"Backstage" presents Christian musical group Plus One who answer questions about their new album and tour plans. *NOTE* 1 of the questions was marked another screenname but Heather asked it and they changed it for some reason! *lol*
Seventeen: Welcome to "Backstage" with macys.com and Seventeen. Today's chat will feature a conversation with the guys from singing sensation Plus One (Jason, Nate, Gabe, Jeremy and Nathan), as well as the opportunity to ask Seventeen's editor Melissa Marks about fashion tips and other hot trends coming out this fall. Welcome Plus One and Melissa!
Gabe: Hey! How is everybody doing? Thanks for joining us tonight. We hope you have a good time. We are on a beach at a pay phone and we hope you are ready to chat.
Melissa: I am so excited to be chatting with Plus One for this Macy's online chat.
JLTx2000: How did you get the name of Plus One?
Nate: It's a constant reminder that we are never alone. It's us, plus God.
HeatherPlusOnePlanet: How does it feel to have one of the best selling Christian albums of the year?
Jason: It feels like a dream come true.
Jeremy: We feel blessed.
Nate: It doesn't feel real.
Gabe: It's exciting!
Johnboy: Are you guys happy that not only do teens like you, but people of every age?
Jeremy: It's a cool thing that our music affects all generations. All different ages.
Tini tran: Hi, +1! I saw you in Houston for that one brown bag and can't wait to see you again in October! Ya'll are awesome! I just wanted to know how you cope with all the pressure from being famous. ('cuz you are famous now).
Gabe: We really don't feel famous yet. We just try to stay normal by joking around and keeping us accountable.
Jason: We have a long way to go.
Jeremy: We have a lot more to accomplish as a band.
Telly: I haven't been able to find your video. When will we be able to buy it?
Gabe: It's not for sale yet, but look for it in Christian bookstores coming soon. For right now, you can download it from our website at www.plusoneonline.com
Red: What do you do to keep yourself grounded and normal?
Nate: We keep in contact with our families and our friends. We like to do normal things like go to movies, read our Bibles, and pray and go to church as often as we can.
Jason: We keep each other humble and make fun of each other a lot, which keeps us grounded.
LModel2000: Plus One, what significant change has all of this brought to your lives and, individually, in your walk with Christ?
Nate: It gives me a hunger to get closer to God than I was before because of the position I am in now.
Gabe: It showed me how much more I need God.
Jason: It's made me take a good look at what I believe in and why, for myself, and not for anyone else.
Jeremy: It made me realize that God can do a lot more with my life because I am more open to it.
Barbara: If you only have five minutes to get ready for a party or date, what would you do?
Nate: Brush my teeth!
Nathan: Take a shower.
Jason: The first minute, take a shower. The second minute, get dressed. The next three minutes, I'd dedicate the time to my hair.
Melissa: Of course, as a female, I probably would spend extra time picking out my favorite outfit - something from the disco trend, which is very popular right now. It's great for parties. And it's a real throwback to the '70s. They have all of the coolest trends at Macy's.
DaNciNgUrL: Do you guys write your own lyrics?
Gabe: No, not on this album. Only on one song, and the song was called "De." But we are starting to write some of the lyrics for the next album.
g5u5fr3ak: Did you guys help to choose the fan club president finalists?
Gabe: Yes, we chose all the finalists and all of the winners. We recorded a video (it should be on our website) that shows us picking out the pictures.
pLus1isnUmbeR1: Will you guys be filming a music video for "Last Flight Out"?
Gabe: Yes. We are shooting the video in mid-September and it is going to be shot in New York. It is going to be our best video that we have ever made and we are very excited about it.
crunk4plusONE: Hi! Are you guys planning on a new single any time soon?
Nate: "God Is In This Place" has already been released to Christian radio.
Jeremy: We are going to be releasing "Last Flight Out" to pop radio in the beginning of October.
Karley: Will you guys be doing autograph signings like you did on your own promo tour when you are with Jaci Velasquez?
Gabe: Yes, we will definitely be doing that. We all love giving autographs and meeting our fans.
Powerpuff: How did you guys all meet? Did you know each other before you guys got signed?
Gabe: Me and Nate met each other before we got signed, but the other guys we just met through word-of-mouth.
Dawin: Do you miss your families?
Gabe: All of us very much so miss our families.
Nate: We talk to them on the phone as much as we can. Our families are our number one fans.
Jason: I miss going to school a little bit. This is my first year out.
Jeremy: I don't miss going to school!
Jason: I just miss my friends.
Nathan: I miss being home-schooled.
Stacia: I heard that you all are going out on the road headlining next year and might have dancers. Is that true?
Jeremy: We are not sure about the background dancers, but we are going on the road next year and headlining in the spring.
Roger (Actually this was Heather): How many songs will you sing each night that you open for Jaci Velasquez? Will there be any Jaci-Plus One duets during the concerts?
Jeremy: We are going to be singing seven songs.
Nate: We might do some with Jaci, but we are not positive yet. And it's not really singing - we might dance with her. But we might sing, too.
Godsgirl: I saw you guys in San Diego and your performance was amazing! I was wondering what you like most about being on stage?
Jason: Connecting with the audience and making them feel like that they are having a good time.
Nate: Watching their faces change
Hollywoodgirl: Gabe, did you really sleep in a closet?
