A boyband hating that very label – it’s a tale as old as time. For decades, the ‘boyband’ label has been met with apprehension by the musicians holding the title; the Backstreet Boys defiantly called themselves a “male vocal group”, while *NSYNC hated how reductive the label was. But after 10 years in the spotlight and five albums, 5 Seconds Of Summer are finally ready to reclaim the ‘boyband’ title on new album ‘Everyone’s A Star!’
Speaking to NME over Zoom just two days ahead of ‘Everyone’s A Star!’’s release, Michael Clifford explains: “The fun part of being a boyband is for us to redefine what it is because when we were starting out, we would play in pubs and do all of the things that typical bands would do and the key thing that we figured out is that being a boyband isn’t a bad thing.”
The road to acceptance hasn’t been easy for 5SOS; back in 2015, NME awarded them the title of Worst Band in the World three years in a row. It’s since become something they’ve taken in their stride, with Ashton Irwin acknowledging that it’s “foolish to allow any emotional damage to happen in the world of pop”.
Instead, they’re focusing on being “bulletproof” and “larger than life” characters on ‘Everyone’s A Star!’, and they’re ready to bring their “most ambitious” tour across the world in 2026. Check out NME’s chat with 5SOS below, where they discuss comparisons to The Beatles, how their solo careers have affected working together as a band, and their “8 Mile moment”.
‘Everyone’s A Star!’ feels very different from your previous output – what made you want to go in a different direction?
Luke Hemmings: “We love flipping things on their head and every album keeps people guessing. It makes it more interesting for us. We wrote a song called ‘No. 1 Obsession’ and that lyrically and sonically was so 5SOS. That title too, playing with people’s perception and our perception of our career and the tonality and irony of it made us feel like old 5SOS but with lots of wisdom behind it.”
Ashton Irwin: “There are a lot of factors. It’s compiling 15 years of writing songs, playing live and experiencing the business that we’re in. It’s also the mind-altering experience of iPhones and that ever-expanding nature of technology that we’re all in right now. That changes everything from the group up, from lyricism and the way it all looks and feels.
“We were unsigned, multiple people in the band were having children, we hadn’t been on tour in two years. A lot of life changes, energetic shifts and awareness shifts were applied to the music. We had to really fight for this to exist, really really hard.”
What would you define as the ethos of ‘Everyone’s A Star!’?
Irwin: “It’s redefining our conversation with the public and our fans, and evolving as performers and entertainers but also trying to master 5 Seconds Of Summer’s nature. The ethos of it is really recapturing our rock roots but also making sure we’re remaining outstanding in our approach to lyricism and release strategy.”
Calum Hood: “It was also rediscovering the fire in the belly of 5SOS, especially from the last record and reintroducing that into what we do. Also who is 5 Seconds Of Summer in the modern music age? We’ve been many different versions of the band and it’s kind of figuring out who we want to be now. I’m really glad that it feels, in its energy, very Australian. It feels very working-class, it feels like where we’re from.”
Michael Clifford: “This record is loud, bold, it’s fuckin’ a lot of different stuff.”
What made you want to reclaim the term ‘boyband’?
Hemmings: “We started in a garage as a rock/pop-punk band, so it felt like it was being used in a derogatory sense. We just wanted to sound great live and write great songs, so it felt like kind of a dig. This whole album is like having a conversation about our experience in this industry with the audience and poking fun at ourselves and taking the piss, for lack of better terms. So it felt like if we call ourselves a boyband, then you can’t hurt us with it.”
Hood: “We’ve been kind of a strange amalgamation of what creates a band. It kind of confused people that we play instruments and we all sing and that was enough reason for them to try and label or pigeonhole us. Back then, I personally felt it was a little belittling, but luckily we had such a strong sense of identity of who we were, that now we are able to look back at our early years and articulate it in a way that we can reclaim the power of what that is. We’re writing that narrative for ourselves and it’s felt really good and it’s really resonated amongst our fanbase.”
It seems some boybands don’t necessarily fit the stereotypes that come with the label. The Beatles were one of the first acts to be called a boyband… what sets a boyband apart from a band?
Michael Clifford: “It’s up to whatever the wielder of the conversation chooses it to be. The only thing we had in common with boybands when we were coming out is that we were young, we were apparently good looking and we all sang. If that is what defines a boyband, then so be it. We’ve redefined what a boyband was – in the same way that The Beatles were called a boyband… I don’t fully understand the correlation between us and The Beatles because obviously we’re way better than them [Laughs]. Everyone will agree with that, right?”
