Big Time Rush busted on the scene in 2009 with their hit Nickelodeon show of the same name. Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Carlos PenaVega became overnight sensations. They went on to release three studio albums, performing across the globe with five tours in three years. Fast forward to 2020, the boy band held a surprise virtual reunion after a roughly eight-year hiatus to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their smash hit 'Worldwide.' A fresh acoustic cover of the song sparked a new era for the group, with a whole new set of people discovering their music, adding to their already solid fanbase. Giving the fans what they wanted, the guys headed out on their 2022-2023 Forever Tour , which took the band across North and South America, selling more than 300,000 tickets with numerous sellouts - including New York's legendary Madison Square Garden. With little downtime, the boys are back with a newly released 10-track album, Another Life, and a 39-city North American Can't Get Enough Tour that kicked off last month. We caught up with the band at their stop in Hershey, PA, to hear about the exciting things happening for these guys who just want to spread positivity through their music. This is a LifeMinute with Big Time Rush.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 Hey, Life Minute, we're Big Time Rush.
00:04 If you haven't streamed Another Life, that's a new album.
00:06 I think you'll love it.
00:07 Take a stream, take a listen.
00:09 Big Time Rush busted on the scene in 2009 with their hit Nickelodeon show of the same
00:14 name.
00:15 Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Carlos Penna Vega became overnight sensations
00:20 going on to release three studio albums and performing around the globe with five tours
00:25 in three years.
00:30 Fast forward to 2020, after a nearly eight year hiatus, the boy band held a surprise
00:35 virtual reunion to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their smash hit Worldwide.
00:40 The fresh acoustic version sparked a new era for the group with a new generation of fans
00:44 wanting more.
00:50 And ever since, they've been back big time with a newly released 10 track album, Another
00:55 Life, and a 39 city North American tour that just kicked off.
01:00 We caught up with them at their Hershey PA show earlier this month to hear all about
01:04 it.
01:05 This is a Life Minute with Big Time Rush.
01:07 All right, big time rush is in the house.
01:13 Or I'm in their house, really.
01:15 Thank you guys so much for joining us on Life Minute TV.
01:17 I'm so excited to have you guys here.
01:19 Thanks for having us.
01:20 Yeah, Hershey paid.
01:21 It feels good to be back.
01:22 Awesome.
01:23 How are you all doing?
01:24 Awesome.
01:25 Yeah.
01:26 Very start of the tour.
01:27 I mean, this is a massive stage and a massive audience tonight, so we're pumped for it.
01:30 It's our eighth show.
01:31 Your eighth show so far.
01:32 So we're in the swing of it now, yeah.
01:34 God willing, we have no lightning and it's going to be nice and nice and clear.
01:38 Yeah.
01:39 Well, how's the tour been going for you so far?
01:41 Great.
01:42 Well, I mean, the first, it was funny because we rehearsed quite a bit before we left, but
01:45 we still really pieced it all together like the two days before the first show.
01:50 No, let's be honest.
01:51 It was the night before the first show.
01:52 The night before?
01:53 Yeah, and we made some major changes the night before the show.
01:55 So I think technically the first time we did the entire thing as is with show one, which
02:00 was a little scary.
02:02 We pulled it off and I mean, it's just been more and more fun, more and more locked in
02:05 every show since.
02:09 If Big Time Rush is not in a rush, then it's not the band.
02:15 Yeah, it's not right.
02:16 So we always seem to pull it off last minute.
02:18 Yeah, we've just been getting better and better and more comfortable with the show.
02:21 Awesome.
02:22 What are fans going to get when they come see you play?
02:25 Freaking lasers, first off.
02:27 Lots of lasers.
02:28 James is really excited about the lasers.
02:29 So is everyone else because they're amazing.
02:31 They're going to get their favorite music.
02:32 If they love Big Time Rush, they're going to get their favorite songs.
02:34 Well, we're playing songs that we've actually never played on tour before, even in our entirety.
02:39 So I always enjoy those throwbacks.
02:43 New album, playing some of those songs, which is very exciting.
02:45 Yes.
02:46 Tell us about your new album, the name of it for those that don't know.
