Sometimes the path to your dreams can detour down an unexpected road. For Cam, Mikey, Marcus and Jaden – four soulful singers who met on the hit ABC show BOY BAND – the route has become 4th Ave. Where the road leads is far from clear, but it stretches as far as these gifted young artists can imagine. The members of 4th Ave., who range in age from 16 to 19, each competed individually in the ABC show BOY BAND, with three of the four making it all the way to the season finale. While they were ultimately not voted into the final group, they came out of the experience with a strong bond and a shared love for making music together.
No less an authority than Timbaland, one of the show’s mentors, urged Cam, Mikey, Marcus and Jaden to continue reaching for the stars – without ever having heard them sing as a group. The four were never all together during the run of the show, but behind the scenes they formed a unique brotherhood that has proved as inspirational as the sublime harmonies their voices make together. Even more encouraging has been the response from their fans, who have clamored for more from these stellar vocalists since BOY BAND went off the air. The group was officially launched in January 2018, and in less than a month had chalked up more than 160,000 streams across a variety of platforms, while accruing more than 13,000 followers on Instagram and more than 4,000 subscribers on YouTube.
4th Ave.’s first single, “XOXO” was released just in time for Valentine’s Day, and that weekend the boys performed the song live at the NBA Celebrity All Star Game. Their heartfelt harmonies have also backed superstar singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. They’ll soon be releasing their stunning debut, The Exit EP. It should come as no surprise that these four have become such a distinctive combination, with personalities as unique and complementary as their voices. Cam Jackson (19) is the big brother, the peacemaker and natural born leader whose unflappable charm brought the band together; Mikey Jimenez (18), the laid-back visionary, open to every idea and able to integrate them into the band’s big picture; Marcus Pendleton (17), the endlessly energetic hype man, the youngest in spirit if not in age and a constant source of energy; and Jaden Gray (16), the old soul, determined and headstrong with musical knowledge beyond his years.
The band’s backgrounds are equally diverse. Cam is a New Jersey kid who studied at the Broadway Dance Academy and loves early 2000s R&B from John Legend to Usher. Mikey hails from California, where his family owns a strong of salons – and he has the perfectly-coiffed hair to prove it. Marcus, also known as K-MARZZZ, is a Michael Jackson superfan raised in the country music hub of Nashville. Jaden is another California boy, who grew up singing in church both in his native Compton and in Marietta, GA, where he spent part of his childhood.
While they were fierce competitors on screen, the four became lifelong friends in the off hours of the ten-week series. While the show’s winners were chosen by the judges, 4th Ave. chose each other. Their bonds were forged during late-night hang-outs in Cam’s room, which became a hub for the contestants, where they played video games, blew off steam, sharing pizza, and singing together into the wee hours. It was in those informal sessions, with no audiences or judges watching, no cameras capturing every moment, that they found the gorgeous harmonies that form the heart of 4th Ave.
The Exit EP will introduce the 4th Ave. sound to the world with eight songs that showcase the band’s diverse inspirations and drive to inspire with their message of positivity and tolerance. Cam, Mikey, Marcus and Jaden have all followed different and winding paths in their lives, but they’ve converged on 4 th Ave., together heading down a road that leads to a bright horizon – and beyond.