Hemmings: “Um, yeah totally…”
Clifford: “NME, you can quote that. I think the fun part of being a boyband is for us to redefine what it is because when we were starting out, we would play in pubs and do all of the things that typical bands would do and the key thing that we figured out is that being a boyband isn’t a bad thing. It’s such an important part of our lives that we had predominantly a young female fanbase. This is the best fucking fanbase in the world. We’ve played to a room of men before, and it sucks really bad. We had the best case scenario.”
Hemmings: “Young women define culture. They tell you what’s cool.”
Have your solo projects changed the way you approach music in the band?
Hemmings: “The best part about being in this band is that we are made up of four people who can make their own solo albums. It made not being in the band for a minute and seeing what we should do next as a fan of the band to see and hear was really helpful. Getting all of our personal stories off our chest and coming back into this and making a band album, we all pulled in an equal direction.”
Irwin: “You’re grateful that there is a record label, people who are motivated to help you with your career and there’s an opportunity to reach people with your solo music. For instance, I did my record independently under a licensing deal, and you’re not getting commitment from anybody to support it at all – it’s just you and the people that really wanna listen.
“In the band, it’s high-stakes. It’s a diamond – we’re very lucky for it to exist and it’s our vehicle for our art and our livelihoods so they offer very different philosophical perspectives on what a solo project is and what a band is.”
Ashton, you mentioned in an interview recently that the band’s persona on this album is a “galvanised unit of popstars who are no longer insecure beings…” Can you expand on that?
Irwin: “It’s so foolish to allow any emotional damage to happen in the world of pop. Anybody’s opinion, hateful comments, or even positive, you should all let it bounce off you and keep your intentions pure. The return of the energy – negative or positive – can be destructive to your wellbeing, your self esteem and your perception of self worth.
“The best thing about being in a band is that we can agree that we’re going to be bulletproof and if we play these larger than live characters, it actually protects our regular live characters. It’d be foolish to allow anything that happens in entertainment or the industry to affect your sense of self.”
A decade ago, 5SOS were named NME’s Worst Band In The World three years in a row. What were some of the things you had to do to overcome caring too much about what people think of you?
Irwin: “We fought hard for that award…”
Clifford: “I think it was really just not letting people like the old NME get to us. It didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. We knew we were going to be around for a long time and we’re as strong as ever now. I feel like owning the word ‘boyband’ now is our 8 Mile moment. You know how at the end of the film Eminem’s like, ‘Tell them something they don’t know about me’? That’s kind of our take on that. We’re Eminem in this situation, NME back then was Clarence. The thing that’s interesting is we honestly haven’t done anything different – we do the same stuff, make similar music. It’s just a different time and for some reason, we felt like we had to prove ourselves in some sick trial to the world that we didn’t sign up for.
“It was a blessing, personally. Now, whenever we look at any new artist who is thrown under the bus, I’m always rooting for those people now and I love that I have that empathy. It’s so hard to express yourself and be creative in a way that resonates with other people. It’s also really difficult to not let what other people say get to you in any circumstance. I’m grateful that it happened and it was clearly a sign of our success that we had at the time that we were nominated for such a ‘prestigious’ award such as Worst Band.”
Hood: “Once you prove to yourself through your action and not reaction that you’re worthy, the background noise becomes irrelevant. It’s definitely a mental strength game, you have to be centered within yourself to know exactly who you are, what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. That takes a lot of time but going through all of that in our early days, it’s easier now but it’s a personal journey for sure.”
You’ve got a big tour coming up in 2026 – what can fans expect?
Clifford: “We’ve had a lot more time to plan this show than we had for the last tour. The last tour was a proof of concept for us that a band doesn’t have to just stand up there and play a set. We very much made it an experience for fans that’s all about our history. The world of ‘Everyone’s A Star!’ is so evocative that it feels a little bit cliche but it’s our best, most ambitious show. It feels like a bunch of buzzwords, but it’s going to be one of our biggest tours ever.”
Hemmings: “We’re turning up the dial – there is no limit that exists to how far you can turn it. The limit does not exist! Even with all the stuff that Michael said for the last tour, we’re going to take all that and expand on that. Biggest, most ambitious, I love those buzz words.”
Irwin: “We’re trying to reinvent what we do live. We’re so much more than a band that just plays instruments. We’re so into acting and producing all of these video components that we would like to one day get to a point in our career where you come see our show not even because of the songs but because of the way we’re utilising the arenas.”
5 Seconds Of Summer’s sixth album ‘Everyone’s A Star!’ is out now via Republic Records. They will tour the UK, Europe, North America and Australia in 2026 – see the full list of dates and ticketing details here.