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Big Time Rush is an American pop music boy band formed in 2009. Comprised of members Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos PenaVega, and Logan Henderson, the band was created simultaneously with the Nickelodeon television series of the same name. The group released three studio albums, BTR (2010), Elevate (2011), and 24/seven (2013), before entering an indefinite hiatus in 2014. In the late 2010s, Big Time Rush purchased the rights to their name from Nickelodeon and Sony Music, and in 2021, they announced plans to reunite, releasing new music and resuming live performances.

History[]

Early development and formation[]

In 2007, Nickelodeon formed an agreement with Sony Music to collaborate on future music and television projects.[1] Scott Fellows, who had previously created the Nickelodeon live-action series Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, pitched a series "with musical elements," that would be a co-production with Sony Music and feature original songs created for the show.[1]

The casting for Big Time Rush spanned over two years.[2] A "nationwide" talent search was conducted, with the directors embarking on four national casting tours, visiting major cities "from LA to New York to Florida to Texas."[1][2] According to James Maslow, he was the very first actor and singer to audition, and he followed the process throughout the entire two-year span.[2] Logan Henderson also said he was selected "very early on," after creator Scott Fellows took interest in him after seeing his role in the Disney Channel pilot Life Bites.[3] A total of four screen tests were held, with four different cast lineups.[2] Simon Curtis and Nico Tortorella participated in one or more of these screen tests.[3][4] Early names considered for the band were "One for All" and "The Boyband Project".[5][6]

Tortorella was later replaced by Carlos PenaVega, and Curtis by Curt Hansen.[3] In November 2008, the lineup of Hansen, Maslow, PenaVega, and Henderson filmed a series pilot in Los Angeles under the title Brand New Day.[5] Hansen was later replaced by Kendall Schmidt, whom Henderson had, coincidentally, previously met through "the friend group in LA" at a house party. He described the decision to pick Schmidt as "unanimous."[3] Following the first pilot, the title "Go Big Time" was pitched for the show, but on suggestion from PenaVega, Fellows took a liking to the name "Big Time Rush".[5] According to Henderson, the term "rush" is "a play on a hockey term", explaining "It's whenever you go for the goal and you rush; it's kind of like what we do with our group and then with the show it's kind of just go for it."[5]

Career[]

2009-2010: Beginnings and BTR[]

Big-time-rush-nyc-concert-27

Big Time Rush performing in Times Square, New York in 2010.

Big Time Rush signed a record deal in 2009 simultaneously with the television series Big Time Rush. Their debut single "Big Time Rush" was released on November 29, 2009. It debuted during a one-hour special preview of the series and it is currently the show's opening theme. The series also saw the releases of other promotional singles including "City Is Ours," "Any Kind of Guy," and "Famous". That song was released on iTunes on June 29, 2010. Another song "Halfway There" was released to iTunes on April 27, 2010, after its premiere on the series. The single has become their first to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 93 due to strong digital sales. On September 21, 2010, Big Time Rush released a promotional single "Til' I Forget About You" to promote the release of their debut album.

The album titled B.T.R. was released on October 11, 2010. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 selling 67,000 copies in its first week of release. The album also peaked at number 4 on the "Top Internet Albums" and number one on "Top Soundtracks". Its track "Big Night" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 79 making it their highest peaking single. The album was later certified Gold for shipments of 500,000 copies in the U.S. and has currently sold over 900,000 copies worldwide. In November 2010 it was announced that a Christmas special of Big Time Rush would debut later that month and that a Christmas EP would be released to coincide with the episode. The EP titled Holiday Bundle was released on November 30, 2010. They covered All I Want For Christmas Is You originally performed by Mariah Carey with fellow Nickelodeon star Miranda Cosgrove.

On February 5, 2011, "Boyfriend" was released as the band's first official single to mainstream US radio, alongside its music video with the remix featuring Snoop Dogg. "Boyfriend" peaked at number seventy-two on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming their most successful song to date. It peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart in March 2011. A remix of "Boyfriend" which featured New Boyz leaked onto the internet before releasing on April 19, 2011. On April 2, 2011, Big Time Rush alongside Snoop Dogg peformed Boyfriend Kid's Choice Awards.

