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5 Seconds of Summer: 5 Things to Know About the Australian Pop Band

5 Seconds of Summer
5 Seconds of Summer consists of Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood, and Ashton Irwin.

First came rapper Iggy Azalea, but now there’s a new sensation coming out of Australia—the boy group 5 Seconds of Summer. The band’s first single “She Looks So Perfect” was an international success, and the Aussies are finally starting to break into American radio. 

5 Seconds of Summer is made up of pals Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood, and Ashton Irwin, and Us Weekly compiled a list of the five things you should know about them before they become the next big thing! 

Related: PHOTOS: Biggest boy bands of all time

1. They are not One Direction. No really.

They toured with the British boy band One Direction on the Take Me Home Tour in 2013, and both groups are managed by London-based Modest Management, but 5 Seconds of Summer doesn’t want to be considered the next One Direction. They should probably tell that to Kendall Jenner, who almost introduced them as One Direction at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards in May. 

2. They met at a Christian college. 

Hemmings, Clifford, and Hood all met at Norwest Christian College, and drummer Irwin joined the group in 2011. 

Related: PHOTOS: Breakout stars of 2013

3. They got their start on YouTube.

Before they were 5 Seconds of Summer, Hemmings was posting his own YouTube covers, which got hundreds of thousands of views. He soon started including his bandmates in the videos, until they attracted the attention of several music labels and eventually signed with Sony ATV Music Publishing.

5 seconds of summer concert
5 Seconds of Summer performs in Paris, France on June 20, 2014.

4. They are internationally famous. 

You may not have heard of them yet, but 5 Seconds of Summer has millions of fans all over the world. When the group’s single debuted in February 2014, it went to No. 1 within two days in 39 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

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5. They are a band of boys, not a boy band. 

Don’t get it twisted. The guys of 5 Seconds of Summer rejected the label of “boy band” in an April 2014 Billboard interview, noting that they play musical instruments and sound “rockier.” 

“We’re not a boy band—we’re a band,” Irwin added. “We don’t want to be called the next One Direction. That’s not us.”

Related: PHOTOS: Billboard Music Awards, best show moments

Tell Us: What do you think of this new sensation?

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