KEY WEST, Fla., June 7, 2001 –They’ve already caused a sensation overseas, and now the British trio BBMak is “Back Here” in America with their pitch-perfect harmonies and beautiful pop and love songs.
We had the chance to talk to guitarist Ste McNally while he was in South Florida taping a television show. McNally was quite charming to talk to–and giggle with–as he tried to talk through a series of hiccups (we’ve omitted most of those here). He also had one of the sweetest voices I’ve ever heard.
On “Back Here”
Unless you’ve had your radio off for the past year, you’ve heard BBMak’s “Back Here,” the song that was the band’s ticket to success–the big hit that transformed a five-year dream into reality for McNally and fellow band members Mark Barry and Christian Burns. Like many hit songs with stories behind them, “Back Here” was written in a seemingly record-setting 45 minutes. It became a smash and transformed BBMak into an overnight sensation.
“‘Back Here’ just became a huge hit,” McNally said, his voice still filled with excitement. “It got an enormous request from people that would call the radio or MTV.”
Fans might not be surprised that the song became one of the top 15 on the radio and remained on adult contemporary charts for 41 weeks, but McNally is still amazed at its success.
“It feels unexpected. We knew the song was a great song, but it just blew up all over America,” he said. “We just went into the studio to record it and the song came to life.”
On Success
BBMak has documented their success on a new DVD, BBMak: Sooner or Later, Our First Year in America, released last week. Packed with backstage, concert and television footage, the DVD traces the band’s experience of touring in the U.S.
McNally says that the DVD traces their career, too, from being an unknown band to having their debut album, Sooner or Later go gold and then nearly reach platinum status.
“It is great to have something that you can keep forever. It brings back all the memories of our first year here,” he says. “[The DVD] is something that I will always be able to watch and remember, like being on Jay Leno and TRL for the first time, and playing shows.”
On Performing
This will be the second year that BBMak has performed at the Walt Disney World Summer Jam Concert (it airs June 10 on ABC). Last year they were there with Christina Aguilera and Enrique Iglesias; this time around, McNally says that out of the 5,000 people in the crowd, 3,000 were BBMak fans.
McNally is always delighted to see a strong turnout from fans at the shows. “It feels great to know that people drove down to come see us, some [fans] drove for a couple hours to see the show…and….[Hic! Hic! Giggle.]…I’m sorry. I’ve got the hiccups [laughs]. Well, thousands of people were there to see us. That is a huge thing!” he said.
Although they are not considered the typical boyband (BBMak doesn’t just get on stage and dance and sing–they write their own music and play their own instruments), last year BBMak did open for pop sensation Britney Spears. They’re currently the opening act for the boyband of boybands, ‘N Sync, on selected dates. McNally said that although most fans come to these shows to see ‘N Sync perform, he still spots many BBMak fans as well.
McNally says opening for ‘N Sync was a different experience. “You know,” he said, “a fan once said that her favorite band was BBMak, and her favorite group is ‘N Sync…. I guess our work is more live, while theirs is more produced,” he said. Playing their own instruments doesn’t hurt, either.
On the Future
When asked where he pictured himself in 10 years, McNally refers to his fellow band mates as his brothers, and says he hopes to stay involved in the music business.
“Hopefully [BBMak] will still performing,” he said. “You know, the three of us have been together through the hard and the good times…and there are things that only Mark and Christian will understand because they have gone through the same thing I have. We will always be close and playing together.”
On Fans
McNally would like to send a message to the BBMak fans reading this interview.
“I would like to thank them for everything,” he said. “As long as our fans want us, we are here. We love music…we love what we do and it feels good to know that people love our music.”
BBMak will perform “Ghost of You and Me” and “Unpredictable” from their hit debut album Sooner or Later at Disney’s California Adventure on the upcoming concert special Walt Disney World Summer Jam Concert on June 10 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.
The show features music performed at three different locations: Dream plays onboard the Disney cruise ship in the Bahamas, while Sugar Ray, Shaggy and Baha Men entertain audiences at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
Along with performances, the show will feature spots with the groups giving their top 10 lists of what to do this summer.