Their single "Boyfriend" was nominated for a Premios Oye! award in Mexico (similar to the Grammy Award in the United States) for Best International English Song of the Year, in which they lost to Rihanna's single "Diamonds". Big Time Rush was Nominated For MTV's Breakthrough Band award Honor in 2011 as well.

2011-2012: Elevate, Touring and Film[]

Btr 2011

Promotional Photo of Big Time Rush in 2011 for Music Sounds Better With U

The group announced they would be recording their second studio album, just after Nickelodeon renewed the series for a third season. On July 22, 2011, the band released a promotional single "If I Ruled The World" featuring Iyaz off their second album, Elevate.

Elevate was released on November 21, 2011, debuting at number 12 on the Billboard 200 for selling over 70,000 copies in its first week. According to Forbes.com Big Time Rush has amassed a net worth of about $8 million dollars in 2011, making them one of the youngest top earners of that year. Shortly before the release of the Elevate the band announced a national tour.Though the album had a lower peak position than their previous debut, Elevate sold far more copies its first week respectively than the previous album did.

The first single "Music Sounds Better With U" written by the band and Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic. It was released on November 1, 2011. The song peaked at number twenty-six on the U.S. Mainstream Top 40.

To promote the release of their second album, the group had their second concert tour and first headlining tour, the Better With U Tour, which took place over sixteen dates in several big cities in North America in February and March 2012. JoJo opened for Big Time Rush for the first five dates, while British-Irish boy band One Direction opened for ten of the sixteen dates. In late February, Big Time Rush announced a national summer tour starting July 5 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH, and ending September 18 at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland OR. Cody Simpson, Leon Thomas III and Rachel Crow opened up for Big Time Rush on their US Dates. The dates for California sold out within minutes.

ELEVATE PLATINUM RECORD

Elevate platinum record after the album sold more than 2 million units worldwide

Big Time Rush is currently filming the third season of "Big Time Rush". The group is currently writing new songs for the 3rd season of their show in addition for their 3rd album which is expected to be released in late 2012 or early 2013.

BTR On Set for Big Time Movie

Big Time Rush on Set for Big Time Movie

The band announced they would be starring in their full-length 2012 film, Big Time Movie. The movie features them travelling to London England. In Big Time Movie the four members of the band Big Time Rush head to London for their first big world tour but instead get mixed up in a mission to save the world. The film was released on March 10, 2012 in the US while a Germany release was on 22 September 2012.[7] Due to the promotion, the group recorded a cover of The Beatles' songs and released an EP Big Time Movie Soundtrack EP.[8] However the film received mixed to positive reviews from most contemporary film critics many comparing them to The Monkees but praising their fun, carefree image.[9][10] However, the film was a commercial success having over 13 million views in a week.[11]

On March 31, 2012, Big Time Rush released a music video for the song Time Of Our Life, filmed at the 2012 Kids Choice Awards with other Nickelodeon stars including Themselves, their co-stars Ciara Bravo, Challen Cates, Stephen Kramer Glickman, Tanya Chisholm, along with Victoria Justice, Ariana Grande, Leon Thomas III, Elizabeth Gillies, The How To Rock Cast, and more. In March 2012 Big Time Rush co-hosted MTV's 10 on top.

The second and last single, "Windows Down", was released on June 25, 2012, and peaked at number ninety-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number thirty-five on the Mainstream Top 40, making their third top forty entrance in the chart. With its success, the song peaked at 37 on the US Pop Songs and 15 on the US Heatseekers Songs.[12] The song then debuted at 97 on the Billboard Hot 100.[13] It was included in a re-release of the group's second album Elevate. It has also sold over 120,000 digital units as of August 4, 2012.

The music video was filmed in Maui Hawaii and was released on June 22 three days before the single's iTunes release. Within 24 hours the music video shot to #2 on the iTunes music video charts second to Katy Perry's Wide Awake, overtaking Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe.

