Big Time Rush

Big Time Rush are known for their hooky boy-band pop, dance-rock, and R&B as well as for their fictionalized Nickelodeon TV show. From 2009 to 2013, the group starred in their hit series and released three Top 20-charting Billboard 200 albums: 2010′s Big Time Rush, 2011′s Elevate, and 2013′s 24/Seven. During this time, they scored several Billboard Hot 100 and Top 40 Pop Airplay chart hits, including “Boyfriend” (featuring Snoop Dogg), “Music Sounds Better with You” (featuring Mann), and “Windows Down.” After their show ended, Big Time Rush went on extended hiatus before reuniting in 2021 with a run of singles leading up to their fourth album, 2023′s Another Life. Formed in 2009, Big Time Rush featured the talents of singer/actors Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos PenaVega, and Logan Henderson. The group debuted concurrently as both pop and TV stars, releasing music on Columbia/Epic Label Group and starring in their own eponymous Nickelodeon TV series. Big Time Rush the show followed the fictional lives of four high-school friends (portrayed by and loosely based on the band members) as they move to Los Angeles, sign a record deal, and become a chart-topping boy band. The series also incorporated the band’s music into each episode, beginning with their 2009 theme song “Big Time Rush” and followed by other singles, including “City is Ours” and “Halfway There,” the latter of which hit 93 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both tracks appeared on the group’s debut album, Big Time Rush, which arrived in 2010 just as the first season of the show was drawing to a close. Buoyed by the previously released tracks as well as the Top 40 single “Boyfriend” featuring rapper Snoop Dogg, the album performed well internationally and reached number three on the Billboard 200. In 2011, Big Time Rush returned with their sophomore album, Elevate, which featured production by Ryan Tedder, JR Rotem, The-Dream, and others. It returned them to the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and even topped the Kid Albums chart. It also spawned two Top 40 Pop Airplay singles with “Music Sounds Better with You” (featuring Mann) and “If I Ruled the World” (featuring Iyaz). A year later, the band made their feature-film debut with Big Time Movie. A spoof-tacular spy caper set in London, the film’s soundtrack included covers of songs by the Beatles. It peaked at 44 on the Billboard 200 and reached the Top Five of both the Kid Albums and Soundtrack Albums charts. The band’s third full-length album, 24/Seven, arrived in June 2013 and topped the Billboard 200 and Kids Albums charts. It again featured a cadre of marquee producers, including OFM, Damon Sharpe, the Blueprint, and more. Along with the single “Like Nobody’s Around,” it also featured a guest spot by the duo Karmin on “Song for You.” A month after the album’s release, Big Time Rush’s TV show ended its run. After completing a world tour in 2014, the band went on indefinite hiatus. Away from Big Time Rush, the members embarked on their own projects. Schmidt returned to his longtime duo Heffron Drive, while Maslow appeared on both 2014′s Dancing with the Stars and 2018′s Celebrity Big Brother. Similarly, PenaVega released the Spanish-language single “Electrico,” competed on Dancing with the Stars, and voiced the character of Bobby Santiago on the animated Nickelodeon show The Loud House. Following some time away from performing, Henderson launched a solo career with 2016′s “Sleepwalker” and hit the Top 40 with “Pull Me Deep,” the first track off his 2018 full-length, Echoes of Departure and the Endless Street of Dreams - Pt. 1. In April 2020, Big Time Rush revealed that they had reunited, marking the occasion by releasing an acoustic cover of their song “Worldwide.” In December 2021, they released the single “Call It Like I See It,” followed in February 2022 by “Not Giving You Up.” That same year, they embarked on their reunion Forever Tour, all of which led up to the arrival of the group’s fourth full-length. Released in June 2023, Another Life was the group’s first album to be issued on their own Bought the Rights label via BMG. Included on the album were the singles “Can’t Get Enough” and “Waves. ~ Matt Collar