The New Album 'Birds That Flew and Ships That Sailed' - Out Now

With their considerable musical gifts and fresh-faced charm, To Be One is an exciting new entrant on the pop landscape. The group’s teenage members first flaunted their talents as part of the youngest dance crew ever to appear on the MTV series America’s Best Dance Crew — parlaying their natural musicality and eye-popping dance ability into a second place finish on Season 6. Judge JC Chasez remarked after one of their electrifying performances: “You’re thinking beyond your years, and you should be really proud of that. I’m on the lookout for you guys.” As a member of multi-platinum boy band ’N Sync, Chasez knows future stars when he sees them. 

Now the New Jersey-born and bred members of To Be One are making good on the promise they've shown thus far by singing, dancing, and becoming full-fledged artists. The group, which is Madison Alamia, 15, Mikey Fusco, 14, and Jason Smith, 13, is managed by Troy Carter (CEO of Atom Factory and manager to Lady Gaga, John Legend, and more) and MTV host/TV personality Layla Kayleigh, and is signed to Carter's label, Atom Factory Music, which has just released To Be One’s debut single, the escapist love song “Wherever You Wanna Go.”

“We are so excited to dance to our own music since we love music so much!” says Jason. The high-energy “Wherever You Wanna Go,” which was co-written and produced by Brian Kennedy (Rihanna, Backstreet Boys), is an appealing showcase for the group’s palpable chemistry, which they come by authentically having been the best of friends for the past seven years. 

The boys, who hail from neighboring towns in Monmouth County, NJ, met through taking dance classes at a hip-hop studio in Englishtown. “We weren’t just a thrown-together group,” says Mikey. “We’ve known each other and been friends for half our lives.” Adds Jason: “We’ve always had so much in common and share a great bond through our love for music and dance.” The boys even mention the same artists as inspirations: Usher, Ne-Yo, Michael Jackson, and Justin Timberlake. 

To Be One’s desire to entertain on all levels is foremost in their minds as they spend time in the studio recording their debut album. “It has a huge variety of sounds on it — pop, ballads, a little rap — which we like because it keeps people guessing about what we’re going to do next,” says Madison.  

Overall, the boys just feel blessed to be given the opportunity to connect with fans and hopefully inspire them to achieve their own goals. “We’re just three dudes following a dream,” Madison says. “That’s basically what it comes down to.” 


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