2013-2014: 24/Seven Era[]

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Big Time Rush in 2013

On August 6, 2012, Nickelodeon renewed the Big Time Rush series for a 13-episode fourth season, with production starting on January 7, 2013. The band also released a song titled "Like Nobody's Around" which according to the premiere episode "Big Time Invasion" was outlining the history of professional, successful, and all-American boy bands; the Platters, the Temptations, the Jackson 5, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC, in response to the British invasion of rival act, and hugely successful One Direction.

On April 15, in an interview on Cambio, Big Time Rush announced that their third studio album, 24/Seven would be released sometime in early June 2013 and that the fourth season of Big Time Rush was set to premiere on May 2, 2013. On April 18, Big Time Rush revealed that 24/Seven would be released on between June 4 to 11 of 2013. On April 20, nine tracks from the album (plus "Song for You" without the Karmin vocals and "Get Up" with only Kendall's vocals) were leaked. On June 4, EW released the full 10-song Standard version of 24/Seven online. The Deluxe version of 24/Seven also leaked on YouTube along with a different version of the track "Love Me Again".

24/Seven was released on June 7, 2013, the album cover and track list were revealed on April 29, 2013. 24/Seven was less commercially successful than Elevate. It included songs such as the up-tempo title track "24/Seven" and the rock ballad fan favorite "We Are". By June 19, 2013 the ablum had sold 35,000 copes in the US. On July 3, 2013, 24/Seven was certified Gold in Mexico for shipping over 30,000 copies. It was the number one album, and the fastest-selling pop album of 2013 in Mexico.

Big Time Rush were still nominated for World's Best Group, Best Album and Best Live Act for the ceremony in Monte Carlo, Monaco at the Salle des Etoiles Venue for the 22nd annual World Music Awards for their continuing global success with the band and their 24/Seven release. It was later confirmed that same night after the awards show that Big Time Rush had won the World's Best Live Act trophy, making them the very first and only Nickelodeon act and/or artist in history to win a World Music Award trophy.

In 2013, after the end of the run of the Big Time Rush television series, the group members continued touring, with the Summer Break Tour alongside Victoria Justice and Live World Tour until March 2014 and later put the band on an indefinite hiatus, and went on to pursue solo careers. Kendall stated at that time that they would like to come back together again as a band if they have an opportunity. Kendall Schmidt later reformed the band Heffron Drive with Dustin Belt In May 2013.

2020-Present: Reunion, Tour, and Possible Fourth album/Spanglish EP[]

Big Time Rush 2021 JPEG

Big Time Rush doing a photoshoot in 2021, promoting their comeback single, Call It Like I See It

On April 20, 2020, the band reunited virtually, as they uploaded a video on the band's social media platforms, sharing some wishes to their fans about the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 16, the band released an acoustic cover of "Worldwide". In December 2020, member James Maslow uploaded a video of the band performing their song "Beautiful Christmas" via YouTube.

On July 19, 2021, the group released a video announcing reunion performances which occurred in December 2021, taking place in Chicago on December 15 and New York City on December 18th.

The group released their comeback single "Call It Like I See It" on December 13, 2021, marking the group's first release since 2013.

On February 21, 2022, the band announced on Good Morning America that they would be holding a reunion tour, The Forever Tour, throughout 2022, with Dixie D'Amelio being the opening act for the first 23 shows,

On February 25, the band released another single called "Not Giving You Up," along with its music video.

"Fall" was released for streaming and digital download on June 10, 2022, with an accompanying music video, directed by Aaron Gatewood, premiering on the band's YouTube channel.

BTR Selling out MSG in 2022

BTR Selling out MSG in 2022

Big Time Rush announced the upcoming release of "Honey" on June 21, 2022, and debuted the song at the first show of the Forever Tour on June 23, 2022. It was later released as a standalone single on June 30, 2022. That same day the band, sold out their first concert at Madison Square Garden. The music video was ron eleased July 17, 2022.