02:48 Tell us all about the new album.
02:50 Listen up, guys.
02:51 Another Life by Big Time Rush.
02:54 You can check it out now, streaming everywhere.
02:56 In fact, you can buy a CD and you can also buy a vinyl, which we've done now for the
03:00 first time.
03:01 We've always wanted to do a vinyl press final.
03:03 Because we're hip and cool.
03:04 Yeah, totally.
03:05 So coming back.
03:06 Yeah.
03:07 Another Life for us was a brand new iteration of Big Time Rush.
03:10 And we kind of left the meaning a little bit more broad because it's also, I guess, in
03:15 the same breath.
03:17 It's about not wasting time to do what you want to do right now at this moment, not waiting
03:21 for another life to do the things that you love.
03:23 In other words, YOLO.
03:24 I think that's what it is.
03:25 Make it happen.
03:26 What are some of your favorite songs to play live?
03:27 That's a good question.
03:28 I forget you now, I really have a good time with.
03:33 We have one, an older song, Windows Down, which is just always so much fun.
03:37 We use as a Blur's Song 2 sample, so everyone kind of already knows the song a little bit.
03:42 You know, Worldwide is always a fan favorite.
03:53 We bring four girls on stage and sing to them.
03:56 So the fans really love that.
03:58 I'm going to round it out and say Weekends.
04:07 We've got some really fun, smooth, mic stand choreography for that song.
04:11 So I think that's one of my favorites to do.
04:13 Do you guys have any regimens or anything to get you psyched up before you go on?
04:18 We've got a pretty solid hour of warm-ups, vocal warm-ups, stretching.
04:23 Everyone has a different person that they play their vocal warm-up.
04:26 We've got several different coaches.
04:27 He's got this girl, he's got this guy.
04:28 We kind of combine them all now.
04:29 Yeah, we kind of play them all.
04:30 And then we always pick a tour song as kind of the anthem before and we play it.
04:35 You've got to get fired up.
04:36 You've got to get something to get you in the zone.
04:37 We always act pretty crazy right before a stage.
04:40 We're totally making jokes and laughing a lot.
04:43 It always kind of puts us in a good mood before we go on stage.
04:46 And then how do you chill out after?
04:48 And just in general, how do you guys relax?
04:51 It's truly tough.
04:53 Playing a show is so invigorating and it takes so much energy from the crowd.
04:57 You get so much energy that it's impossible to not be fired up after.
05:01 So we do try and relax, take a shower, eat a meal.
05:04 We debrief.
05:05 We debrief.
05:06 We do notes.
05:07 Sometimes it's tough to go to sleep on the bus after.
05:09 I've been sleeping in on this tour.
05:11 That makes it kind of easier.
05:12 Well, sleeping in, when you go to bed at 2 and you wake up at 10, that's really sleeping
05:17 in.
05:18 True.
05:19 Do you guys all get along on a tour bus?
05:20 Yeah.
05:21 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:22 So the three of them share a bus and then I have my whole family here.
05:25 So I've got three kids, my wife and a nanny and we're on our own bus.
05:28 One big traveling circus.
05:29 Like all the kids are running around.
05:31 We're running around.
05:32 We have the scooters.
05:33 Yeah, it's just a good time.
05:34 We try to keep it pretty tidy, you know, as much as possible.
05:39 So they travel with you everywhere?
05:40 Everywhere.
05:41 Yeah.
05:42 They're actually, it's rest hour right now.
05:43 They're on the hillside over there.
05:44 It's rest hour, so hopefully they're surviving.
05:47 Do we get a rest hour?
05:48 I kind of wanted a rest hour.
05:49 I think it'd be really nice.
05:50 Okay.
05:51 That's awesome.
05:52 What's something you guys can't travel without, besides your family and your family?
05:56 My kids, yeah.
05:57 We have a lot of really cool recovery gear that I think has been, you know, essential
06:02 to our stamina.
06:04 You know, like doing these shows over and over again, it definitely takes a toll on
06:08 our body, but we work out a lot and we have these legs that, you know, kind of like, what
06:13 do they call them?
06:14 Compression legs.
