Don’t tell anyone, but Backstreet’s back, alright?

Well, not really, unfortunately. But a quintet of lads from Glasgow are bringing back the format made famous by The Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and many more musical groups in the 1990s – the boy band.

That said, nothing about Just The Brave (JTB) feels dated, as Celtic Life International discovered when we sat down for a video conference call with Seany (19), Fin (18), Caleb (15), Rocco (18) and Lewis (17) to discuss their music.

Clustered on a couch somewhere in Glasgow, JTB do what teenage boys do; cracking jokes with one another while excitedly explaining where they see themselves fitting into the sonic scheme of things.

“We’re bringing boy bands back,” exclaims Fin. “There’s been this long gap in time where there were no new boy bands. A lot of good solo artists have come out during those years – Justin Bieber and many others – but I think we had to bring it back,” and, turning to his peers huddled around him, “didn’t we, boys? We’ve got to bring the sound and especially bring a Scottish feel to it.

“When we write songs,” he continues, “we are usually in somebody’s living room, like we are right now, and one of us has a guitar and starts playing chords. If it has a Scottish feel to it it will come naturally – good songwriting just comes from the heart.”

Seany confirms, “We always try and piece a bit of Scotland into whatever we write.”

Most of the band came together in 2023, with Lewis being the newest addition earlier this year. They’ve released five tracks through their social media channels so far, with accompanying music videos on their YouTube page. Their most recent release is Beautiful Crazy.

You might have to search through their YouTube catalogue to find those songs, however – much of the content feature behind-the-scenes videos of the ensemble’s escapades. Social media is something that boy bands didn’t have at their fingertips, but JTB wields it expertly as a way to get their music, their story, and their personalities across to their audience.

“Vlogs are important,” Rocco chimes in, “because it’s one thing for fans to be listening to the music and seeing your gigs, but being able to connect with you on a level where you’re FaceTiming your mates? It’s a different kind of experience. They get to see how things work, and how we all treat each other.”

“We owe it to our fans to do that,” adds Fin. “I mean, most of them are all over the world, so they might not be able to get to our gigs. To share a bit of our lives with them – we owe it to them for giving us all that support and love…”

JTB affectionately calls their fans “besties.”

“It’s usually teenagers,” notes Fin, “people around our age. And we’ve got lots of mums that love our stuff too,” he adds with a wink, followed by a round of chortles from the rest.

As their star has risen, JBT have gone beyond vlogs and social media in expanding their reach, sharing the stage with major artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Callum Beattie, & Blue, and have been featured on television and radio programs like BBC Introducing, CBBC’s Saturday Mash-Up, Radio Clyde, Capital Radio, and Virgin Radio.

JBT are aware of how fortunate they are to experience the glamorous, fast-paced life of a boy band, and none of them want to take it for granted. Instead, Fin explains, they hope their music can help, heal, and even inspire their fans.

“There is just simply never enough time and place for music. It is such a massive part of my life in terms of how I feel. If I’m ever feeling down, the boys and the music make me feel better. It’s such a positive thing to bring about in the world, and there’s never, ever going to be enough of it.

“We perform at local schools here and we are always sure to talk about mental health and bullying,” he continues. “I think we can really connect the two when it comes to positivity in music – it’s such a brilliant tool for that.”

Perhaps one day – after the band has established itself as elder statesmen of the genre – younger musicians will come forth and cite JTB as an influence.

“I will cry that day, and I’ve never cried in my life,” admits Fin. Rocco, under a fake cough, retorts, “liar!”, leading to yet another round of jocular laughter and good-natured ribbing.

If you miss the halcyon days when groups like 98 Degrees, Hansen, and Boyzone were at the top of the charts, try and find yourself in JBT’s neck of the woods this fall.

“We’ve got our own show in September,” declares Seany. “Our first-ever gig!”

“It’s our it’s our first ever headline concert,” Fin shares. “We’ve done lots and lots of festivals and whatnot.”

“And we’re also a playing a major solo show in London in October at a venue called The Grace,” notes Rocco.

“It’s definitely an exciting year for us,” adds Fin, “and hopefully for our fans also.”

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