"Dale Pa' Ya" featuring vocals by Dominican music producer and artist Maffio, was originally set to be released on July 27, 2022, before being delayed to August 19, 2022. This is the band's first official Spanglish (Spanish and English) song. The official lyric music video was released on August 30, 2022. A remix for the song, featuring Gente De Zona was released on 0ctober 6th of the same year. On September 3, Dale Pa' Ya became Big Time Rush's first song to chart since Windows Down in 2012, charting on the US Latin Digital Song Sales, peaking at number 5.

After 11 years of high demand from fans, Paralyzed was officially released on November 25, 2022, peaking at Number 1 on the iTunes Charts, with the music video premiering the same day. The song eached 1 million streams on Spotify in less than 5 days.

On November 30, 2022, Big Time Rush revealed via Twitter their long updated RIAA Certifications. The single Boyfriend, and the album BTR are now certified Platinum in the US, making it the bands first platinum single and album respectively. The album Elevate, and the singles Big Time Rush, Any Kind of Guy, Til I Forget About You, Worldwide, Halfway There and Windows Down are all now Certified Gold.

The band has hinted on multiple occasions about a possible fourth album, 2023 tour, and even re-recording of fan-favorite songs "Love Me Again (Demo)" and "Show Me".

Artistry[]

Musical style and themes[]

Since the group is associated with the TV series and children's network Nickelodeon they have been presented as a "child-friendly" group but have musical differences. While reviewing their first studio album BTR Jessica Dawson from Common Sense she stated "Big Time Rush is a standout not only because of their boyish charm and good looks but because their music is a cool blend of synth-pop hip-hop and boy-band harmonies."[14] The music found on BTR is mainly pop and R&B. The music found on the album is child-appropriate as it serves as not only their debut album but the soundtrack to their self-titled series.

Their second studio album Elevate presented a more dance-oriented song along with general pop music and R&B.

Success and public image[]

Carlos Pena Jr. was interviewed September 2012 and talked about if Big Time Rush could exist outside of their Big Time Rush (TV show) where he replied;

"I think the music could stand alone, but I don’t know if it would be as powerful. The show has definitely been our main audience. We have four million kids watching. So when you put a song out, four million kids hear it. When you put a song on the radio, you’re not going to have four million people listening. It’s a blessing and a curse being on Nickelodeon — it’s gotten us where we are now, though some people are standoffish to us because of that. But we have to be grateful that Nickelodeon gave us this opportunity. Abandoning the show would not be the best idea."[15]


He was then asked about the ending of the series where he replied "This probably is going to be our last season. We have done almost 100 episodes which is great. But yeah the goal is for the music to carry on — and for us to do other ventures."[15] They were also asked about this with JustJaredDJ and they said "[BTR] We’re going to be a band as long as our record label allows us to [...] We’re dedicated to BTR until the very end and we don’t even know when that is." Amanda Ash from Edmondson Journal said "While teens weave and wobble through adolescence plastering posters of boys with side-swept hair on our walls it seems as though boy bands like Big Time Rush too must take life as it comes. Sure, it might mean functioning as a hinge on a musical machine cranking out singles in exchange for dollar signs but artists learn and grow too. Big Time Rush is just another mandatory rung the quartet must climb."[16]

With their success the group have been compared to recent boy bands such as One Direction and The Wanted. However in most reviewers Big Time Rush have been divided with positivity and negativity from onlookers. However recent boy bands including One Direction and The Wanted have also not received rave outcomes.[17] Michael O'Connell from The Hollywood Reporter said "One Direction is but one group in this resilient and timeless fad. They follow the recent success of fellow Brits The Wanted and Nickelodeon's cross-market creation Big Time Rush. One [One Direction] is fluke. Two [The Wanted] is a coincidence. And three [Big Time Rush] is a trend that you want to father your unborn children.'[18] In August 2012, the group were voted the Best Boy Band in the World, with over 800,000 votes casted on them.[19][20] Melinda Newman from Washington Post stated "In the grand tradition of boy bands, these acts share certain traits with their similarly manufactured pop ancestors: Members of The Wanted and Big Time Rush auditioned for their parts at a casting call. The members of One Direction were put together by Simon Cowell after trying out individually for the British edition of “The X Factor.”"[17] However, she positively compared them to The Monkees by saying "Big Time Rush is similar to the Monkees with its own TV series as a launchpad, and the group appeals to kids and tweens."[17]

To date Big Time Rush has sold over 4 million records worldwide. They are also one of the most popular boy band's in the 21st century.

