5 Seconds of Summer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
5 Seconds of Summer
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5 Seconds of Summer at B96 Pepsi SummerBash 2019. From left to right: Calum Hood, Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings, and Ashton Irwin.
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | 5SOS |
| Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
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5 Seconds of Summer, often called 5SOS (pronounced "five sauce"), is an Australian pop rock band. They formed in Sydney, New South Wales in 2011. The band members are Luke Hemmings (lead singer and rhythm guitarist), Michael Clifford (lead guitarist), Calum Hood (bassist), and Ashton Irwin (drummer).
They started by posting videos of themselves singing on YouTube. They became famous around the world when they toured with the English-Irish band One Direction on their Take Me Home Tour. Since 2014, 5 Seconds of Summer has sold over 10 million albums. They have also sold more than 2 million concert tickets. Their songs have been streamed over 7 billion times online. This makes them one of the most successful Australian music groups ever.
In early 2014, the band released "She Looks So Perfect". This song became number one in four countries. Their first album, called 5 Seconds of Summer, came out in 2014. It reached number one in 11 countries. Their second album, Sounds Good Feels Good, was released in 2015. It topped the charts in 8 countries.
The band's third album, Youngblood, came out in 2018. It was a huge success and became their third number one album in Australia. In the US, 5 Seconds of Summer was the first Australian group to have three number one albums on the Billboard 200 chart. The song "Youngblood" is one of the best-selling Australian songs of the 2010s. It has sold over five million copies worldwide.
In 2020, the band released their fourth album, Calm. This album was also very successful. It charted in over 25 countries and reached the top 10 in 17 countries. It debuted at number one in 4 countries. With Calm reaching number one in Australia, 5 Seconds of Summer became the second Australian band to have their first four albums debut at number one on the ARIA albums chart.
All the songs released from their four albums have been popular. They have received many awards. In 2019, they won the APRA Outstanding International Achievement Award. They were also listed on Billboard's Top Artists of the 2010s chart. This chart lists the most popular artists from 2010 to 2019.
Contents
Band History
Starting Out: 2011–2014
5 Seconds of Summer started in late 2011. Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, and Calum Hood went to the same high school. They began posting videos of themselves singing cover songs on Luke's YouTube channel. In December 2011, they asked drummer Ashton Irwin to join. Michael Clifford came up with the band's name.
Their first show was on December 3, 2011, at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney. Only about 12 people were there. In 2020, their music video for "Old Me" showed clips from this first performance.
Big music companies became interested in the band. They signed a deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Even without much advertising, their first music release, an EP called Unplugged, reached number 3 on the iTunes chart in Australia. It also made it into the Top 20 in New Zealand and Sweden.
The band spent 2012 writing new songs. They worked with Christian Lo Russo and Joel Chapman from the band Amy Meredith. They released their first single, "Out of My Limit," on November 19, 2012. The music video got over 100,000 views in just one day. In December 2012, the band went to London to write more songs with different artists.
As the band became more popular, the members decided to leave school to focus on music. Ashton Irwin had already finished high school. Luke Hemmings continued with online schooling for a while.
On February 14, 2013, it was announced that 5 Seconds of Summer would open for One Direction on their Take Me Home Tour. This tour started in London in February 2013. 5 Seconds of Summer joined them for shows in the UK, US, Australia, and New Zealand. During a break from the tour, 5 Seconds of Summer played their own shows in Australia. All the tickets sold out very quickly. This is when the band really started to become famous.
On November 21, 2013, the band announced they had signed with Capitol Records. In early 2014, they released their first major label single, "She Looks So Perfect". On March 5, 2014, it was announced that 5 Seconds of Summer would join One Direction again. They supported them on their Where We Are Tour in the US, Canada, UK, and Europe.
First Albums: 2014–2016
In March 2014, "She Looks So Perfect" was released in the UK. It became a number one hit there. This made 5 Seconds of Summer the fourth Australian band to have a number one song in the UK. On April 9, 2014, their EP She Looks So Perfect reached number 2 on the Billboard 200 Chart. On May 9, 2014, they released their second single, "Don't Stop". It reached number one in 4 countries.
On May 13, 2014, the band announced their first album, 5 Seconds of Summer, would be released on June 27, 2014. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 Chart. It reached number one in 13 countries and was in the Top 10 in 26 countries. On July 15, 2014, they released their third single, "Amnesia". On October 12, 2014, they released their fourth single, "Good Girls". The music video for "Good Girls" got over two million views in just two days. The band also released their first live album, LIVESOS, on December 15, 2014.
Sounds Good Feels Good: 2015–2016
In May 2015, the band started their first world tour as headliners, called the Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour. They played in big arenas across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America.
