Next Town Down
Next Town Down (abbreviated as NTD) is a Los Angeles based American R&B vocal group composed of Terence Thomas from Hollandale, Mississippi; Tre’von Waters from Lancaster, Virginia, Christopher Louis from Sarasota, Florida; Malik Askari Knighten from Charles City, Iowa; and Leon Outlaw Jr. from Brooklyn, New York. They formed a group after meeting each other on social media.
Career[edit]
All five members pursued music individually until Terence met Tre on social media. Terence and Tre then moved to Atlanta to pursue music as a trio with Christopher, whom they also met on social media. Terence, Tre, and Chris discovered Leon on YouTube and Malik on Instagram, and they ultimately moved to Los Angeles and formed a vocal group on February 23, 2017.
In 2017, they started posting covers on YouTube, some accompanied by choreography. They created a series on YouTube called #UCANTSINGTHAT Fridays that featured them covering songs by Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, and Bruno Mars. Their “Evolution of Boybands” video went viral on Facebook and YouTube when Steve Harvey and iHeartRadio posted it on Facebook, *NSYNC and Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block tweeted it, and Ricky Bell of New Edition/Bell Biv DeVoe Instagrammed it.
In June 2017, Next Town Down performed for both Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey. In 2018, they released two singles, “Rock” and “Easy,” as well three songs, “Make it Safe,” “Kissin On,” and “Roll” as a part of the “Hidden Hills Evergreen Sessions.” Easy became a hit in the summer of 2018, enjoying strong playlisting across platforms including: Spotify's Are&Be, The Newness, Chilled R&B, and New Music Friday; Apple Music's Breaking R&B; and Amazon's Introducing R&B (Cover Photo/1st Song), Fresh R&B, and Brand New Music.
In June 2018, Next Town Down sang the National Anthem at a LA Sparks basketball game, headlined at VidCon, and performed at Juneteenth Rhythm & Ribs Festival. In September 2018, Next Town Down announced their first headline tour.
Artistry[edit]
Next Town Down’s music has been compared to the great R&B vocal groups including New Edition, Boyz II Men, and Migos. They also have co-signs from Chris Brown, Jermaine Dupri, Kehlani, Nicky Jam, Normani, Will.I.Am, New Edition, Boyz II Men, *NSYNC, and New Kids on the Block.
Next Town Down are not the typical “boys next door” and aims to create a special connection with their fans through their music.
Next Town Down’s fans are known as Townies.
Members[edit]
Terence Thomas (referred to as "T") - January 27, 1996
Terence started singing at an early age. He was influenced by his two sisters, Jaleesa and Jamillia Thomas, who used to sing in the gospel choir at church. They decided to make a group and sing for youth day service. From then, Terence attended to Jackson State University and started touring singing gospel music.
Tre’von Waters (referred to as Tre') - July 14, 1996
Tre’von began singing when he was two years old. Before Next Town Down, he sang in church and participated in local talent shows to gain exposure. He graduated from Lancaster High School and attended Hampton University for one year while he wrote and engineered songs in his free time. He was also mentored by music producer Troy Taylor. While mentored under Taylor, Tre' taught himself how to vocal produce and arrange.
Christopher Louis (referred to as Chris) - September 19, 1997
Chris began singing and performing at 5 years old. At age 9, he performed for live audiences with a professional theatre company in Sarasota, Florida – the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT). In 2010, when Chris was 12 years old, he appeared on the NBC show “America’s Got Talent, Season 5". He was selected as one of the top 48 finalists out of more than 70,000 auditions throughout the United States. During his America’s Got Talent journey – Christopher performed at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, at the Palms[disambiguation needed] in Las Vegas and in Hollywood on NBC for the America's Got Talent Live Show competition. The summer of 2011, Chris completed his first tour, "Go For Your Dreams Tour" throughout Florida. He visited thousands of Boys & Girls Club kids inspiring them to "go for their dreams."
As one of the youngest members of WBTT, Chris performed internationally with a theatre troupe on a tour to Germany. He has performed in theatre shows such as "Motown 60’s Revue," "Soul Crooner’s 2," "The Fabulous Five," and "Cab Calloway." Chris’ love for Motown music comes from growing up as a member of a theatre troupe and being surrounded 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s music.
Chris' rendition of the National Anthem has allowed him to be invited to perform for the Florida Senate, at several Major League baseball games and most recently at an event for the Vice-President of the United States, Joe Biden. In 2012, Chris was selected to perform for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Conference in San Diego, CA and the Boys & Girls Club Southeast Regional Youth of the Year banquet in Atlanta, GA. Chris recently was honored as the National Winner for the Boys & Girls Club Digital Art contest receiving an award for one of his original songs, "Lessons Learned" on his debut EP.
In July 2013, Chris’ went on a summer tour, “Power of 15.″ He visited 15 Boys & Girls Clubs in 15 cities throughout Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama performing songs from his debut album while empowering teens to follow their dreams. After working in the recording studio for more than a year, Chris’s debut album, “Christopher XVI” was released in November 2013. All of the songs on this album were written by Chris and embody a fifteen year-old's state of mind as he pursues his ultimate dream of inspiring people around the world with his music.
In early 2014, Chris was invited to be a featured opening act for Mindless Behavior. Chris was also invited to be the featured co-headliner for Issa. During 2014, Chris also appeared in two Westcoast Black Theatre productions: "Bubbling Brown Sugar" and "Black Nativity." In the summer of 2014, Christopher headlined his third “Go For Your Dreams” Boys & Girls Club of America Summer Tour.
In March of 2015, Chris produced his ‘Young Artist Showcase,’completed his fourth annual “Go For Your Dreams” Boys & Girls Club of America Summer Tour, and performed for non-profit organizations in Florida.
Malik Askari Knighten (referred to as "Leek") - April 17, 1999
Malik taught himself how to play guitar and started singing on YouNow. Soon after, he began posting Instagram videos of himself singing and playing guitar. He was discovered by Tre’von, Terence, and Chris through Instagram.
Leon Outlaw Jr. (referred to as "Lee") - March 12, 2002 Leon started singing and dancing when he was four years old. He also grew up singing gospel music in church. At the age of 11, he made his stage debut portraying a young Michael Jackson, young Berry Gordy Jr. and young Stevie Wonder in a Broadway production of Motown: The Musical.
Discography[edit]
Extended Plays[edit]
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
Hidden Hills Evergreen Sessions
|
2018 |
Singles[edit]
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "Easy" | 2018 |
| "Rock" | 2018 |
Music Videos[edit]
- “Rock” 2018
- “Easy” 2018
Tours[edit]
Next Town Down Tour (2018—present)
References[edit]
Next Town Down[edit]
Next Town Down[edit]
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