Five (originally spelled 5ive) are a British boy band that was put together in early 1997 by the same team who formed the Spice Girls. They enjoyed fair success worldwide, but particularly in the UK, parts of Europe, Russia, parts of Asia, Brazil, Israel and Australia. They disbanded on September 27, 2001, after selling close to 20 million records, and having 11 top ten singles and 4 top ten albums in the UK. The five members were Scott Robinson, Ritchie Neville, Jason 'J' Brown, Richard 'Abs' Breen and Sean Conlon. Four of the five original members briefly reformed the group on September 27, 2006, but only 7 months after announcing a comeback, Five made an announcement via their official website they would again disband.
Biography 5ive: the debut
In 1997, an advertisement was placed in the UK performing arts newspaper The Stage, asking for young male singers/dancers to audition for a boy band-style group with "attitude and edge". Bob and Chris Herbert, the two men who had earlier created the Spice Girls, thought the time was right for a male group. Three thousand hopefuls auditioned and they were finally narrowed down to only fourteen, five of whom had arranged themselves into a group while waiting for their audition and subsequently were signed with BMG/RCA for a six-album deal.
In November of 1997, the band released their first single in the UK, "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)", which debuted at #10. The song was also released in the US in 1998 but had little chart success, although it was chosen as the new theme song by the NBA. In 1998 Five earned their first major international hit, "When The Lights Go Out", which cracked the US top 10 and earned Gold status there soon after. Five then went on an eight-day tour to promote their upcoming album, appearing in a concert special for the Disney Channel with Irish girl group B*Witched, in Times Square in New York City, and on MTV's TRL. The debut album peaked at #27 in the US, and topped the charts in other countries worldwide, including the UK. "It's The Things You Do" was released in late 1998 in the US, only to receive a lukewarm reception. The group embarked upon a US tour with boy band *NSYNC, but soon after pulled out due to exhaustion, flying back to England to rest and start work on a new album. Still mining the first record, "Got The Feelin'", "Everybody Get Up", and "Until The Time Is Through" were all released as singles throughout 1998. Reaching the top 5 in different countries around the world, the latter two singles each rose to the number two spot in the UK, and Five had well and truly made their mark in the world of boy band mania.
Invincible: the new millennium
In August 1999, the first single of their second album, the catchy dance tune "If Ya Gettin' Down", was released and became a major hit worldwide but yet again failed top go to #1 in their home country, kept out of the top spot by Ricky Martin. Finally in October 1999, after three consecutive number-two peaks, "Keep On Movin'" became their first UK #1, as well as their biggest selling single to date. The second album hit the top five shortly thereafter. "Don't Wanna Let You Go" was released in early March 2000, peaking at #9. On March 3, 2000, Five opened at the BRIT Awards with rock legends Queen, performing an updated version of that band's hit, "We Will Rock You". That night Five won their first BRIT Award, as "Best Pop Act", and their cover of the Queen song went on to become their second #1 in the UK in July 2000. The first half of 2000 found Five on a successful world tour, performing concerts in the UK, Europe, Russia, Australasia and—as a foursome—South America, after band member Ritchie contracted Chicken Pox and had to be flown back to England.
Life after Five/Future
In November 2001, Five member Abs went to Australia for the major pop festival Rumba! and performed on stage with boy band Blue. About a year after the breakup, he enjoyed a brief but fairly successful solo career, releasing the album Abstract Theory in 2003, which produced three top 10 singles in the UK.
Ritchie Neville and Sean Conlon also initially attempted solo musical careers which seemed to stop almost before they began, although Ritchie has made occasional appearances as a TV guest star, presenter, actor and reality show celebrity contestant. Scott Robinson joined a local Essex radio station, EssexFM, in 2002 for a few months as a radio DJ. He starred in the UK regional theatre musical Boogie Nights 2 from late 2004 through most of 2005. Scott also became a father for a second time, with the birth of his second son on September 13, 2006. J Brown had all but disappeared from public view for nearly 4 years but has recently resurfaced as a writer and producer. Sean Conlon ultimately became the second group member to sign a solo recording deal, with Sony, and began work toward a new album.
On September 17, 2006, an announcement was made via Five's official MySpace page that a press conference was to be held at The Scala in central London, England, on September 27, 2006, at around 11am GMT. After a venue change due to a shooting at The Scala, the conference was moved to the Bar Academy Islington. It was rumoured that four of the five members would be reuniting (Sean now being committed to his Sony deal), and this was confirmed at the press conference. Five recorded new material for what was to be their fourth studio album, working with Guy Chambers, Swedish producer/songwriter Anders Bagge, and French DJs Trak Invaders, and also planned to tour in 2007. As of January 2007, Five had completed half of their album and were looking to sign up to a record company. The album was expected to be released within the next few months. On March 8, 2007, at midnight, Five premiered one-minute clips of two brand new songs that were to have been on the new album. The songs, titled "70 Days" and "Settle Down," can be heard on the band's official webpage and also on their MySpace page.
Only 7 months after reforming, having failed attempts at securing a record deal, Five announced on May 20, 2007, via their official website that the group will no longer be pursuing a comeback.
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