Disclaimer: This is not a review on the British boy-band group Five(5ive), however, this is a review on Abz and his brief solo career that landed him several top 20 hits in the U.K.
Out of London, England, Abz was born to a Turkish and Irish family and was one of the five selected in an audition to be part of Simon Cowell’s British boy band Five(5ive). Five would win a Brit award, an MTV award, and an ASCAP songwriting award while selling over 1.5 million copies in the United Kingdom alone, Five would see moderate success in the United States(obviously not to the level of Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, or 98 Degrees). After Five split in 2001, Simon Cowell signed Abz to Sony BMG and proceeded to release his only solo album entitled “Abstract Theory”.
“Abstract Theory” had Abz peak at Number 29 on the U.K. albums charts, however, Abz scored three top ten singles in the U.K. for the songs “What You Got”, “Stop Sign”, and “Miss Perfect”. Check out the music video for “Stop Sign” below.
Here is the music video for “What You Got”
Check out the music video for “Miss Perfect” featuring Nodesha
Due to lack of album sales, and despite having three top ten U.K. singles from “Abstract Theory”, Sony BMG dropped Abz from their label. The “rock and roll” lifestyle caught up with Abz as he started abusing drugs and alcohol and had the majority of his life savings stolen, which led to Abz sleeping in a loft at his cousin’s bakery. Five(5ive) would briefly reunite in 2006, but quickly disbanded.
In 2009, Abz found songwriter Vicky Fallon via MySpace and he moved in with her and they formed a songwriting/production team.
In 2012, Abz and Five were invited to appear on “The Big Reunion”, which also featured Atomic Kitten, Blue, 911, Honeyz, B*Witched, and Liberty X. The premise of “The Big Reunion” was a documentary that documented where each member of the once famous British pop groups were at now.
In 2013, Abz would appear on “Celebrity Big Brother”. On “Celebrity Big Brother”, Abz confessed that he suffered from Asberger’s Syndrome. On the show, Abz struck up a friendship with “Saved By The Bell” star Dustin Diamond, and would end up being the runner-up in “Celebrity Big Brother” behind reality television star Charlotte Crosby.
In 2014, Abz announced via Twitter that he was leaving Five forever. He stated that a reunion would be tainted without the original five members of Five. Abz has became a moderate reality television show star for his role in “Country Strife: Abz On The Farm”, which airs on the BBC Network.
Madness To Creation’s take: It’s plain to see why Abz’s career has never really took off. I felt that the pop hooks in his “Abstract Theory” album were bland, and it seemed like it felt rushed because I think he was trying to stay relevant after Five first disbanded. Essentially, the target audience for that music at the time is for adolescents and teenage girls. His voice did absolutely nothing for me and it was difficult to get through a song even after giving him an honest chance. I am going to have to pass on Abz. He needs to stick to his reality television show, at least he has a personality through his show unlike the manufactured pop music that was created by Abz in his solo career.