On July 17, 2015, they released "She's Kinda Hot" as the first song from their second album. On August 12, they announced the album would be called Sounds Good Feels Good. This album was released worldwide on October 23, 2015. It became the band's second number one album in Australia and their first in the United Kingdom. In the United States, 5 Seconds of Summer was the first band to have their first two albums debut at number one on the charts. The band released their third single, "Jet Black Heart", on December 17, 2015. In 2016, the band went on their Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour. They played in sold-out stadiums and arenas around the world.
On June 3, 2016, the band announced their song "Girls Talk Boys". This song was part of the Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). After years of touring, the band took a break in late 2016. They wanted to rest and work on new music. Calum Hood later said they needed to "get our heads right for the longevity of the band." Luke Hemmings shared that they even thought about breaking up because of their busy schedules. But they decided to keep making music and try new sounds.
Youngblood: 2017–2018
On January 13, 2017, the band was featured on the Japanese rock band One Ok Rock's song, "Take What You Want". The band spent the rest of 2017 working on their third album. Ashton Irwin said they also spent time "redefining who [they were] as adult men" after touring so much.
On February 22, 2018, the band released the single "Want You Back". This song reached charts in over 15 countries. After this, the band announced a short tour called 5SOS III. Tickets for this tour sold out in about three minutes. The tour started on March 20, 2018. They played in smaller venues across Europe, the US, and other countries. On April 9, 2018, the band announced their third album, Youngblood, would be released on June 22, 2018. They also announced their fourth world tour, the Meet You There World Tour.
On May 22, 2018, the album's title song, "Youngblood", was released as the second single. "Youngblood" became a huge worldwide hit. It was number one in Australia for eight weeks. It also reached number one in New Zealand and the top 10 in the US. It became the band's first song to reach number one on the US Pop Songs chart. As of 2020, "Youngblood" has been certified many times over for its sales. On June 1, 2018, the album's release date was moved up to June 15, 2018. Youngblood was a big success. It debuted at number one in Australia and the US. It was their third number one album in both countries.
The band performed "Want You Back" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Voice (U.S. season 14). In June 2018, Apple Music released a documentary about the band called "On the Record: 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood". This film showed their two-year break and their return. In December 2018, the band won three awards at the 2018 ARIA Awards in Australia. "Youngblood" was the top-selling song in Australia in 2018. It also won the ARIA Award for Song of the Year. In 2018, the Guinness World Records named 5 Seconds of Summer the most popular group on Snapchat.
In February 2020, 5 Seconds of Summer was honored in the APRA AMCOS' The 1,000,000,000 List. This was for "Youngblood" being streamed over 1 billion times.
Calm and Beyond: 2019–Present
On February 5, 2019, the band shared teasers for their new song "Who Do You Love". This was a song with the American DJ duo The Chainsmokers. The song was released on February 7. It became popular in many countries. The band later joined The Chainsmokers on their North American World War Joy Tour.
On May 23, 2019, the band released "Easier". This was the first song from their fourth album and their first with their new record label, Interscope Records. "Easier" was nominated for the ARIA 2019 Song of the Year Award. The next song, "Teeth", was released on August 21, 2019. It was featured in Season 3 of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. The song features Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine playing guitar. In 2020, "Teeth" won the ARIA 2020 Song of the Year Award.
On February 5, 2020, the band announced their fourth album, Calm. They also released "No Shame", the third song from the album. On February 16, 2020, the band performed at Fire Fight Australia. This was a concert in Sydney to raise money for bushfire relief. Their performance was highly praised. On March 27, 2020, the band released Calm. The album was a big success and received good reviews. It charted in over 25 countries. It debuted at number one in Australia, the UK, and Scotland.
The No Shame Tour, later called the Take My Hand World Tour, was planned for May 2020. But it had to be moved to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On September 23, 2020, Ashton Irwin announced his first solo album, Superbloom. It was released on October 23, 2020. He was the first band member to release a solo project. On August 13, 2021, Luke Hemmings released his first solo album, When Facing the Things We Turn Away From.
On December 3, 2021, the band celebrated their ten-year anniversary. They released the song "2011" and a long YouTube video called The 5 Seconds of Summer Show - A 10 Year Celebration.
5SOS5: 2022–Present
On March 2, 2022, the band released "Complete Mess". This was the first song from their fifth album. The second song, "Take My Hand", came out on April 1, 2022. On April 3, 2022, the band started their postponed Take My Hand World Tour. The third song, "Me, Myself & I", was released on May 11, 2022. In May 2022, the band announced their fifth album, 5SOS5. It was released on September 23, 2022. This album was the band's first released on their own, through BMG Rights Management.