Members[]

Discography[]

Main article: List of songs released by Big Time Rush

Tours[]

Headlining[]

Concert Shows[]

Awards and Nominations[]

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
2010 Australian Kids' Choice Awards Favorite International Band Big Time Rush Nominated
2011 Australian Kids' Choice Awards Hottest Guy Hotties Themselves
Golden Bravo Otto Awards Super Pop Artist/Group of the Year Big Time Rush Won
UK Kids' Choice Awards Favourite Band Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Music Group
Argentina Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Song "Boyfriend" Won
MTV Europe Music Awards Best New Global Push Artist Big Time Rush Nominated
Youth Rocks Awards Rockin' Group of the Year
MTV BuzzWorthy Awards Favorite Breakthrough Band or Artist of the Year
2012 Shorty Awards Best Band in Social Media
Best Music Artist in Social Media
Best Celebrity in Social Media Themselves
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Music Group Big Time Rush Won
Otto Awards Best Pop Band
Hollywood Teen TV Awards Favorite Music Group
Meus Prêmios Nick Favorite International Music Artist Nominated
Argentina Kids' Choice Awards Favorite International Artist or Group Won
Golden Bravo Otto Awards Super Pop Artist/Group of the Year
Favorite Internet Star Themselves Nominated
Mexico Kids' Choice Awards Favorite International Artist Big Time Rush
Pop Crush Music Awards Video of The Year "Windows Down" Won
Los Premios Telehit Best International Pop Group Big Time Rush Nominated
Most Popular Artist
Z Boyband Awards Best Current Boyband
2013 Shorty Awards Best Band in Social Media
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Music Group
Fan Army Rushers Won
Mexico Kids' Choice Awards Favorite International Artist or Group Big Time Rush Won
Fuse TV Awards Best New Artist Nominated
Premios Oye! Best International English Single of the Year "Boyfriend"
Los Premios Telehit Boy Band of the Year Big Time Rush
Teen Choice Awards Choice Music Group
Golden Bravo Otto Awards Best Global Pop Band or Group
Favorite Internet Star Themselves
2014 World Music Awards World's Best Selling Group Big Time Rush
World's Best Selling Album 24/Seven
World's Best Pop Act Big Time Rush
World's Best Selling American Group
World's Best Live Act Won
Colombia Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Artist or Group International Won
2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards Best Fan Army Rushers Nominated

Trivia[]

  • The Official Big Time Rush Website used to be www.btrband.com.
  • Big Time Rush's TV Show, Band and debut single all share the same name.
  • Curt Hansen was originally cast as a member of the show Big Time Rush along with James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr. and Logan Henderson. Curt was cast as the original lead role in the series and was supposed to be "Kendall". He starred in the un-aired pilot and also recorded Famous and This Is Our Someday with the other members for the pilot. However, he appeared a lot older than the others and sounded too much like James in the initial pilot, so he was replaced with Kendall Schmidt in post-production after Logan requested for Kendall to audition again. The pilot was re-filmed with Kendall playing the lead role, while Curt would later play the role of Dak Zevon.
    -)

    Promotional Photo for Big Time Rush: Best of Season 1

  • It was revealed by Carlos Pena that they replaced Curt because of the lack of chemistry between them (they have to become friends) and they added Kendall Schmidt two weeks before the episode was supposed to air.
  • The Original names of the 4 guys were Jesse (Carlos), Konas (Logan), Bryan (James) and Donovan (Kendall).
  • Big Time Rush was the most-watched live-action series premiere in Nickelodeon's history, debuting to 6.8 million viewers in the US.
  • About BTR Big Time Rush is excited to take their music to the stage not just to perform live before their fans but to also show them who they are outside of their on-screen personas.
    AlzM3BoCIAA Fx9

    Big Time Rush's Tour Bus from the Better With U Tour.

