group headed out on a world tour that reached the U.S., U.K., and Asia. In 2018, they returned with their third album, YOUNGBLOOD, which featured production by Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Sir Nolan, and others. Included on the album was the single “Want You Back.” ~ Matt Collar
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