Mercury4
| Company type | Vocal quartet boy band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Mercury4 was an Australian vocal quartet boy band established in 2000, initially consisting of Rien Low, Brad Johnston, Javier Perez, and Cole Rintoul. In early 2004, Kevin Layton replaced Perez. Their debut album, Mercury4 (released May 2004), entered the top 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Their most successful single, "Get Me Some" (June 2003), climbed to No. 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart. This was succeeded by "5 Years from Now" (January 2004), which reached the top 20, and a rendition of Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step" (May 2004), which peaked within the top 30. The group dissolved by the end of 2004.
History
The origins of Mercury4 trace back to 2000 when Rien Low and Brad Johnston chose to collaborate musically. Cole Rintoul joined their ranks in 2001, with Javier Perez becoming part of the lineup in 2002. Following a showcase at the Mercury Lounge, they secured a contract with BMG by late 2002, a name that inspired their band title.
BMG brought in acclaimed producers the Matrix, recognized for their work with artists such as Avril Lavigne and Hilary Duff, to craft Mercury4's first single, "Get Me Some". Released in June 2003, the track reached No. 5 on the ARIA Charts by July.
Their follow-up single, "5 Years from Now" (January 2004), attained a peak position of No. 16. The third release, a cover of Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step" (May 2004), produced by Cutfather & Joe, reached No. 27 on the charts.
In early 2004, Javier Perez departed due to personal reasons and was succeeded by Kevin Layton. Their self-titled album Mercury4, launched on 31 May 2004, included a cover of Air Supply's "All Out of Love", featuring original members Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell. The album appeared on Australian charts for just one week. After BMG merged with Sony, Mercury4 was dropped from the label roster and subsequently disbanded by late 2004.
Following the group's breakup, Kevin Layton auditioned for the 2009 season of Australian Idol but did not advance to the Top 24. Rien Low later tried out for both the 2011 editions of The X Factor (Australia) and The Voice (Australia) Season 2 but failed to progress to the final stages.
Members
- Brad Johnston (born 30 November 1981) – lead vocalist
- Rien Low (born 22 February 1978) – lead vocalist
- Javier Perez – lead vocalist (2002–04)
- Cole Rintoul (born 27 November 1982) – lead vocalist
- Kevin Layton (born 1 May 1982) – lead vocalist
Albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart position |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Mercury4 |
|
32 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| "Get Me Some" | 2003 | 5 | Mercury4 |
| "5 Years from Now" | 2004 | 16 | |
| "Every Little Step" | 27 |