5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer often shortened to 5SOS are an Australian pop rock band from Sydney, New South Wales, formed in 2011. The group consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings, lead guitarist Michael Clifford, bassist Calum Hood, and drummer Ashton Irwin. They have released four studio albums and headlined five world arena tours.

Quotes

 * It doesn’t really matter what genre [our music] fits in, if it’s fitting in an area that works for people who connect to it than that’s all that matters.


 * I think all artists change their sound because they’re not satisfied in the art they’re making. We started out, very angsty, trying to get out of the hometown, and people called us a boy band, but we played pop punk music, it was written like that. As you get older, your music taste becomes more diverse and you get a bit smarter about it. You just bring in those kind of elements and you want to remain happy in what you’re making.


 * Pop as it stands right now, is so broad and it’s so open to so many different types of music that I think we have the best of both worlds. We can kind of live in an alternative space and then we can just live in a pop space as well, you know? We just have never held any boundaries on what we create.


 * "We were actually really aware of the youthful sound that we made.It wasn’t like it was by mistake or anything, we knew the music we were trying to make and I think we’re always purposefully changing directions slightly


 * This band will become whatever we make it.


 * When we started I was only 15 years old, so we obviously didn’t realise at that point what a long journey it would be for us, but it did feel like we had something special, even back then.


 * The first gig we ever played was at a pub in Sydney called the Annandale Hotel to approximately 12 people. It was the best/worst gig of my life. I’ll never forget it.


 * I really enjoy meeting our fans. They are incredibly passionate and talented.


 * I think at the beginning we all had a joint feeling that something about [the band] was special. Call it delusional or driven but we felt like we would get there with everything we had. When we saw how devoted our fans were (and still are) it was a huge moment to see how much we meant to people.


 * When you’re 16 you write about different things to when you’re 21 and have fallen out of love and been on the road for six years and have a house. You live in a different country. You have new friends.


 * When you make an album, you’re always going to be looking forward to the next one. It’s a never-ending thing.


 * I think having fame as a musician is different to ‘regular’ fame. It doesn’t really mean the same thing. Like, if that fame were to leave, you’d still feel the same way. You’d still feel confused about your feelings, you’d still have something to express, regardless of whether anyone listened to you or recognised you. Rather than chasing fame, you’re chasing an unknown feeling inside of you. If we stopped having this level of fame, we’d still write songs.


 * I think the term “boyband” embodies youth. And when we’re not a youthful band anymore, that’s when we’ll have problems. Labels are for people who are scared of themselves, and we’re not.