Here’s Five Things You Might Not Know About The Wanted

The Wanted are a five-person British-Irish pop band who shot to fame in 2011 with the smash hit Glad You Came, a summery hit which was all over the airwaves for the better part of the year. Composed of members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Tom Parker and Nathan Sykes, the band was first signed to Island Records in 2009 and is managed by agent Scooter Braun.

Although the group currently remains on hiatus while its various members pursue their own solo careers, the band has been clear about the fact that they will re-form and work together again in future – exciting news for anyone who’s a fan!

The Wanted is a band which has inspired adoration around the world, but we’ve ferreted out five facts that you might not know about the act. Check them out below:

The Wanted are a manufactured pop band

Despite having writing credits on their albums and cultivating a much less polished look than many boy-bands, The Wanted was in fact a band put together by a record label; they had never met one-another until they auditioned for it. The people comprising The Wanted were brought together by Jayne Collins, the music industry insider who also put together fellow pop act The Saturdays.

A staggering number of people – more than 1,000 in total – auditioned for the band, and even after the final lineup had been agreed with band members, a further seven of the previous auditionees were invited back to re-audition.

The Wanted Life

In 2013 The Wanted took part in a standalone reality TV series called The Wanted Life which followed the band members as they recorded their third studio album and planned their first world tour. It aired in the USA, where the band has a dedicated fan-base, and fared remarkably well achieving an average of 1.7 million viewers for each episode.

The episodes featured the band members moving in together in LA, performing for the first family at the White House and in the recording studio, but also focuses on the tensions and dramas between members of the band, and the throat surgery which Nathan had to have, putting his singing voice in jeopardy.

Max George, the footballer

Band member Max George has not always been a singer, in fact he started out as a footballer, playing for Preston North End. An injury cut short his career, after which he auditioned for a number of bands before winning his place in The Wanted’s line-up.

He’s continued to diversify his talents since joining the band too, and in 2014 landed a role in the hit teen drama Glee as the leader of Vocal Adrenaline, a competitor to the eponymous Glee club and has also worked as a male model.

Siva Kaneswaran is an old romantic!

Band member Siva had been with his girlfriend, shoe designer Nareesha McCaffrey for six years when he learned that she was planning a surprise birthday party for him with her family. He’d already got an engagement ring and was waiting for the right time to ask her… so he decided to hijack her meticulously planned event!

He collaborated with Nareesha’s family to turn the surprise birthday party for him into a surprise engagement party for her, and got down on one knee at the very moment she least expected!

Jay McGuinness has got moves

The demographics of fans of The Wanted and watchers of Strictly Come Dancing probably don’t overlap much, but we’re guessing that Strictly had an influx of younger viewers when Jay McGuinness got involved in the 13th series.

A dancer from a young age, attending the Charlotte Hamilton School of Dance from the age of 12, Jay wowed viewers from the start with his saucy sambas, racy rumbas and perfect jives. Receiving some of the highest scores that the series has ever seen, Jay and partner Aliona Vilani swept the board in 2015

Book a celebrity from The Wanted

A celebrity guest from The Wanted could be the perfect way to add some star quality to an event you’re planning – and we’ve got Jay McGuinness on the books here at MN2S. He’s the ideal person to provide a real draw, whether it’s a personal appearance or endorsing your product or service.

To find out more about booking Jay McGuinness, get in touch with MN2S talent agents.

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