The fourth song, "Blender", was released on July 13, 2022. The fifth song, "Older" (featuring Sierra Deaton), came out on September 7, 2022. Both were released without much warning. The night before the album came out, the band played a special concert called The Feeling of Falling Upwards at the Royal Albert Hall in London. They performed with a choir and orchestra. The concert was also streamed online. 5SOS5 charted in many countries. It debuted at number one in Australia, the UK, Scotland, and the Netherlands. It reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart. The album was praised for its lyrics and how the band had grown.
On November 30, 2022, the band started the Australian part of their Take My Hand World Tour. It ended with two concerts at the Sydney Opera House on December 9 and 10, 2022.
On March 1, 2024, the band released the song "Lighter". This song featured Galantis and David Guetta.
Band Members
- Luke Hemmings – lead and backing vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, keyboards
- Michael Clifford – lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing and lead vocals
- Calum Hood – bass guitar, keyboards, backing and lead vocals
- Ashton Irwin – drums, percussion, keyboards, backing and lead vocals
Music Style and Band Identity
Musical Style
5 Seconds of Summer has tried different music styles throughout their career. The band has said they don't want to stick to just one type of music. In a 2019 GQ interview, they said:
It doesn't really matter what genre [our music] fits in, if it's fitting in an area that works for people who connect to it than that's all that matters.
Their music has been called pop rock, pop, pop-punk, power pop, and new wave. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine called them "emo-gone-pop." John Feldmann from Goldfinger said they were "the best pop-punk band I've ever heard." With their albums Youngblood and Calm, the band has moved from their pop-punk beginnings. They now explore more pop, new wave, and rock sounds.
For their first album, the band said they were influenced by bands like Sum 41, Blink-182, Green Day, All Time Low, and My Chemical Romance. In one of their first interviews, 5 Seconds of Summer said All Time Low was a big inspiration. In 2020, All Time Low opened for 5 Seconds of Summer on the European part of their No Shame Tour.
For their second album, Sounds Good Feels Good, they mentioned influences like All Time Low, The Used, and Good Charlotte.
Are They a Boy Band?
The media has sometimes called 5 Seconds of Summer a boy band. This is partly because they toured with One Direction and used to have mostly female fans. However, the band members have often said they are not a boy band. Ashton Irwin once compared their fans to Fall Out Boy, who also have many female fans. Luke Hemmings described the band as a pop rock band with a boy band fanbase. In a 2018 interview, Ashton Irwin said:
Some of the bands we look up to have been amazing vocalists but I think the term boyband embodies youth. And when we're not a youthful band anymore, that's when we'll have problems. Labels are for people who are scared of themselves, and we're not.
For their third album, Youngblood, the band was inspired by groups like Gorillaz, The Beatles, and Queen. Michael Clifford said that to feel good as artists, they had to try new things. He said the unexpected results were "the best thing" for the band.
For their fourth album, Calm, the band wanted a "darker sound." They were inspired by 1980s and 1990s groups like Depeche Mode and Tears for Fears. The song "Easier" was inspired by Nine Inch Nails' song "Closer." The song "Teeth" featured a guitar solo by Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine.
Luke Hemmings has explained why artists change their sound:
I think all artists change their sound because they're not satisfied in the art they're making. We started out, very angsty, trying to get out of the hometown, and people called us a boy band, but we played pop punk music, it was written like that. As you get older, your music taste becomes more diverse and you get a bit smarter about it. You just bring in those kind of elements and you want to remain happy in what you're making.
Hi or Hey Records and Leaving Capitol Records
| Hi or Hey Records | |
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| Parent company | Capitol Records |
| Founded | 27 January 2014 |
| Founder | Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Michael Clifford, Ashton Irwin |
| Distributor(s) | Universal Music Group |
On January 27, 2014, the band announced they would start their own record label, Hi or Hey Records. Fans helped choose the name on Twitter. The band said they would release their music through Hi or Hey Records, along with Capitol Records. They also planned to sign other bands to their label. On March 24, 2015, they signed the pop rock band Hey Violet.
5 Seconds of Summer's first three albums (5 Seconds of Summer, Sounds Good Feels Good, and Youngblood) were all released through Hi or Hey Records.
In May 2019, 5 Seconds of Summer left Hi or Hey Records and Capitol Records. They signed with Interscope Records for their fourth album, Calm. Their fifth album, 5SOS5, was released independently through BMG Rights Management on September 23, 2022.
As of 2025, Hi or Hey Records is still active. Hey Violet's music is still released through this label.
Helping Others
5 Seconds of Summer has supported many good causes.
In October 2018, the band released a cover of Queen's song "Killer Queen". All the money from this song went to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. This group helps fight HIV/AIDS.
In December 2018, the band appeared on "24 Hours of Reality: Protect Our Planet, Protect Ourselves". This event helped teach people about climate change.
