These days, most radio hits are done by solo artists striving to make a name for themselves. But what happened to the boy band craze of the ’90s, all those funny outfits and catchy tunes that classify that era so well? That’s exactly what Matt Pawlik and Enrico Lopez-Yanez were wondering when they started their group, White Noiz.
“Our inspiration was probably fueled by our similar love for the Backstreet Boys and the good old ’90s era,” said Pawlik, a fourth-year anthropology and linguistics student who raps for the group.
Pawlik, who goes by Mattitude on stage, says the group draws inspiration from today’s top hits as well as The Lonely Island from Saturday Night Live, Raven-Symone and The Cheetah Girls and Backstreet Boys. According to Lopez-Yanez, a fourth-year music student and singer for the group, this blend works well.
“We started writing songs, and it developed into a pretty unique genre that’s sort of a mix. We like to call it a trifecta of electronic, comedic, hip-hop music,” said Lopez-Yanez, whose stage name is Freakuency.
The group started last winter, when Pawlik and Lopez-Yanez had the idea of writing a song for Spring Sing. With this in mind, they wrote “Friend You So Hard” and came up with a choreographed dance to go alongside it. They did not end up performing at Spring Sing, but they used that disappointment as fuel to write more songs and get their name out there.
“Initially it was sort of a letdown that it didn’t happen, but instead of just giving up, we were like, “˜You know what, that’s just one person’s opinion and maybe they’re right that we’re not the right style and feel for this particular thing, but we can take it elsewhere,'” Lopez-Yanez said.
Since then, White Noiz has written several new songs, including “Candy Girl,” “Skeet to the Beat” and a cover of “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys, and it is working toward making a complete album. Its songs consist of digital beats with rapping and singing, all of which they create and record themselves. Most of the group’s beats are recorded with drums, keyboards and synthesizers, but Lopez-Yanez says they are thinking about incorporating an instrumental element as well.
Alex Jeffries, who graduated from UCLA last June, recently joined the group to help out during performances. He serves as the group’s DJ, playing the beats that Lopez-Yanez recorded so that he can focus on the performance.
“At this point, I’m more of a component of the live show so that Enrico, who knows the most about the music, can actually perform … and not be distracted by technical stuff,” Jeffries said. “He and Matt have a number of, I would say, beautifully choreographed dance moves, so he’s able to focus on that more without having to mess with the music. So I’m happy to do that.”
White Noiz began performing this summer, playing at everything from small bars to large nightclubs, and even house parties. They are also starting to receive offers to open for big-name groups, having recently opened for rapper Talib Kweli. The performance is perhaps the most important element for White Noiz, as they work hard to tie their songs together with a themed skit.
“The whole show, whenever we give performances, is not scripted, but it’s presented in such a way that it’s like watching a show. As opposed to where most artists come on stage and will just talk at the audience in between songs and stuff, this one has a complete storyline throughout our show,” Lopez-Yanez said.
The group has also worked to incorporate choreographed dance moves into their performance, a trademark of those ’90s boy bands.
“We have choreographed dances for sure, that’s a big deal for us,” Pawlik said. “You know, choreographed dances are a lot more fun than people think.”
Another important part of the performance is their outfits, which Jeffries says are all white ““ white pants, ties, sunglasses, shoes and dress shirts ““ to fit in with the group’s name.
“I like dressing up, it’s fun to wear all white, it really feels like it’s a cohesive kind of group thing to have these songs and also this identity. It’s pretty entertaining, the whole show,” Jeffries said.
Although they are just starting out in an industry that is notoriously harsh, the members of White Noiz are willing to see where their music will take them.
“We’re not going to rely on it to be a future, but it’s definitely something that we would love to happen if possible,” Lopez-Yanez said. “We’re grounded in the fact that we know how difficult it is to make it in the industry, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to try.”