Marvin Humes explained part of JLS’s history on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, but Oritsé Williams claimed he wasn’t entirely accurate.
Both men have been members of the boyband for over two decades, so you’d think they’d have a good idea of how it all started, but their recollections differ.
This came to light when Sam Thompson, who is proven to be a JLS superfan, took full advantage of being in the jungle with Marvin and began grilling him. We may invite Sam to submit his CV to the Metro entertainment bureau when he finishes I’m A Celebrity.
Sam, 31, a former reality star and now investigative journalist, questioned Marvin, 38, when he first met his bandmates while lounging in his hammock.
‘Oritsé knew one of my mates and wanted to put a band together. I met up with him on Oxford Street, and he told me he wanted to put an R&B/pop boyband together and I was like “Okay, I like the sound of it!”‘ he recalled.
‘Then I said: “Can you sing?” He started singing to me, and I started singing to him outside Nike on Oxford Street.
‘People must have thought we were nuts.’
To think that people merely looking for a new pair of running shoes had no idea history was unfolding right in front of their eyes.
‘Then he said he was looking for a couple more people. I knew Aston [Merrygold] and JB [Gill] was a friend of Oritsé’s and we all just came together and started rehearsing. For about a year we tried making it,’ he explained to an intrigued Sam.
The band tried to attract the attention of record labels, but no one was interested. They evidently hadn’t heard JB, 36, say ‘Merry Christmas,’ which would have gotten them a five-album contract right away.
‘We were about to call it a day and then Aston was like “Why don’t we give it one more shot at X Factor?” It all worked out.’
Oritsé, 36, has been watching from home and suggests Marvin spend some time investigating himself before leaving Australia.
‘After all these years Marv still struggling to remember exactly how I put the band together and how we made the decision to do X Factor,’ he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
After all these years Marv still struggling to remember exactly how I put the band together and how we made the decision to do XFactor. 😭😩🤣😅 #imacelebrity #ImACeleb
— Oritsé Williams (@Oritse) November 20, 2023
A fan reminded out that JB told the truth about the incident on their most recent tour, which Marvin was there for.
‘The fact you literally explained near the end of every show on the tour. God bless Marvin, must be an age thing,’ they wrote and Oritsé responded with crying laughter and actual crying emojis.
Previously, I questioned founding member Ortisé how it occurred, and while he acknowledged that X Factor was their “last resort,” he said it was all because to one of his pals, who gave up his position on the 2008 season for JLS.
‘One of our friends usually auditioned solo every single year. He actually introduced me to some of the band too.
‘I asked him for his audition application, which he gave us that year and we basically turned it into a group application. I shouldn’t really admit that.
‘I’ll always be grateful to him,’ he concluded. The band ended up coming second place to winner Alexandra Burke, so the selfless act really propelled their career.
There’s really only one way to settle this dispute: Marvin and JB must compete in a dance-off to Beat Again, with Sam officiating. It appears to be the most equitable solution.
While Marvin may not recall what occurred in 2008, the dance routines to their big songs are deeply ingrained in his mind.
He taught Sam the choreography to both Everybody In Love and She Makes Me Wanna shortly after the discussion ended. Marvin recalls the crucial information!
Fortunately, neither tried a backflip following what occurred to Aston, 35, during a recent performance.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! airs on ITV at 9pm.
