Photo courtesy Universal Music
Forget frosted tips and matchy-matchy outfits. The Wanted are redefining the boy band for a new generation. FLARE caught up with three of the five-piece—hunky Max George, chatty Tom Parker, and soulful Siva Kaneswaran—at the Pantages Hotel in Toronto.
FLARE: What are some extreme ways your fans show their love?
Max: There are a lot of girls who have our lyrics tattooed.
Siva: I had a girl who asked me to draw a heart.
Tom: But it was the most awful heart ever!
Siva: She came back and had it tattooed. It was horrible.
FLARE: There’s a lot of talk about the return of the boy band. How do you feel about that?
Tom: I think it’s pretty accurate. We can change what people perceive a boy band is. We all play instruments, we don’t dance, we don’t look overly stylized. Then all the bands, like One Direction, came after us and they came in a similar style. So I think we set a precedent.
FLARE: What kind of music do you guys listen to?
Tom: I grew up on Nirvana and Oasis and rock music, anything with a guitar, but these days I listen to top 40 music, and quite happily listen to it because…
Max: We’re in it!
Siva: I like Motown. I can also turn on the radio and listen to Carly Rae Jepsen.
Tom: She’s a babe. She’s so cute.
FLARE: One of the rumours is that you would do a collaboration with another Canadian star, Justin Bieber. Is there any talk of this?
Tom: We know Justin quite well and obviously we are with his manager Scooter [Braun]. If he would like to, we would definitely be open to it.
The Wanted’s self-titled EP is available now.
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