O-Town

History

Formation and debut album (1999–2001)

O-Town was assembled for the first season of the ABC reality television series Making the Band; the group was named after Orlando, Florida, the city where auditions were held. In the selection process, Lou Pearlman and a panel of judges selected Ashley Parker Angel, Erik Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood, and Ikaika Kahoano. However, Kahoano left for personal reasons and was replaced by Dan Miller.

After season one, former Arista Records executive Clive Davis signed O-Town to his new label J Records. Their first release, the self-titled O-Town, boosted by the publicity of the weekly television series, debuted at no. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart for sold more than three million copies worldwide. Their first single, "Liquid Dreams", peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In the late spring of 2001, O-Town released "All or Nothing", which became the biggest hit of their career as a group, reaching no. 3 on the Hot 100. In 2001, the group was the opening act for Britney Spears' Dream Within a Dream Tour in the U.S.

''O2'' and split (2002–2003)

O-Town's second album O2 was released in November 2002 by J Records. It included a newer single, "We Fit Together". The album was observed to have a different sound from O-Town's debut album, with a mix of "soulful ballads and songs with more of a rock ‘n’ roll approach," according to Contemporary Musicians. MTV News reported that O-Town hoped that the album would show the group to be more than "'NSYNC wannabes." However, with teen pop trending down in listener interest in 2002, O2 did not sell as well as the first O-Town album. As a result, in 2003, J Records released O-Town from their contract, and the group disbanded.

Solo careers (2003–2013)

The members of O-Town moved on to solo careers. The most successful member was Ashley Parker Angel, who was signed to Universal's Blackground Records, also given his own reality show on MTV, There and Back. Angel released a solo album, Soundtrack to Your Life, in 2006. In 2007, he began playing the role of Link Larkin in the Broadway production of Hairspray. Trevor Penick signed to Mach 1 Music and performed as Tre Scott. Erik Michael Estrada stayed in the music business as a songwriter. Jacob Underwood went on to start his own country band, Jacob's Loc.

In 2013, Angel declined to join the O-Town reunion: "It was a difficult decision, that ultimately necessary to move on to the next chapter of my career."

''Lines & Circles'' and single ''Empty Space'' (2013–present)

On May 28, 2014, O-Town released a preview of the single "Skydive" on SoundCloud. The single is from their third studio album Lines & Circles. The album was released on August 24, 2014.

In 2017, they premiered a new single "Empty Space" in addition to announcing a new EP. They also announced a new 2017 tour featuring Ryan Cabrera on select dates, as well as some spots on the I Love the 90s nationwide tour.

Their Part 1 EP was released on August 4, 2017.

In June 2019, O-Town planned on filing a trademark for their band name, which Universal Music Group believed was too similar to the Motown Records label.

On August 2, 2019, they released The O.T.W.N. Album.

In January 2025 it was reported that the band had suffered significant damage to their brand due to the false assumption that they are associated with disgraced music mogul Diddy, who was arrested in September 2024 on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The confusion comes from the fact that both O-Town and Diddy starred on Making the Band, however Diddy didn't join the show until after O-Town had left.

Members

;Current

• Dan Miller (2000–2003, 2013–present)
• Erik-Michael Estrada (2000–2003, 2013–present)
• Jacob Underwood (2000–2003, 2013–present)
• Trevor Penick (2000–2003, 2013–present) ;Former
• Ashley Parker Angel (2000–2003)
• Ikaika Kahoano (2000)

Discography

Main article: O-Town discography

;Studio albums

• O-Town (2001)
• O2 (2002)
• Lines & Circles (2014)
• The O.T.W.N. Album (2019)

Awards and nominations

Tours

Opening act

• Britney Spears – Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001)
• Pop2000Tour hosted by Lance Bass. (active)
• Viral campaign surfaced which suggested O-Town as the headliner for the Upstate NY annual festival at the Afton Fairgrounds. Rumor turned out to be false, disappointing many local fans (2000).

References

References

1. Azpiri, Jon. "O-Town Biography". allmusic.
2. (November 2, 2001). "O-Town: The Perfect Fit". MTV News.
3. "Chart History: O-Town". Billboard.com.
4. Weatherby, Taylor. (April 24, 2017). "O-Town Discusses to the 'All or Nothing' Chorus Was an Instant Classic: 'It is a key change'".
5. Naden, Corrine J.. (2002). "O-Town". Cengage.
6. D'Angelo, Joe. (July 25, 2002). "O2 Gives O-Town Members Room To Breathe, Write". MTV News.
7. (November 7, 2003). "For The Record: Quick News On Disturbed, O-Town, Guns N' Roses, Madonna, Simple Plan, Jack Johnson & More". MTV News.
8. Brown, Maris. "Ashley Parker Angel Biography". allmusic.
9. Jones, Kenneth. (January 19, 2007). ""Making the Band" Idol Joins Broadway's Hairspray". Hairspray.
10. Eng, Joyce. (September 26, 2007). "Catching Up to...Tre Scott". OK!.
11. O'Brien, Jon. (March 24, 2020). "'Making the Band':".
12. (2011-01-19). "Ashley Parker-Angel - I Won't Rejoin O-Town ...". TMZ.com.
13. "Skydive by All About The Melody on SoundCloud". [[SoundCloud]].
14. "O-Town Return With New Song, 'Empty Space'". EW.com.
15. "Song Premiere: O-Town Debuts 'Empty Space'".
16. O-Town. "Part 1".
17. (June 24, 2019). "O-Town Locked in Trademark Dispute With Universal Music Group".
18. Tailor, Leena. (January 14, 2025). "O-Town Members Distance Themselves From Diddy: "We Have Nothing to Do With Him"". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
19. (August 12, 2001). "2001 Teen Choice Awards". [[Hollywood.com]].