*Diddy hand-picked posse Day 26 released their debut disc this week much to the anticipation of fans of “Making the Band” – the show that launched their career almost two years ago.
Day 26 is made up of singers Brian Andrews, Mike McCluney, Qwanell “Q” Mosley, Robert Curry, and Willie Taylor.
The group’s name comes from the date the five were chosen by hitmaker/starmaker Diddy and MTV viewers on the finale of “Making the Band 4” – August 26.
Their self-titled CD, powered by the first single, “Got Me Going,” was produced by production pro Mario Winans.
“It’s banging – ridiculous,” Will said of the disc that dropped Tuesday. “People should have high expectations for the album because it’s definitely great to the ear.”
“We’re bringing back R&B to where it used to be in the early ‘90s, like when Jodeci and Boyz II Men were around,” Brian added. “Some real sangin’ – not just singing, but sangin’.”
In addition to the expected production credits of Diddy himself, the disc is laced with a handful of other production heavy hitters such as The Runners (T.I., Chris Brown, Rick Ross), Jim Bean, Grammy Award-winner Adonis (Diddy, Usher), and multiple Grammy Award-winner Bryan Michael Cox (Usher, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey).
Having a mixture of producers on their album goes right along with the make-up of the group itself. Members of the crew all come from different cities and different backgrounds. Collectively, they’ve gone through industry experiences that have made them the wiser in their relatively young ages. Still, Day 26 holds "MTB" accountable for helping them become artists.
“At first it was kind of crazy because we were from five different cities,” Q said. “When we first came and auditioned, we were fighting for a spot. Now it’s like a brotherhood; it’s like a fraternity. We all look out for each other. It’s like family. We’re like brothers.”
“Initially, I was kind of ‘iffy’ about auditioning. From the history of the show, groups have fallen out. But I’m very happy that I did because I got blessed with four brothers,” Brian said of even auditioning for the show.
Of their new album, the group said that Diddy’s role did not decrease when the cameras stopped rolling.
“Diddy was real hands on,” Will said. “We didn’t see a whole lot of him, but when we cut something, we had to cut it three or four times because it had to get approved by Diddy. He definitely didn’t let anything go out of the studio that he didn’t like. He has made us better artists by putting us in the studio and not letting us come out. It can sound good, but if it doesn’t have any emotion in it – I don’t care how many riffs you do – if you don’t have a connection emotionally with the song, you will stay in the studio until you do.”
“It’s kind of like how Mary J. Blige’s story is,” he continued. “She may not be the best vocalist in the world, but you’re gonna leave the performance crying because you felt the emotion. I think we all appreciate him for that.”
However, the fivesome are confident that they have the chops and the emotion.
“We’ve all been in different situations prior to this whole ‘Making the Band’ thing. We’re not rookies to the game,” Brian said. “A lot of people think that because they only see what we went through on TV."
"I’ve been doing this thing since I was 11. I defied my mother to do this for years,” Will joked. “And this is not a TV reality group. This is a group that happened to be on TV. I think we’ve got longevity power and we’re trying to show the world that right now.”
Considering themselves a group of five lead singers, Day 26 counts itself as a unique addition to the R&B scene.
“I think one thing that’s different, first of all, is that we all got God in our life, and we know nothing’s going to happen without that. Second of all, we all got the same goal,” Robert summed up. “I think that’s the problem with a lot of groups; that everybody’s got different goals at the end of the day and everybody’s not trying to get to the same place. But when everybody is looking in one direction, that’s where everybody is going to move. Nobody is trying to use this to get to something else. We’ve all got the same goal, so I think that’s going to take us farther.”
For up-to-the-minute information, visit www.day26online.com, www.myspace.com/day26 and www.badboyonline.com.