5IVE: Their Debut

Back then when Backstreet Boys has been dominating the world of boybands, and NSYNC is on their way to their breakthrough, there's another boyband which is set to rival the two groups mentioned. They were formed by the same team as the Spice Girls, so there are high expectations on this boyband. It's no other than Five.

Back then, Five's sound is somewhat similar to Backstreet Boys however, they are edgier with many of their songs containing rap verses. The guys released their debut single "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)". However, it didn't do much wonder peaking at number 10 in UK Singles Chart, and number 42 in Europe. Still, the guys scored their first Billboard hit where it peaked at number 86. It's something other European boybands struggled to achieve.

Their second single is actually their breakthrough. It was "When the Lights Go Out", which charted better than their debut. In fact, it even became their first Billboard top 10 hit, and reached number 4 in UK Singles Chart. It was even awarded Gold Record in United States. "Got the Feelin'", the third single" became a hit in Europe reaching number 3 in UK Singles Chart. That performance is better than its predecessors.

"Everybody Get Up" was released as the fourth single, which has rock and rap elements, and sampled the rock hit "I Love Rock and Roll". The song became their peak in UK at that time, where it reached number 2. Just like "Got the Feelin'", it didn't chart in Billboard Hot 100 though.

In the US, "It's the Things You Do" was released as a single, which became their third single to chart in Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 53. Five has gone tamer on their final single "Until the Time Is Through", which became their second top 2 hit in UK Singles Chart.

"Five" (album) might have performed better. They had the probability of becoming the biggest UK boyband of their time. In fact, the album had gone platinum in United States. It was double platinum in UK, with estimated global sales of 4 million.