Why PRETTYMUCH deserves the hype

Nina Bohata and Wang Ngotho
May 13, 2020
4 min read

It was in December of 2017 that we met outside of a buzzing club in Ballito during our matric vacation. Wang was on her way out after giving up halfway in the line and bumped into Nina and her friends in the parking. We had only seen each other briefly before, at our final music assessment for half an hour, so our faces were familiar to each other. Nina expressed how she and her friends were contemplating joining the line or if they should rather make their own memories somewhere else. After a group discussion, Nina and her friends invited Wang to follow her to their friend's place and, on the walk, discovered that they were all fans of PRETTYMUCH. What started there was a beautiful friendship between the both of us and Wang as an addition to the blog. It's safe to say that, should we ever meet PRETTYMUCH in the future, we owe them huge gratitude for the friendship we share together. We would love to spread this to you and show you a boy band that changed our lives for the better.

https://twitter.com/prettymuch/status/1085264302012018688

Background

PRETTYMUCH is a boyband created by Simon Cowell in 2016. Unlike other bands One Direction, Little Mix and Rak-Su created on the U.K X Factor by Cowell, a different approach was taken in the formation of this band. Taking advantage of the new social media era, a chosen few were scouted online by Sony Music and went through an auditioning process which resulted in the five members Austin, Brandon, Edwin, Nick and Zion. Since 2016 they have lived together in Los Angeles, having this space together has allowed them to produce and create not only music together but other engaging content on YouTube. They have graced the stages of the Teen Choice Awards, TRL and the U.K X Factor as well as opening for the likes of Jack and Jack and Camila Cabello.

Jello by Prettymuch

Now or Never Dance Visual by Prettymuch

Members

Name: Austin Porter

D.O.B: 14 August 1997

Grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina

Pre PRETTYMUCH: Austin was pursuing a solo career and planning to study graphic design to eventually go into animation.

Name: Brandon Areaga

D.O.B: 14 December 1999

Grew up in Corinth, Texas

Pre PRETTYMUCH: Brandon did a few acting jobs growing up which allowed him to buy equipment for a home studio which he'd rent out to other musicians. Brandon has been singing and practising his music skills from a young age.

Name: Edwin Honoret

D.O.B: 12 February 1999

Grew up in the Bronx, New York

Pre PRETTYMUCH: Edwin enjoyed singing and dancing throughout school however had no formal training. He was making YouTube content when scouted.

Name: Nick Mara

D.O.B: 8 November 1997

Grew up in Englishtown, New Jersey

Pre PRETTYMUCH: At the age of 9, Nick began dance lessons. He performed with dance crew ICONic Boyz on the sixth season of America's Best Dance Crew.

Name: Zion Kuwonu

D.O.B: 29 June 1999

Grew up in Ottawa, Canada

Pre PRETTYMUCH: Zion had been posting song covers on Vine when scouted.

/2019/08/06/ - PRETTYMUCH for Rollercoaster Magazine by Bartek Szmigulski

Music Style and Writing Process

PRETTYMUCH give us a modern take on the nostalgic boyband favorites of our past and are always bringing us stellar dance moves reminiscent of boybands such as NSYNC. Their beautiful harmonies and performance style is what we haven't seen in a long time from boybands (in the west) however have truly needed. Their music ranges from Hip-Hop to Pop to R&B and in an interview with Zach Sang, Brandon said "We want to tap into different things, different flavours and genres." They look at each EP as a different vibe or idea on its own and in the future they could make one that’s more edm or funky. In their first single "Would You Mind" there are elements of Bell Biv DeVoe most apparently being the old-school drumbeat whereas a Boys 2 Men harmony focused influence comes out in songs such as "Open Arms" and "Summer On You."

Would You Mind

Open Arms

Summer On You

"It would be sick to have a hit record but it would be even more sick to have a hit record we've created ourselves, it's that much more rewarding."-Edwin

They've worked hard to prove themselves and gain more control over their music and creative direction. Now with three recording set-ups in their house they spend everyday creating and split their production between the studio and their home.

Living together has helped their creative process . Zion said "We know what each other goes through cause we live together and can see it, it helps with writing. "As not only music artists but content creators all of them have something extra to bring to the table whether it be Austin's expertise in visual art, Nicks dancing skill or Brandon's producing. "Gone 2 Long" was the first song fully produced by Brandon. Other songs such as "Blind" and "Lying" steer away from nostalgia and are on a more trendy wave.

Gone 2 Long

Blind

Lying ft Lil Tjay

Why They Deserve Better

PRETTYMUCH are giving us music that they truly stand behind and give 100% not only with producing and writing everyday but learning new skills as content creators whether it be videography or graphic design. "WE want to show we are here for a reason and not just a short success or a quick ride to fame."- Nick Mara. They are multifaceted and are doing the most when it come to truly being musicians and talented performers.Lastly they genuinely care about each other as people and like to hang out with each other which may help out reluctant fans that have been scarred by the traumatic end of One Direction. If you're looking for a versatile band that will give you music that is authentic, nostalgic and just an absolute vibe you should definitely give them a listen. You can stream their music on Spotify and Apple music and watch their content on YouTube.

Wang's Pick