5 Seconds Of Summer Still Broke Despite Worldwide Success
Australia’s very own pop punk boyband 5 Seconds of Summer has been in showbiz since 2011, but the members still aren’t rolling in cash. Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood, and Ashton Irwin said their finances before they started the band remain the same despite their international breakthrough.
The boys began by just covering songs of other artists on YouTube. Their popularity on the video-sharing site caught the interest of major music labels and publishers. By 2012, their first EP “Unplugged” already reached number three on the iTunes chart in Australia.
They have joined British band One Direction in their worldwide tour in 2013, allowing them to form wider fanbase around the world.
In February 2014, their debut single “She Looks So Perfect” was released, and within days, it had reached number one in dozens of countries, including New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
But although 5SOS are already international stars, they still haven’t accrued the wealth that goes with being a successful boyband.
Hood, the band’s bass guitarist and vocalist, revealed that their financial state “hasn’t really changed.”
Apparently, their legions of fans still have to buy their record for the boys to earn money.
“People don’t buy as much music as they used to, it’s very hard to break through. You have to be quite big,” lead vocalist Hemmings told the Daily Telegraph.
That’s not all. Despite being popular among tween girls now, they were the opposite of heartthrobs back when they attended Norwest Christian College.
“None of us really have that many friends,” Hemmings admitted. “We came together through music.”
Hood added, “When we joined the band we were definitely outcasts – we weren’t bullied but we were outcasts.
“Bing in the band just cemented everything, we’re brothers now, best friends.”
The band revealed that they are working on a new album, which will be “coming soon.”
“We’re always writing,” Hemmings said. “You definitely have ideas but it’s usually in the iPhone notes.”