In June 2019, 5 Seconds of Summer was on Celebrity Family Feud. They played to win money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This organization grants wishes for children with serious illnesses.
In February 2020, the band performed at Fire Fight Australia. This concert raised money for Australian bushfire relief. Their performance was called the "best performance" of the show.
When their album Calm was released in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the band donated some of the money from sales to relief funds. In April 2020, they worked with Universal Music Group on a campaign called "We've Got You Covered." They put their logo on reusable face masks. All the money from these masks went to help musicians and for COVID-19 relief. On April 23, 2020, 5 Seconds of Summer sang in BBC Radio 1's "Times Like These" cover version. This was part of a project to help during the pandemic. Profits from the song went to charities like Children in Need and Comic Relief.
In May 2020, 5 Seconds of Summer helped raise money for NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. They donated concert tickets and a special soundcheck experience for a raffle. On May 21, 2020, they took part in the NBC "Sixth Annual Red Nose Day Special." This event raises money for children in need.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the band joined Global Citizen's "Stand Up for Ukraine" campaign. On September 26, 2022, they released a music video for "Bad Omens." It was made by a Ukrainian crew. The band thanked the people in Ukraine who made the video possible.
Friends of Friends
On May 13, 2019, the band started their own charity brand called Friends of Friends. They released a special clothing line. All the money from this first collection went to Safe Place for Youth. This project helps young people who are homeless in Los Angeles. On May 29, 2019, they held their first Friends of Friends concert in Venice, California. 5 Seconds of Summer was the main act, with other artists performing too. All the money from the event went to Safe Place for Youth.
On June 26, 2019, Friends of Friends released another clothing line. They also announced a second concert in Sydney, Australia, on July 3, 2019. This concert also sold out. All the money from the show and clothing went to Blacktown Youth Services Association. This Australian group helps young people in their community.
On January 23, 2020, after the 2019-20 Australian bushfires, the band released a special clothing line. All the money went to the Australian Red Cross.
On July 27, 2020, during the George Floyd Protests, the band worked with artist Sanyu Nicolas. They released a clothing collection to raise money for The Marsha P. Johnson Institute. This group supports the Black transgender community. The band also added information about the Black Lives Matter Movement and LGBT Movement to their website.
For the 2020 American presidential election, Friends of Friends released a clothing collection. They asked people to vote. All the money went to Vote Save America, which helps make sure everyone can vote fairly.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Friends of Friends started a fundraiser. They released a tote bag and stickers designed by Ukrainian artist Ulyana Nesheva on May 6, 2022. All donations and profits went to Voices of Children. This group helps children affected by war.
Awards and Achievements
5 Seconds of Summer has won many awards. These include ten MTV European Music Awards, five ARIA Awards, three APRA Awards, three BMI Awards, and two MTV Video Music Awards. In 2019, they won the special APRA Music Awards' Outstanding International Achievement Award. This was for their great success in music sales and radio play around the world. In 2020, 5 Seconds of Summer was honored in the APRA AMCOS' The 1,000,000,000 List. This list celebrates Australian songwriters who have had huge international success. The band was recognized because their song "Youngblood" was streamed over a billion times. Only 16 artists in history have received this award.
Discography
- 5 Seconds of Summer (2014)
- Sounds Good Feels Good (2015)
- Youngblood (2018)
- Calm (2020)
- 5SOS5 (2022)
Tours
Headlining Tours
- Mini Australian Tour (2012)
- Twenty Twelve Tour (2012)
- Pants Down Tour (2013)
- UK Tour (2014)
- 5 Countries 5 Days European Tour (2014)
- Stars, Stripes and Maple Syrup Tour (2014)
- There's No Place Like Home Tour (2014)
- Rock Out with Your Socks Out Tour (2015)
- Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour (2016)
- Meet You There Tour (2018)
- Take My Hand World Tour (2022)
- The 5 Seconds of Summer Show (2023)
Promotional Tours
- 5SOS III Tour (2018)
Opening Act for Other Bands
- Hot Chelle Rae – Whatever World Tour (2012)
- One Direction – Take Me Home Tour (2013)
- One Direction – Where We Are Tour (2014)
- One Direction – On the Road Again Tour (2015)
- The Chainsmokers – World War Joy Tour (2019)
Images for kids
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5 Seconds of Summer at B96 Pepsi SummerBash 2019. From left to right: Calum Hood, Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings, and Ashton Irwin.
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5 Seconds of Summer played their first gig at the Annandale Hotel in December 2011
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5 Seconds of Summer at their EP launch gig at The Metro Theatre on 25 November 2012
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5 Seconds of Summer performing at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia on 30 April 2014
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5 Seconds of Summer performing in Verona, Italy during their 2016 headlining tour Sounds Live Feels Live
See also
In Spanish: 5 Seconds of Summer para niños