06:15 Yeah, compression legs.
06:16 James introduced me into this thing that like heats up your core yesterday and I'm like,
06:20 man, I need one of these.
06:21 Anything to keep us warm, keep us moving, limber and healthy.
06:23 It's fancy healthy stuff, but it really does work.
06:26 We have more of that stuff than a physical therapy office, I think.
06:30 Like for real, rollers and massage guns and all this, it's just everything.
06:33 I was going to say also, we get a lot of random ideas and get inspired on the road, so we
06:37 have stuff to make music in the back of the tour bus and that always helps out whenever
06:42 you're feeling creative.
06:43 A little tour rig.
06:44 Speaking of creative, what inspires you guys?
06:47 Being on the road is one of the most inspiring places for an artist because you get to see
06:51 the fan reaction immediately, especially playing new music from the album.
06:55 It's been really cool to see different fans, different cities, you know, which songs react
07:00 the most and I think we've been actually a little bit surprised.
07:03 Like there's been a couple we thought, okay, they're going to love this and they have.
07:05 And there's been a couple where it's like, you know, I didn't know how it would go over,
07:08 but Forget You Now I think is an example of that where the fans seem to just love it.
07:12 And it's been really awesome and it certainly inspires us then to kind of go back and write
07:17 music that might kind of be in line with the ones that were favorites.
07:20 And we talk to fans and get feedback.
07:21 So again, being on the road is just one of the most inspiring places.
07:23 Traveling is huge.
07:24 Different cities kind of champion different artists.
07:26 So the last city was Springsteen and I wasn't so much of a Springsteen guy, but I go back
07:32 and listen to the records and there's some really special stuff in there.
07:35 So yeah, I think traveling and meeting new people and good food always.
07:38 Family and your partner and kids and all those things I think lead into...
07:43 Your partner?
07:44 Yeah, that's right, buddy.
07:45 No, Mika, my fiance.
07:46 Oh, right.
07:47 They, you know, all of that family, all that stuff inspires new lyrics and honestly, a
07:51 lot of old music too.
07:52 I mean, I don't think any of us listen to too much current.
07:56 I mean, I know we do different amounts, but I think most of us listen to, I think we're
08:00 kind of old school guys primarily, or we have our favorite stuff that we kind of just go
08:04 back to a lot.
08:05 Yeah, like who are some of your influences?
08:07 I grew up listening to B.B.
08:08 King and the Eagles.
08:09 I love all the old boy bands.
08:11 Kansas, Factory Boys, NSYNC, Boyz II Men.
08:14 That inspired this record a lot.
08:15 Do you ever get surprised when you say you get feedback like, "Oh, wow, they didn't like
08:19 that one that much," or "Oh, they were really psyched about this one."
08:22 Yeah, most fans are pretty supportive.
08:24 It's such a balance of figuring out what we want to perform, but also what the fans want.
08:29 At the end of the day, it's not going to be perfect for everyone, but we really took a
08:33 lot of time on this tour to put the best set list together that we were going to love to
08:37 do 36 times, and that the fans were also going to love.
08:41 Well, you asked something last night, which is interesting.
08:43 How many of you, is this your first Big Time Rush concert?
08:46 Some of them are older, some of them are younger, and so between the people who watch the show
08:50 and the old school stuff, between the new people who listen to Big Time Rush, it's all
08:55 across the board.
08:56 So yeah, people gravitate towards different things with different cities and different
08:59 crowds.
09:00 [MUSIC]
09:08 Any acting plans on the horizon for you guys?
09:10 We've been acting like a few things foolish up here.
09:12 [LAUGHTER]
09:14 Yes, we should.
09:15 We've been talking about it.
09:16 Yeah, I think Carlos and I have a couple of films lined up for next year.
09:19 We're all talking about, you know, throwing it out there very early, just conversation.
09:23 But, you know, I think it's certainly something in the future that we'll all do a project
09:26 again together.
09:27 Whatever that looks like, not sure yet, but it could be, it would be a lot of fun.
09:30 I think we're going to pull it off one day.
09:31 I think it's pretty certain that we will do that.
09:33 It's how and when.
