BBMak talk about screaming fans, their new single and life at the top of the US charts
British band BBMak are a huge success in America, having sold more than a million albums and toured with pop princess Britney Spears. Now the 3 northern lads are preparing for the release of their album this month and are hoping to hit the big time on home soil.
The handsome trio - Christian Burns 27, Ste McNally 22, and Mark Barry 22 - are set to join NSYNC on a huge US tour this Summer and have just brought out their 2nd UK single, Still on your Side, hoping it will be as successful as their last UK release Back Here, which reached number 5 in February.
Tell us about your single still on your side...
Ste: It's a song we wrote in Los Angeles and it's already been a big hit for us in America. It's an anthem song. You could imagine it being played at the World Cup with thousands of football fans singing along to it.
Christian: When we were in the studio we put it into an anthemiser machine!
You've been in the States for the past year. It must be good to be back home...
Ste: We've been on the road for the past 2 years and the good thing about being back is that our families can see what we've been doing. They finally get to see that all the hard work has paid off. We've been together for 5 years so our families have seen us go from writings songs in our bedrooms to doing huge gigs in America.
Mark: It was frustrating in America because we were having so much success and our families weren't there to witness it.
You've got a very large fan base in America. How do you deal with all the sreaming girls?
Christian: You can't get into all the hype. It's flattering, but it's just part of the job.
Ste: You just have to think, if you weren't in a band would they be chasing you down the street? No, I don't think so.
Does the 'boy band' tag annoy you?
Ste: People say we're a boy band because we're young, but when you see us live you'll never call us a boy band again! We all play instruments, we all sing, and we all write.
Christian: If we all had beards and were all really ugly we'd just get called a band, but the fact that we take pride in how we look means that people think: 'Oh yeah, they're a boy band'.
What instruments do you play?
Ste: I play lead guitar, Christian plays rhythm guitar and drums, and Mark plays all kinds of weird stuff. He even played the bagpipes when we supported The Corrs.
Mark: I got into playing them when I was about 10 and stuck with it - it goes down really well on stage.
Does touring so much together put a strain on your friendship?
Ste: No. We lived on a tour bus for 8 months last year in America and didn't argue. When we go home we all go our different ways and that gives us a break. Mark goes to Manchester, I go to Liverpool and Christian goes to Wigan, then it's back on the road again.
Do you have girlfriends?
Christian: No, I'm single.
Ste: I don't either. We're so busy that you don't really get time. You're in one place one day and in another place the next day. Right now, music is everything.
Mark: I've been with my girlfriend, Nicola, for 2 years and I love her to bits. The hardest thing for me when I'm touring is spending time away from her. I met her in Bolton in a club and I think it was love straight away.
Christian, you were going out with Caprice earlier this year. What happened?
Christian: We went out with each other for a short while, but we were both really busy. It was just one of those things, it just fizzled out. Neither of us is heartbroken. I just called and said that I was very busy. She's a great person - very ambitious and very positive. I think whatever she does she'll do well. But unfortunately it just didn't work out. It's just impossible for me to have a relationship with the amount of work that I've got on.
Are you looking forward to supporting NSYNC this Summer?
Mark: NSYNC are the biggest band in America by far, so we feel very honoured to be doing such a big tour and it's great exposure. They're great lads as well - we've met them all before.
Ste: Justin was always at Britney's concerts so we got to know him when we were touring with her.
Your album Sooner Or Later goes on sale in the UK on May 28th. Are you excited?
Mark: We're very proud of it and we have collaborated with some really great people on it.
Christian: The album did really well in America and the UK release has got 3 extra tracks on it because we just wanted to put a little bit extra on there for the English fans. There are now 15 tracks on the album, of which 10 are written and produced by us.
So what's next for the band?
Christian: We are releasing our 3rd single in the US soon, called Ghost of you and Me, and we've just shot the video for that in Puerto Rico. We are also planning to start recording our second album this autumn.
