Rushers

Big Time Rush

Big Time Rush is living proof of the proverb “good things come to those who wait.” The process of finding Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena and Logan Henderson began three years ago, and now, after an incredibly successful first season on their hit Nickelodeon show of the same name, the band is finally ready to unveil their debut album entitled BTR.
To understand Big Time Rush is to know their smash series, which boasts the highest-rated and most-watched live-action premiere in the history of the network, attracting 6.8 million viewers. Each member is a skilled singer/songwriter/musician in his own right – James and Carlos attended performing arts schools while Kendall and Logan simply honed in on their innate talent.
Big Time Rush’s real-life musical career does have some parallels to their TV show’s plotlines, but signing with Columbia Records is a far cry from dealing with the shenanigans at Rocque Records. The cultivation of the four members has been much more intense, raising the bar with A-list producers and collaborators such as Kevin Rudolf (Leona Lewis, Lil Wayne), Claude Kelly (Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears), S*A*M and Sluggo (Boys Like Girls, We The Kings, Gym Class Heroes) and OFM (Jay Sean).
Although they’ve sold over 1-million combined digital singles to date, this full-length release has been a long time coming. After a two-year audition process and a whirlwind year of filming, recording and promoting, the band eventually holed up at a Los Angeles studio for just over two weeks to record BTR. The album reflects the guys’ boy band aesthetic, but it also taps into a spectrum of genres, including pop, R&B, rock and dance.
“I think people are going to be really surprised by the kind of music that’s on the album,” Kendall says. “It shows the diversity in the group and the different styles of music we’re into, and it’s really interesting to hear the mix of our voices – it’s hard to even put a genre on it.”
BTR is comprised of original songs, some of which fans have already heard on Big Time Rush, and others that have yet to premiere on TV. The album jumped onto the Billboard Charts at no. 3 and has already sold over 200,000 units in the United States. In the first track on the album, “Til I Forget About You,” the four-piece showcases their melodic disposition and anthemic gang vocals.
“Oh Yeah” is another standout track, which was co-written by Rudolf and the band, and features the New York native’s signature rock fusion vibe. “‘Oh Yeah’ is kind of about this discovery,” James explains. “It starts off with the chorus line, ‘Who am I supposed to be,’ and it’s kind of about asking, ‘What am I supposed to do to get you to like me?’ but it doesn’t even matter if you like me or not, because we’re going to have a good time.”
The album also includes the band’s R&B duet with Jordin Sparks, “Count On You,” which was performed with the American Idol winner on the band’s unforgettable Season One episode “Big Time Sparks.” “She is amazing,” Carlos gushes. “She has an incredible voice and was a great actor.”
Big Time Rush is excited to take their music to the stage, not just to perform live before their fans, but to also show them who they are outside of their on-screen personas. “We all have such different personalities, and I think we all really want to represent ourselves,” Kendall says. “Ultimately, on the show we are playing characters, and when we get to do a performance, it’s our chance to show who we really are.”
"I think the cool thing about us is that we are cheering alongside of our fans,” Logan adds. “It’s a group effort and we’re able to do it together. It’s awesome to be a part of something big; to really change the way people see music and think about music. Being able to put music out there that people love, can have fun with and can dance to is something we’re really excited about.” And that is something worth waiting for.


Source: mtv.tv