Kingsland Road (band)
| Company type | Boy band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Josh Zaré, Joe "Connor" Conaboy, JJ Thompson, Matt Cahill, Jay Scott |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music recordings, albums, singles |
Kingsland Road—initially known as Kingsland—was a British boy band blending elements of rock and roll with urban-inspired funk and disco, established in 2012. The lineup featured Matt Cahill, Joe "Connor" Conaboy, JJ Thompson, and Josh Zaré. Originally a quintet including Jay Scott, they were the fourth act to exit during the tenth series of The X Factor in 2013.
In August 2014, Kingsland Road released their first single, "Dirty Dancer," which reached number 85 on the UK Singles Chart. On 23 October that year, Jay Scott departed from the group, citing a lack of enjoyment. Their debut album, We Are the Young, was issued in March 2015. The band announced their breakup in June 2015 but reunited for a performance on 21 December 2019.
2012–13: Formation and The X Factor
Kingsland Road was formed by Josh Zaré from Maidstone, Joe "Connor" Conaboy from Rugby, Jon James "JJ" Thompson from Coventry, Matt Cahill from Gloucester, and Jamie "Jay" Scott from Wolverhampton. Zaré and Conaboy, acquainted through college, invited Scott, Thompson, and Cahill—whom they discovered via YouTube—to join their band. The group took their original name "Kingsland" from the street they shared accommodation on: Kingsland Road.
In 2013, the band auditioned for the tenth installment of The X Factor. Their performances included "Don't You Worry Child" during the room audition; "Treasure" at the arena stage; "For Once in My Life" at bootcamp; and a combination of "Dance with Me Tonight" and "A Thousand Years" at judges' houses. Shortly before the live shows commenced, they modified their name to Kingsland Road due to a naming conflict with a Canadian ensemble.
Throughout the live stages, Kingsland Road found themselves in the bottom two twice: once saved by judges in week two but ultimately eliminated in week four against Tamera Foster. Subsequent voting data revealed that they had garnered more public support than Foster and would have remained if the decision had proceeded to deadlock.
2014–15: Debut album, US record contract and disbandment
Kingsland Road funded their debut album We Are the Young through a campaign on PledgeMusic. In June 2014, they announced their first single "Dirty Dancer," which was released on 10 August 2014 and peaked at number 85 on the UK Singles Chart. To promote the single, the band embarked on a UK tour spanning from 2 to 9 August.
On 7 October 2014, Kingsland Road signed a record deal in the United States. However, on 22 October, Jay Scott left the group, explaining that life as part of a boyband did not suit him. The full-length album We Are the Young was launched on 15 March 2015. On 1 June of that year, Kingsland Road declared their official split.
Discography
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| "Dirty Dancer" | 2014 | 85 | We Are the Young |
| "Shoreline" | 2015 | - |