09:35 And who's paying for it.
09:36 And who's paying for it.
09:37 [LAUGHTER]
09:39 [MUSIC]
09:47 When you're not working, what do you guys like to do?
09:49 I feel like for us, you know, we do what we love, so it's not really, it doesn't ever
09:53 feel like work.
09:54 There's hard parts, but it doesn't necessarily feel like a grind, I guess.
09:56 You've got four outdoorsmen right here.
09:58 Yeah.
09:59 We like to be pretty active, so we do a lot of adventures, some of them together even.
10:03 We'll go on vacations together, as if spinning tour wasn't enough.
10:06 Right.
10:07 We still go out.
10:08 Just can't get enough of you guys.
10:10 Oh, really?
10:11 Are we going there?
10:12 Like that?
10:13 We're done.
10:14 Same name of our tour.
10:15 I spend a lot of time in Vermont, which is like the epitome of the outdoorsy place.
10:19 So a lot of swimming in rivers and hiking and picking mushrooms and...
10:23 Nature stuff.
10:24 Foraging and eating them and hopefully they don't kill you, you know?
10:27 It's a fun game he plays.
10:28 Yeah, it's super fun.
10:29 What do these mushrooms do?
10:30 I don't know.
10:31 Let's find out.
10:32 Did you guys know each other before the show?
10:34 Not really.
10:35 I mean, we pretty much came together through the process.
10:37 Yeah.
10:38 I had met Kendall before the process, which is weird.
10:41 We were already underway, so the three of us were in.
10:43 And I had met Kendall at a house party a couple months prior, and then he came and auditioned,
10:47 and I was like, "We jammed out together."
10:49 Like, "You played guitar and we sang together."
10:51 So that was kind of one of those weird, fun stories.
10:54 Yeah, we sang Maroon 5.
10:55 Maroon 5?
10:56 Yeah.
10:57 That's so funny.
10:58 When I was auditioning, I saw him and I was like, "Oh, I at least know some--
11:00 I've seen someone before."
11:02 So that was helpful for me, because I felt like the odd man out.
11:05 It's a long audition process, so we all really got to know each other really well during that process.
11:09 And then once we finally kind of found all four of us, found the missing piece,
11:13 we were kind of like old friends already.
11:15 Aw, that's cool.
11:16 Yeah.
11:19 What are some of your favorite ways to stay in shape?
11:22 My favorite way to stay in shape is to do the show.
11:25 These guys go above and beyond, which is amazing.
11:28 And look at their muscles.
11:29 Look at how good they look.
11:30 I see them.
11:31 Where's the stage, guys?
11:32 Yeah, where is the stage?
11:33 No, yeah, we go to the gym every morning for an hour, hour and a half.
11:37 So it's actually more mentally, probably, to keep us in shape.
11:40 It's also routine.
11:41 You know, when you're on the road, it certainly can be tough, but doing some of the same things,
11:45 even if it's in a different gym, just the act of, "I'm going to go at this time.
11:48 I'm going to get this workout," gives you that routine that makes you feel a little bit normal.
11:52 Yeah.
11:53 And kind of reminds you of what you might do when you're at home.
11:56 So we try and keep several of the same activities and routines every day just to stay sane.
12:01 And not to mention, we have to keep strengthening these muscles.
12:05 I'm not saying we're old, but I'm not 18 anymore, jumping up and down on our set.
12:11 Awesome.
12:12 What's next for you guys?
12:13 What's something you want to do that we're going to see?
12:16 Well, this is just the beginning of the tour.
12:18 We were just having this conversation yesterday, ironically enough.
12:20 What's next? You've got to plan far ahead.
12:23 I mean, this is our second time going through the United States in just two years,
12:26 which was unexpected and an absolute blessing.
12:29 But we certainly know and recognize we have fans all over the world.
12:33 So we absolutely are going to start looking to go to other countries after this one.
12:37 I'm just trying to eat some chocolate.
12:39 We're in Hershey, PA. I'm just trying to eat some chocolate. That's my next move.
12:41 We still haven't gotten chocolate today.
12:43 I don't see any chocolate around here.
