4th Ave Got Encouragement From Timbaland To Become A Band (Exclusive Interview)

4th Ave is going to be the band that you’ll be obsessed with by the end of reading this new interview.

Made up of Mikey Jimenez, Jaden Gray, Cam Jackson, and Marcus Pendleton, the band chatted with JJJ about the latest music, what’s ahead and more.

“Timbaland came up to us and said, ‘Y’all need to be a group, you guys would be dope,’” the band recalls of what helped them decide to give the band a try after all competing on ABC’s Boy Band.

They continued, “While we were cautions to everything, trying to make sure we did the right steps for the future in our life, Timbaland was so adamant about us being a group. He saw an endless amount of potential in us, which provided a sense of encouragement to do this!”

Check out their latest single, “323-894-9108″, below!

Click inside for more of our interview with 4th Ave…

JJJ: What made you first want to go out to be on ABC’s Boy Band?
Camry: I didn’t want to do it at all. I hated the idea of it but it was an opportunity that I didn’t want to pass up. I’m happy I did it as it got me to the place I’m in now.

Mikey: The opportunity presented itself and I took it because I trusted in God’s plan.

Marcus: After hearing about the TV and auditioning, what made me want to be a part of it was the possible exposure we could get from it.

Jaden: When the opportunity presented itself, I said what better way to express my love for music and how I follow Christ in everything I do. In all honesty, I didn’t know anything about the show, but this young man in the industry named Gene Noble gave me a call and explained to me what the show was about. Once I had an understanding for the whole concept, I knew this could be the beginning of my future!

JJJ: On the show, you all got advice from some major music players. What’s been the greatest piece of advice that you still take and use today?
Between all of the judges, the best advice they gave us was to commit. Commit to any and everything you do. Whether its singing, dancing, connecting with your audience, etc. just be sure to commit!

JJJ: You dropped your debut EP, Initiation, last year. What’s the reaction to the EP been like? Is there anything you would’ve changed on the EP at all?
The fans post about it every day and during each show we’ve done on tour, they have known every word to our songs. With that being said, we wouldn’t have changed anything, because based off what we see we are doing the right things!

JJJ: Where does the name 4th Ave come from? Were there other options you had?
After a long night of recording “XOXO” in the studio, our manager and musical director pulled us to the back of the room and asked us what we thought about 4th Ave? We immediately fell in love with it. We were also instantly able to make a connection with it as well, because we all come from different backgrounds, and different upbringings, but at the end of the day we have the same goals in life. That puts us all on the same street 4th Ave and a UNIT! In addition to that, we had thousands of names in an email thread over the course of 2 months… of course none of those worked LOL!

JJJ: What is your favorite song to perform?
“Just a Number” is our favorite number to perform. It requires the most amount of energy throughout all of our songs.

JJJ: Looking at the songs on the EP, is there one in particular that you’re really proud of over the others, or one that means more to you than the others?
“4U” is our favorite song, simply because we fought so hard for it to be on the EP.

JJJ: Do you have rituals to calm any nerves before you perform?
Before each show, we PRAY as a TEAM. Not just as the group, but our entire team comes in because we are a UNIT!

JJJ: Who is the one artist, that no one would ever think of, that you’d want to work with behind the mic, or even collab with?
An artist we would love to collaborate with is Musiq Soulchild

JJJ: What is one item you could NEVER live without?
Marcus: Phone
Mikey: Water
Cam: Basketball
Jaden: Jesus

JJJ: What makes you smile the most?
Marcus: Family
Jaden: Seeing the fans enjoy the content we put out, whether its music, clips, merch, etc. and of course my family!
Mikey: Family
Cam: Family

JJJ: What’s been your favorite moment of being in the band?
Being able to express our gifts in front an endless amount of artists and fans! Warms our hearts each time we are presented the opportunity to do what we love!