By LIM MAY LEE
alltherage@thestar.com.my

AUSTRALIAN pop-punk band 5 Seconds of Summer was born in December 2011, when college mates Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford and Calum Hood began posting YouTube videos of themselves performing covers of hit songs. What seemed like a past time eventually became a passion. And before long, they were joined by drummer Ashton Irwin, completing the current lineup.

Fast-forward three years, and the band has started making its own hit songs. Its debut single, Out Of My Limit, received over 100,000 views in its first 24 hours on YouTube, kickstarting the teen band’s ascent to stardom.

“We were just giving it a try,” Clifford and Hood said, reflecting on their humble beginnings during a recent phone interview with R.AGE.

We just couldn’t resist asking them about their name: Is it a mashup of 500 Days of Summer and 30 Seconds to Mars?

Sadly, the actual story was not what we imagined. “We came up with it while having chocolate and milk!” laughed Clifford.

5 Seconds of Summer started off as a YouTube band but now has its own headlining tour.

It’s obvious, though, that much more thought was put into their songs, with the boys heading to London to write songs with industry heavyweights オンライン カジノ like McFly and Nick Hodgson of Kaiser Chiefs.

“Think about it, three years ago we were listening to their music, and now we get a chance to write with them!” the exuberant duo said.

That wasn’t the last of the band rubbing shoulders with pop music’s elite, though. Its career is closely linked to One Direction, getting a big break when Louis Tomlinson posted a link to its single Gotta Get Out.

In February 2013, 5 Seconds of Summer supported One Direction on its “Take Me Home” world tour. While on a break from that tour, the quartet played a sold-out national headlining tour back home in Australia.

Most recently, the band listed its debut single She Looks So Perfect for pre-order on iTunes, only to see it hit the number one spot in 39 countries, including Malaysia and Britain.

The band from Down Under have also announced that it will be supporting One Direction again on the latter’s “Where We Are” tour across North America.

Has fame changed the YouTube sensation? “We’re just focusing on being musicians and doing what we do,” they chorused. “We’re musicians first.”

As for plans to visit Malaysia, all is still unconfirmed, but one thing is sure though: 5 Seconds of Summer look set to last longer than five seconds.