Union back
UNION J are teaming up with a huge US male artist as part of their pop comeback.
The former X Factor boyband have just released new single Alive – their first in almost four years.
And band members Josh Cuthbert, JJ Hamblett Jaymi Hensley
George Shelley left in 2016, the band have hired and then fired Casey Johnson and gone through various managers.
But Josh added: “We did kind of go into it this time saying if it didn’t work out it would be our last shot, but so far it is working. “We always felt we had unfinished business. It’s not about the dolls or merchandise.
“It’s just about putting out great music we are proud of.”
Alive is out now. Give it a listen. You will be surprised. UNION J were originally set to release new single Alive on the exact same day as former member George Shelley released his debut solo single.
Jaymi said: “We’ve waited nearly four years to release our single so couldn’t believe George also had the same date. We ended up moving ours back a week so there wasn’t any unnecessary rivalry. He’s still a part of Union J and always will be.”
JJ added: “We are all good friends again. There’s no rivalry.”
The heart-throb has just released his debut solo single Barcelona – almost five years after the boyband split.
In my WIRED exclusive, the hunky skinhead told how he was a fan of counselling after suffering with anxiety for years.
Max said: “I’ve had therapy throughout The Wanted and afterwards. I see counsellors when I’m not suffering from any problems as well. It’s not just a therapy for anxiety but just to help me feel good.”
Max first suffered a meltdown after the group’s debut single All Time Low hit
No.1 in 2010 and launched them into stardom.
He said: “I struggled for about three months. We got to No.1 and it was everything we dreamed of but I didn’t know how to handle it.
“I suffered bad anxiety. I was struggling with becoming Max from The Wanted, rather than just Max George. I couldn’t sleep. I had bad shakes and was just trapped in my own head. “Thankfully with the right people around me I got out of it, otherwise I could have gone insane.” Max and the boys split in 2014 after ten top 10 singles. The Mancunian moved to America and landed a part in TV show Glee.
A chance meeting with US superstar led to him signing with Warner Music in America.
But he again suffered months of mental struggles when he left the label to go it alone.
He said: “I had a similar episode for a few months when I wasn’t doing so much. I was living in LA and trying to figure out what to do next.”
Max is now finally launching a solo career after setting up his own record label SilverMAX.
He added: “It is hard to get signed to major labels nowadays.
“I was worried that it might not see the light of day but the response has been incredible.
“I have done over 100 songs. So there are loads to choose from.
“We are already talking about the follow-up single in September and then hopefully an album will follow.
Barcelona is out now.