Gabe: Yes, I did. The story was that we all live in a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco, and everyone showed up and picked out where they were going to sleep, and I came in last and I didn't have anywhere to sleep except the closet. I am still traumatized by it today. I think I have grown claustrophobic.
Awsuki: Are you guys excited about having a pop single come out in October?
Nate: It will broaden our span of listeners. Yes! We are very excited.
Jason: It would be good for everyone to hear our message on mainstream radio. It would be awesome.
Jewel: How old were you guys when you accepted Christ? You are great examples and I appreciate that. But please - don't all get earrings!
Nate: I was four.
Jason: At a really young age. I grew up in church.
Jeremy: I was 10.
Nathan: I was 16.
Jason: I was 6
Gabe: I was 7.
TweakerPlusOnePlanet: Will you be releasing your album in other countries? Several people have asked that.
Gabe: Yes, definitely.
Nate: We are probably going to start in southeast Asia. We are not sure, though.
Gabe: We released it in Canada so far, but will start in southeast Asia. We are probably going to be doing European tours in the future down the road.
Jeremy: We are taking over the isle of Fiji.
Ryan: Is it hard being a 'boy band' and trying to keep the audiences' focus on God and your message instead of yourselves? I can only imagine being like the other bands that girls go crazy for would make it at least somewhat difficult.
Jeremy: It's up to us to be about our message and present our message and try to be about it, but people are going to see the outward image first and hopefully they will look deeper.
Jason: It's a cool thing if it's an image thing that people are attracted to, but we hope people will eventually get the message.
Turbo-4: What article of clothing could you not live without?
Jeremy: For me, I would have to say my sunglasses. I like my sunglasses.
Gabe: My jean jacket.
Melissa: I agree with Gabe!
Nate: I want my boxers.
Nathan: I want my cowboy hat.
Jason: I want my cutoff T-shirts.
Melissa: I love my jean jacket because it goes with all of the hottest fall trends that we are showing in Seventeen, including plaids, which are going to be huge this season, and also with prints, whether it is animal, floral or geometric shapes.
Plusonegirlie03: What do you guys do when you have a day off from doing concerts?
Jeremy: The past few months it has been pretty steady. If we are not doing a show, then it is probably traveling to get to the next gig. Right now, it is promotions and shooting videos and things like that. We don't have a lot of time off but when we have a day off, it's a time to rest. Hang out with friends. Go see a movie. Read. Write.
Aaron14: Was it a big shock to you guys when ya'll became so big, so quick?
Jeremy: Oh, yes. Absolutely! A year ago, we didn't have an album out. Things were just starting ,and this is a year later and we are selling albums. It is neat to see how smaller events that we did last year have turned into bigger opportunities now.
Crystal: Did ya'll take dance lessons? If so, how long?
Jeremy: No one had previously danced choreographed things. We danced recreationally, but everyone has gotten a lot better and it's still an area that we want to get better at. We have fun doing it.
Dusst: What are your favorite music groups (besides Plus One!)?
Jason: Boyz II Men, Joe, Mariah Carey, and Toni Braxton.
Nate: Out of Eden, DC Talk, Boyz II Men.
Gabe: Janet Jackson, No Doubt, DC Talk.
Jeremy: Harry Connick, Jr., Stroke Nine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and DC Talk.
Stacia: Any plans to release any songs to the mainstream, either radio, MTV or both?
Jeremy: Yep. We are releasing "Last Flight Out" beginning of October and shooting a video in a couple of weeks. It is going to be released in all pop radio.
Plusone streak: What do you like best about being Plus One?
Jeremy: I've enjoyed traveling and meeting a lot of different people and seeing the country and performing. Recording an album, which is something you think you will never get an opportunity to do - and then it happens.
Steph: How did you guys find out about the audition to be in Plus One?
Jeremy: None of us found out about it. They put out flyers and ads, but we all knew someone or someone told us. It was word of mouth. They put out this big search and it came from someone that knew us in our communities. Nate was actually seen performing at a contest.
JCGymnst: Do you ever remember certain fans in the audience when you see them at more than one concert?
Jeremy: Yes. Certain people stand out more than others. You remember faces and things that people say.
Lil mermaide: Is there any song that you like the best?
Jeremy: For everybody it is different, but the most powerful to us are "The Promise," "Last Flight Out," and "Soul Tattoo."
Melissa: I was lucky enough to hear them perform live at Seventeen, and "Soul Tattoo" was my favorite.
Seventeen: Unfortunately, we've come to the end of our chat. Thank you, Jason, Nate, Gabe, Jeremy and Nathan, and thank you, Melissa, for joining us tonight. Any thoughts you'd like to leave us with?
Jeremy: We are sorry. We are doing a video shoot right now and we are being dragged away. We appreciate the time you have spent with us and we are looking forward to visiting you in the fall. You can go to www.143records.com or www.plusoneonline.com to get information and tour dates. Thank you, everyone.
Melissa: Thanks to Plus One and macys.com. I had so much fun chatting with you!
Seventeen: Plus One, Melissa thank you so much for your time, it has been great chatting. Got the shopping itch? Visit macys.com. If you want to learn more about fashion, then visit the pages of Seventeen magazine or seventeen.com for information on trends, dating and life in general. Don't forget to register for you FREE CD. "Class Acts" is a compilation of today's best singers, songwriters and musicians (while supplies last). Thanks for joining us and have a great evening. This has been a production with macys.com and Talk City, Inc. Copyright 2000. All rights reserved.
