Rami Yacoub Helps One Direction Become The New Backstreet Boys
One Direction "One Thing" Syco Music/Columbia Records
It is now no secret to young American girls and their mothers that we are right in the middle of a new British invasion thanks to boy band, One Direction. Since graduating from Simon Cowell’s X Factor and taking on the world together, the guys’ debut single, “What Makes You Beautiful” has been certified multiplatinum in every country it was released in. Now that same single has broken in to the Top 10 on two US singles charts, and has been certified platinum here as well. Since the song and video was been released in the US by Simon Cowell’s Syco Music in partnership with Columbia Records this February, the guys quickly became more than just household names in suburban America.
The guys sold out their first ever headlining tour here in only minutes, which includes what is sure to be a special music event at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2013. That game on the heals of the guy’s first ever appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Their popularity continued to grow as the group was forced to add more tour dates to their already packed schedule. As “What Makes You Beautiful”’s radio spins continue to go up, now beginning to break in the Hot Adult Contemporary Chart, it is now safe to say that the guys of “1D” have lead the way in this generations teen Pop boy band wave reminiscent of a decade earlier with now Pop music legends, Backstreet Boys and *N Sync. If parents of all the 1D fans listen to the slick vocally stacked production of “What Makes You Beatiful”, and are reminded of days of watching TRL on MTV when they were in school, it is no coincidence. “What Makes You Beautiful” was co-written and co-produced by a man who is no stranger to the Teen Pop hit making formula. That man is Swedish song writer/producer, Rami Yacoub. Rami is the former production partner with blockbuster record producer Max Martin. Today Martin is now well known for his work primarily with Katy Perry, Ke$ha and now Usher. But if we turn back the clock to the mid 90s Max and Rami were busy making some of the biggest hits for who will become some of the biggest Pop acts of all time.
In the 90s and early 2000s, Max and Rami collaborated on such notable smash hits for the Backstreet Boys like “Larger Than Life”, “Shape Of My Heart”, “The Call”, “Drowning” and countless others. Rami also contributed creatively to *N Sync’s first #1 hit, “Its Gonna Be Me” from 2000. Other major Teen Pop singles released that Rami was involved in included major career defining hits for Britney Spears like “Baby One More Time”, “(You Drive Me) Crazy”, “Oops…I Did It Again”, “Stronger”, and “I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman.” Away from Max Martin has continued making hits outside of the boy bands as well. He recently was a Co-writer/producer on “Don’t Hold Your Breath” from Nicole Scherzinger, and “Starships” by Nicki Minaj. However, despite working on different kinds of music , nothing else has been quite as successful for Rami as boy bands. Recently Rami reunited with Backstreet Boy Nick Carter for his international hit, “Burning Up”, and reunited with Simon Cowell to help recreate the magic they had with Syco Music’s Westlife years ago. That magic was what we now know as the sound of One Direction.
Now that 1D’s “What Makes You Beautiful” has officially exploded on the US mainstream, Columbia Records is soon going to be officially releasing another international hit that Yacoub was behind. That hit is the One Direction smash, “One Thing.” “One Thing” was the third single released from 1D’s debut album, Up All Night outside of the US in January. It has been compared to by many to another Backstreet Boys hit, “I Want It That Way,” due to its remarkably similar song structure and production. (“I Want It That Way” Written By Max Martin/Andreas Carlsson) One Direction’s BSB comparisons continued when they released the music video for the song. In the Video One Direction can be seen traveling on a bus traveling from various locations surrounded by screaming fans. This is also very similar to the Backstreet Boys’ video concept, as they two were surrounded by screaming fans at an airport as they board a private flight. There is no doubt that BSB’s video was inspired by The Beatles, a group who can be considered by many to be some of the founding fathers of Teen Pop. One Direction first premiered their single “One Thing” in the US on SNL, but take a look at the video below along with other work from Rami Yacoub below, see if you can see the pattern we do.
One Direction
“One Things”
From Up All Night
Syco Music/Columbia Records
Backstreet Boys
“I Wamt It That Way”
From Millennium
Jive Records
Other Teen Pop Songs Written/Produced By Rami Yacoub
One Direction
“What Makes You Beautiful”
From Up All Night
Suco Music/Columbia Records
Backstreet Boys
“Larger Than Life”
From Millennium
Jive Records
*N Sync
“Its Gonna Be Me”
From No Strings Attached
Jive Records
Backstreet Boys
“Shape Of My Heart”
From Black And Blue
Jive Records
Backstreet Boys
“The Call”
From Black And Blue
Jive Records
