Next Stop Mars were ecstatic when recently selected to support ex-Union J member and close friend George Shelley; but it is also unsurprising as this young, dedicated and diligent group have been building a buzz among pop rock fans since they started playing gigs and touring across the UK. After an amazing show supporting Shelley at “Under the Bridge” in London, Fulham, the band followed on to support Union J on their UK tour, impressing audiences as they lit up the stage in each City they played at. The band created a hype online after releasing their single “Bad Bitch’ which was teamed with an entertainingly comical video on their vevo channel. They have since left fans in anticipation after announcing a follow up single called “Always” which is to be released in the coming month.
The band originally formed in 2012 when the brother-sister duo Denis and Shanel Jemal decided to take their infatuation with music and song writing to the next level. Fuelled by a mutual interest in the pop-club scene, the pair began producing their own original content from a home studio, working around the clock.
While touring with the likes of The Saturday's, M.A.D and Cher Lloyd across the UK, the pair, then known as SD Jem, soon made the decision to alter their sound (inspired by Blink 182, Busted, Sum41 and more recently The Vamps), to bestow a pop-rock resonance.
As part of their revamp, Denis (lead vocalist and bass) and Shanel (lead vocalist and keys), were joined by lead guitarist Dan Kerridge and drummer John Wilson in 2015, forming what is now known as Next Stop Mars.
The new members gave the band the extra dimension they were looking for, picking up the pace of their songs and firmly fixing them in the modern pop-rock space. "From the moment we met Dan and John, we knew they were the right fit for where we wanted to take the band and felt like we had known them both for years," Denis recalls.
Raring to progress with their new sound, the band got to work in a home studio in London, England, that they later found out was the same room that both Busted and McFly used before them!
Next Stop Mars did not anticipate the positive feedback they would receive from industry names including inspirations Busted, Jason Derulo and Union J, and more recently, were tipped to be "the UK's hottest new band" by James Bourne from Busted!
Although they are undeniably pleased with how far they have come so far and with their long-time committed fans, Next Stop Mars have their sights set on matching, if not topping their predecessors with their unique and dynamic sound.
In addition to their recent performances supporting George Shelley, Next Stop Mars have been working on their debut album and preparing for a string of upcoming UK tour dates, as well as releasing a teaser single 'Bad Bitch' exclusively to Spotify.
The band are bursting with enthusiasm to spread their new sound and are wholly dedicated to cementing their name in the pop-rock space.