12:44 If we don't go to Chocolate World--
12:45 Before we leave--
12:46 --maybe some white chocolate macadamia nuts in there.
12:48 Can we go to Chocolate World, please?
12:49 Snack size, maybe a little fondue.
12:51 Nothing in the dressing room, no chocolate whatsoever.
12:54 Do they have white chocolate?
12:55 Unreal.
12:56 Yeah, is it good?
12:57 We need to get it.
12:58 I'm on my way.
12:59 Who is the funniest cast member to work with on set during filming your show?
13:04 Probably the funniest and most aggravating is Stephen Gleickman.
13:07 Gustavo Rock.
13:09 Stop.
13:10 I'm sorry, I got a little nervous there. Can I start over?
13:12 Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Start over.
13:15 Why don't you go outside and then just don't come back in.
13:19 Okay, next!
13:21 No, he's really hilarious. He's such a sweet person.
13:23 He is also a complete loon.
13:26 He's one of the greatest people out there, personality-wise.
13:29 He's awesome. He is also frustrating to work with, and he knows that.
13:33 It's part of his thing.
13:35 It's part of his shtick. Sometimes he'll just bust out laughing in the middle of--
13:38 He makes me choke back.
13:39 He laughs at his own jokes.
13:41 I'm like, "Bro, you cannot--"
13:43 In the middle of the take.
13:44 Followed by me, because I laugh also a lot.
13:48 I can't keep a straight face. Life is just too fun.
13:51 Awesome.
13:52 We love you, Stephen.
13:53 Speaking of life, since this is Life Minute, what is your biggest life tip to live better?
13:57 Oh, I got one, which is it just seems like you don't ever really have it figured out.
14:02 I hope I never do.
14:03 I don't think you ever have it figured out.
14:05 So my life tip is just keep learning, keep exploring, and stay open,
14:09 and be grateful for everything you got.
14:11 Awesome.
14:12 Top that.
14:13 Try your best to enjoy the journey.
14:15 I know it's easier said than done, especially when you're just starting out
14:17 and you want to accomplish all these goals,
14:19 but make sure when you do, you set little goals, big goals.
14:21 Every time you make those little goals and accomplishments,
14:24 make sure you enjoy them, because otherwise, what's the point?
14:27 When your ambition increases faster than your satisfaction, life is going to suck.
14:32 So you've got to be satisfied and let that just match your ambition
14:35 and not the other way around.
14:36 Good one.
14:37 That's great. Thank you.
14:38 Yeah.
14:39 Dig it.
14:40 I don't know.
14:41 On the road, things can be kind of sensory overload for me,
14:43 so I try to find moments of quiet and just kind of appreciate the small things.
14:48 Things are pretty beautiful if you just kind of take a minute to sit back
14:52 and kind of watch stuff unfold.
14:54 So yeah, appreciate the small things.
14:56 Awesome. Love it.
14:58 Carlos?
14:59 Me? You know, selfless plug here.
15:00 My wife and I wrote a book last year called "What if Love is the Point?"
15:03 I just think, you know, like you said, there's so many things going on.
15:07 Love the small things are great.
15:08 Love as much as you can.
15:09 Yeah, just love as much as you can.
15:11 Love each other. Love doing this.
15:13 Hey, I love you.
15:14 Love you.
15:15 Hey, did you mean that?
15:16 Yes, of course I mean it.
15:18 I love all you guys.
15:19 You guys are good guys.
15:20 You mean me?
15:21 Awesome.
15:22 Anything else you want to tell us that we didn't cover?
15:24 We're excited to be here. Thank you for having us.
15:26 And come see us this summer.
15:27 You know, there are still some tickets available.
15:29 We have 29 more shows, and it's going to be an epic summer.
15:34 So we'd love to see you guys.
15:35 It's going to be fun.
15:36 Don't forget about the album, "Another Life."
15:38 Make sure you just listen to it.
15:39 We're super proud of it, and we've got a lot of plans.
15:42 To hear more of this interview, visit our podcast,
15:51 Life Minute TV on iTunes and all streaming podcast platforms.
15:55 platforms.
15:56 (upbeat music)
15:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]