2 Part Interview with O-Town’s Jacob Underwood

Interviewer: Tell us about your best ever date.
Jacob: I've never dated!

I: What? Never?
J: Well not what you'd call a proper one. All the girls I've been with have been just friends of friends and we all went out in a big group and hung out. But I've never been on, like, a proper date.

I: That sounds like it's much less stress than dating!
J: Yeah. I don't like being around one person on an awkward dinner date. I've never liked that - it's just not fun for me.

I: You're the only one who's got a girlfriend at the moment aren't you?
J: Yeah, Janie and I have been dating on and off since we were 11 or 12. And we're so close now. It's got to that point where we realize how much we mean to each other, and it really keeps us going.

I: So you two are always out having romantic candlelit meals then?
J: No, I'd rather stay at home and cook with her. I like going out, but I find that I get stared at too much and that can make me feel really uncomfortable. If we do go out, I prefer to go to a gig or a film - or maybe just for a walk along the beach.

Jacob's Interview taken from an English mag, J-17.

Jacob

(The Artistic One)
The one exception to the O-Town "no time for love" philosophy is the 21-year-old Jacob Underwood. He's the only band member who has managed to sustain a relationship - with girlfriend Janie. "She is perfect. I'm happy in my relationship and I want to keep it. Nothing's going to stop that," he says very firmly, throwing Janie (who's browsing through a stack of records near us) adoring looks. It’s enough to make J17 go all gooey.

Still it ain't all rosy in Jacob's world right now. Last night, on (US) TV's “Making The Band” Season 2, Jacob threatened to walk out of O-Town. J17 thought that the mother of all band barneys was going to erupt when it emerged that several of Jacob's vocals had been cut from the album. Jacob doesn't hold back when we speak to him the next day.

"It wasn't me just whining, I always stand up for what I believe in," he says. "My guess is, nothing in this business will satisfy me. We're called artists but we're not allowed to create. People don't give a shit anymore, and that's why I got so mad. The music industry just wants to sell."

His honesty is refreshing. It spills out so fast you want to give him a big hug. "As a kid I had so many dreams," he adds. "I finally thought I'd been given the opportunity to fulfill them. But having everyone telling you what to do is hard to endure - you're in your dream but unable to control it."

Q) Are you still dating Janie?

A) Yeah. She's a God-fearing girl and really arty, which I love about her. But it's hard to make it work, especially 'cause my cell phone doesn't work here, so we can't even speak on the phone like we normally do.

JACOB «I WOULD LOVE TO END THIS CHAPTER»

Star*: Do you think people see you as the leader of the band?

JACOB: Last year I took the leadership role. When you get put in a group where no one knows each other it's unlikely that you all have the same goals, so I stood up and directed the others, as I already knew where my goals lay.

Star*: Your musical roots aren't in pop, are they?

JACOB : It wasn't my plan to be in a boy band, so it was really hard in the beginning. But now that I'm here I don't feel like it's your typical boy band. All the guys are very sincere about what we do. They're very dedicated, and this is just the beginning.

Star*: Were you wary of the TV show telling you how to dress?

JACOB: I went along with it for a while but after I started seeing myself on TV, I knew I needed a new look . It started making sense to the others because my attitude and my personality didn't really match the Dawson's Creek look I had in the show.

Star*: Do you worry that you're missing out on what normal guys your age have?

JACOB: I like having this original lifestyle, where my experiences are all very different. There's only about one per cent (1%) of the population who can relate to what we're going through.

Star*: Does it help having Janie, your childhood sweetheart, by your side?

JACOB: She's the best thing that happened to me. She knows what I was like when I was a kid and how things have changed; she's comfort to me.

Star*: Will you get married?

JACOB: I hope so. I would like to think that nothing from O-town affects the life I would have had with her. I want to continue to live my life the way I would have if I wasn't famous.

Star*: Any plans to pop the question?

JACOB: I don't set dates, things just work out.

Star*: How do you keep the relationship going when you're so far apart?

JACOB: It's hard, but you can't believe the lies that there's too much temptation. That just gives you an excuse. If you love someone and you want to be with them, you're gonna work it out.

Star*: Do you never get tempted?

JACOB: I love looking at beautiful people but you can get past that . I like people to support our music but that's all I want the fans there for - I don't want them to tempt me to cheat on my girlfriend.

Star*: How long will O-Town last?

JACOB: I would love to end this chapter but I'm not ready right now. I'd love to look back and realize how amazing this is, but I'll outgrow it and it'll be time to move on to do bigger and better things. When the time comes I think we'll all just know

Star*: Do you hold some of your personality back from the band?

JACOB: Probably. We all probably hide things from people, but not because we're afraid of them finding out, it's just none of their business.