    “We all have such different personalities and I think we all really want to represent ourselves” Kendall says. “Ultimately on the show we are playing characters and when we get to do a performance it’s our chance to show who we really are.” “I think the cool thing about us is that we are cheering alongside of our fans,” Logan adds. “It’s a group effort and we’re able to do it together. It’s awesome to be a part of something big to really change the way people see music and think about music. Being able to put music out there that people love and have fun with and can dance to is something we’re really excited about.” And that is something worth waiting for.

Official Accounts[]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Weisman, John. "Nick, Sony Music will duet for comedy". Variety, August 25, 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Parker, Melissa. "James Maslow Interview: 'Big Time Rush' 2nd Season on Tap, Band Releases Debut Album". September 16, 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Henderson, Logan and Stephen Kramer Glickman. "The Night Time Show #60: Logan Henderson- BIG TIME RUSH" (Timestamp 12:45). Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  4. Curtis, Simon [@simoncurtis] (March 24, 2013). "whoa blast from the past. Nico & I tested for btr together. What up yoo" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Kidsday Reporters. "Kidsday interviews Big Time Rush". November 28, 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  6. "Big Time Rush Is Back In Philly!" Ryan Seacrest Foundation, August 23, 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  7. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2165641/releaseinfo
  8. "Big Time Movie Soundtrack - EP" in the iTunes Store.
  9. Big Time Movie (TV 2012) - IMDB.
  10. Big Time Movie - Movie Review. commonsensemedia.org.
  11. "Ratings - Nickelodeon's "Big Time Movie" Scores Top Spot for the Week With Kids and Tweens and Reaches 13 Million Total Viewers". The Futon Critic. 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  12. Big Time Rush Album & Song Chart History. Billboard.
  13. http://bigtimerushonline.net/news/windows-down-debuts-on-billboards-hot-100
  14. This review was written by Jessica Dawson (2010-10-12). "BTR – Music Review". Commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  15. 15.0 15.1 FIRST POSTED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2012 02:00 AM EDT Big Time Rush ready to slow down.
  16. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/story.html?id=7239932
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/big-time-rush-one-direction-the-wanted-the-boy-band-is-making-a-comeback/2012/03/20/gIQAxsvCSS_story.html
  18. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/one-direction-wanted-big-time-rush-boy-bands-303326
  19. http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2012/08/02/big_time_rush_beat_one_direction_in_bo
  20. http://www.teen.com/2012/08/03/news/entertainment-news/big-time-rush-best-boy-band-parade-magazine/

Gallery[]

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Navigation

v · d · e Big Time Rush
Discography · Videography · Awards and nominations · Songs · Live performances
Members Kendall Schmidt · James Maslow · Carlos PenaVega · Logan Henderson
Studio albums BTR (2010) · Elevate (2011) · 24/seven (2013) · Another Life (2023)
Compilations The Greatest Hits (2016) · L'Intégrale (2016) · Ultimate Fan Edition (2016)
Extended plays Best of Season 1 (2010) · Holiday Bundle (2010) · Big Time Movie Soundtrack (2012) · Untitled Spanglish EP (2023)
Concert tours Big Time Rush in Concert · Better with U Tour · Big Time Summer Tour · Summer Break Tour · Live World Tour · Forever Tour · Can't Get Enough Tour
Promotional tours Big Time Rush & Walgreens · Big Time Rush Live
Virtual concerts Big Time Rush: The City Is Ours
Television 7 Secrets with Big Time Rush · Big Time Rush: Live from Times Square · Big Time Rush: Party All Night · BTR: Music Sounds Better with U · Big Time Tour
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