CNCO & Chill? Staying Home With Latin Pop’s Biggest Boy Band

Cover Story

Apr 17, 2020 @ 4:00 pm By Ashley Uzer

A Galore girl can never forget her first boyband.

Maybe you, like me, got introduced to The Backstreet Boys by your older cousins visiting from Europe and immediately developed an intense crush on Nick Carter before deciding to go for Aaron because the age difference was smaller. Perhaps you were a self-proclaimed Directioner, constantly arguing with your gal pals about who “gets” Harry.

CNCO prefers NSYNC, which kind of makes sense when you realize how similar their band names are.

The Latin American boy band, similar to the UK’s Fifth Harmony, formed on the first season of a show called “La Banda.” But unlike some of the other reality-show-born bands (and artists) we know, CNCO has remained united and continue to drop fire tracks that make us want to shake our culos.

While their upcoming tour and album release has been postponed due to Coronavirus, the boys have still been working hard during quarantine—including releasing a new single earlier this month—while also spending time with their families.

We talked to Joel, Erick, Richard, Christopher, and Zabdiel about staying home, boy band idols, their latest single with Natti Natasha, and more.

You guys are based in Miami, what have you been doing to keep busy during the quarantine?

Spending a lot of time with family! We’ve been trying our best to keep a routine going. We wake up, workout, and then work. For example, we recently released our new single, so we prepped for the release by doing interviews and liners. After work, we’ve been spending time doing the things that we love to do. Some of us like to play video games and others like work on more music.

Who are your idols?

Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Chris Brown, Marc Anthony, Daddy Yankee, Sin Bandera, the list goes on and on.

If you could have dinner with any past boy band, who would it be and what question would you ask them?

NSYNC! We would love to just hear stories about their life on the road.

How do you guys feel you have grown with your sound from the first record to now?

On our first album we had a lot of guidance on what to sing, what to wear, and what to say. Since then, we’ve grown as professionals and as artists and you can see and hear that now on our more recent music. For the first time, we are singing our stories as opposed to singing someone else’s, however we still have a lot to learn.

You signed a publishing deal with SonyATV just a few weeks ago. How did you guys celebrate?

We celebrated with having a writing camp! [Laughing], we were so excited to get started.

You have a new track with Natti Natasha called “Honey Boo.” How did this collaboration come about?

We’re massive fans of hers, and one day Natti was answering fan questions on Twitter about if she would ever collaborate with us and she was telling fans that she would. We had a song that we were working on that we thought she would sound really good on, so we sent it over to her and she happened to be in the studio. Within 24 hours she recorded, and four days later we were in Puerto Rico shooting the video.

What does “Honey Boo” mean? Who is she and what kind of girl does she represent?

It’s a love song about a really cool girl. There is nothing like her and she is the number 1 in your life. She’s a Honey Boo!

What song is on repeat at the moment for you guys?

“Honey Boo!”

What is the best advice your mentor Ricky Martin has ever given you guys?

To always keep our feet on the ground and to sleep whenever we get the chance!

If a girl was trying to get one of you away from the group for some one on one time, what should she say?

Smile and start a conversation, if we click well that’s what gets our attention the most.

What is next for CNCO?

Taking the time to work on ourselves, new music, and spending time with our families. Expect new music soon! We can’t wait to get back touring to see our fans!