Union J are reuniting for one-off concert and documentary as they reveal they were secretly dropped by label
JLS and The Wanted have already reunited in recent months and now another boyband is making a comeback – Union J.
The four-piece group, comprised of George Shelley, Josh Cuthbert, JJ Hamblett and Jaymi Hensley, secretly decided to regroup during the pandemic and today announce a one-off show at the London Palladium as well as a documentary about their return.
The concert will take place on May 28, exactly ten years after their first performance as a group on The X Factor, but will lead to far more from the band.
In an exclusive interview, Jaymi revealed it was him who managed to make the reunion happen.
He said: “All offers were off the table for two years, so the relationships started blossoming again between all of us as a four.
“I went to George first, then I went to Josh and then I rang JJ and said, ‘Well you haven’t got any choice, you’re still in the contract’.”
JJ added: “We’re like four brothers. We’ve spent the last few days together and it’s so natural.”
The lads reached the semi-final of X Factor in 2011 then had a string of hit singles, but for the first time today, they admit they were dropped by their label Epic Records following their 2014 album You Got It All — only weeks after having a No2 hit — which led to their demise.
The next year George reached the final of I’m A Celeb and later quit the group, followed by Josh in 2018. Jaymi explained: “There was a real shift.
“We never told anyone we were dropped by our label and we didn’t get an explanation. We didn’t speak about it, we didn’t go out to new labels to try to get a new deal, so we just pretended we were still doing album No3. We were lying to ourselves.”
George continued: “Our dreams were crushed. I was suffering a lot with my mental health at the time and it didn’t feel like there was much going on.
“I still wanted to remain friends with everyone and Jaymi and I stayed really close, I’ve seen JJ a tiny bit, and Josh and I haven’t seen each other in six years.
“It’s beautiful to be back. But that label news was the crushing moment. It felt like the end of the road for us.”
The stress of coming out of The X Factor and being thrust into the spotlight as young men and then getting dropped was a whirlwind which they all struggled with.
Josh said: “There were so many occasions when we were doing Union J that I should have loved and I didn’t, because my mental health was suffering. I was unhappy all the time.”
Jaymi added: “I know things are huge at the moment about men’s mental health but eight years ago it wasn’t. We all suffered from clinical depression at one point and I didn’t have a clue what it was.”
Tickets for their reunion concert will go on sale through livenation.co.uk at 10am on Friday. They are also planning to open up about everything they have gone through in a TV documentary.
JJ said: “It’s about filming as much as we can to give something back to our fans — they’ve been our rock.”
And while there is a sudden influx of boy bands in the pop world again, they say it’s nothing but good news.
Jaymi laughed: “This year has turned out perfectly for us because The Wanted and JLS are back. It’s amazing because it’s like we’ve all woken up in 2012 again.”
Nic all white on the night
NICOLE Scherzinger appeared to be trying to emulate John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever in this flared white suit.
The Pussycat Dolls star wore the retro outfit to the Pegasus World Cup horse racing event in Florida on Saturday, where she blew a kiss from the red carpet to waiting photographers.
Nicole also performed there – which is something she hasn’t done much of lately after the Dolls’ reunion tour was cancelled.
But she is still on good terms with some of her bandmates, at least. Kimberly Wyatt revealed Nic has been on the phone encouraging her during her time on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
Kimberly said: “I had a real chat with Nicole, sort of a week before. And she was just rooting me on and being so supportive and excited for me to shine.
“So I really feel like the girls are behind me and that’s nice to feel.”
Janet: Justin in clear
JANET Jackson has claimed she was “disinvited” from the Grammys after Justin Timberlake exposed her breast during the live Super Bowl halftime show in 2004.
The Rhythm Nation singer has insisted the “wardrobe malfunction” was an accident but has finally addressed the outrage over it, admitting she warned Justin not to talk about it again.
Speaking about Justin, who has been criticised by fans for not standing up for her, she said: “We talked once and he said, ‘I don’t know if I should come out and make a statement.
“And I said, ‘Listen, I don’t want any drama for you. They’re aiming all of this at me.’ So I said, ‘If I were you, I wouldn’t say anything’.”
Despite the strange incident, dubbed Nipplegate at the time, Janet insisted she is pals with the Cry Me A River singer.
Speaking in her self-titled docu-series, which airs on Sky Documentaries this week, she explained: “Honestly, this whole thing was blown way out of proportion.
“And, of course, it was an accident that should not have happened, but everyone is looking for someone to blame and that’s got to stop.”
Jess a shop star
IT’S been a rocky week for Jess Glynne after she split from her label Atlantic Records.
But the Brit singer put that in the past when she enjoyed a spot of retail therapy in the US.
She was snapped shopping in Beverly Hills – where she is believed to be working on new music.
I told last week how she had ended her relationship with her label after a dispute over the direction of her next album. But now she’s on her own, she can do things her own way.
The Hold My Hand singer is now on the lookout for a new team. If she plays her cards right, she could sign a fresh deal over there and finally crack America.
Reformed party boy Nick ditches booze
FOR years Nick Grimshaw was one of the biggest party animals in showbiz.
But now the former Radio 1 DJ has gone the same way as some of his ex-caner pals like Kate Moss and Sadie Frost – by quitting booze.
He has revealed he is one month sober after giving up alcohol in December when he was struck down by Covid.
His decision to ditch the bottle comes after he told how his days of going out partying were behind him, because his hangovers are worse now he is in his thirties.
He has said: “In your early twenties you can run on adrenaline with a hangover and then collapse afterwards. I can’t do that now . . . I can barely get out of bed.”
Grimmy is currently on a lengthy break in Los Angeles, so I can only assume the health-conscious mindset of the celebs over there has rubbed off on him.
‘Really p***ed’
I THOUGHT I’d had some bad hangovers in my time, but I’ve got nothing on Scarlett Moffatt.
The ex-Gogglebox star has claimed she gets so wasted on red wine, she once thought she had been spiked.
Speaking on her Wants To Believe podcast, she said: “I’m allergic to red wine. I don’t know what it does – I just get really p***ed. I genuinely thought I was proper allergic because I remember having half a glass and then thinking I’d been spiked. I’ve got a low tolerance for it.
“My throat doesn’t close up or anything, but I just want to rap to Nicki Minaj all the time – that’s what happens.”