9:00am Sunday 7th February 2010
By Sam Revell
EIGHTEEN months ago, Oritse Williams and three of his friends were fitting their rehearsals around university lectures and day jobs.
Next week (Wednesday February 10), as JLS, they’ll play a sell-out gig at Bournemouth International Centre as part of their UK tour.
To say the last year and a half has been a whirlwind is an understatement.
“It’s been more like a roller-coaster that just keeps going up and up, and hasn’t come down yet,” says an excited Oritse.
Listen to the podcast below
“The days have been going by so quickly and we haven’t had a chance to stop and reflect on what we’ve achieved yet. We just enjoy ourselves and have fun every day.
“If you’d told me a year ago that we’d have a number one debut single and our own UK tour I don’t know if I would have believed you.”
TV talent show X Factor was JLS’s springboard to fame and fortune, where they won millions of fans with their talent and personalities.
“We just wanted to enter the competition and do the best we could,” says Oritse.
“Thankfully we’ve come out of the show with exactly what we wanted – a record deal – and now we have the tour and number one singles too.
“The name JLS (Jack the Lad Swing) refers to our style of music, but now it’s probably as much about our ethos …we’re four young cheeky chappy types.”
In the summer of 2008 the four lads made a decision that would totally change their lives.
“JB and Marvin were in a car, and Aston and me were on a train on our way to meet them. We were chatting about X Factor and whether we should audition. When we met up with the other two guys they had been chatting about the exact same thing.
“We all jumped up. It was weird. I guess it could be fate, but we all had the same idea at the same time.”
JLS reached the final, finished second to Alexandra Burke …and the rest, as they say, is history.
“Before X Factor we were all doing regular things. Marvin was working an office job, and some of us were at university, but we still managed to rehearse together four times a week.
“I was at London Metropolitan University studying Events Management, and trying to get on to a business degree. I was just a normal student, handing in course work – late most of the time – and working as well.
“During boot camp at X Factor I had a final exam to do, and the university said I had to choose between the opportunity of a lifetime and higher level education.
“They knew which I’d choose, and I put my books on the table and walked out.
“I’ll never say never about finishing the course, but the chances are it won’t be any time in the near future.”
So how does Oritse explain JLS’s phenomenal post X Factor success?
“The support from the show has stayed with us,” he says.
“Our fans’ support has remained and grown, and they really want us to do well.”
Since X Factor, the foursome have released their self-titled debut album, which went straight to number one, along with their first two singles, Beat Again and Everybody In Love.
“We always want number ones and always aim for the best,” says Oritse.
“But we just never know what’s going to happen, and we’re just happy to have our music out there – we’re really proud of the music we’re making, and we enjoy singing it.
“We have a bigger input into what we do than most people realise. Hopefully soon we’ll be writing our own songs.”
On X Factor, JLS were renowned for their colour co-ordination.
“We still have our own colours, but it’s just not as prominent as before,” reveals Oritse, who was known for wearing red.
“It’s now things like wristbands or usually underwear. I walk around in red underwear all the time. It’s discreet,” he laughs. “We didn’t want to be walking round like four skittles all the time, you know!”
JLS are no strangers to Bournemouth and in their pre-fame days were regular visitors to the town.
“Of course we’ve been to Bournemouth before. Everyone goes down to Bournemouth as a kid to see the seaside.”
The full interview with Oritse is available as a podcast.
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