More than 25 years after coming together on the groundbreaking reality series Making the Band, platinum-selling pop group OTOWN is proving that longevity, friendship and a healthy sense of humor can be a winning combination.
With their new single, “Certified Delulu,” Jacob Underwood, Trevor Penick, Erik-Michael Estrada and Dan Miller embrace the absurdity of still being a boy band in their mid-40s, delivering a playful, infectious pop anthem about confidence, self-awareness and not taking life too seriously. Co-written by Jacob and Mark Suhonen, the track reflects a group that has grown comfortable poking fun at itself while continuing to explore new creative territory.
Originally formed in 2000 and signed by legendary music executive Clive Davis, OTOWN became one of the defining pop acts of the era, scoring hits with “Liquid Dreams” and “All or Nothing.” After disbanding in 2003, the group reunited a decade later and has since built an independent second chapter that has lasted considerably longer than its original run.
Today, OTOWN continues to tour, record new music and connect with its devoted fan base, affectionately known as the Townies. And while nostalgia remains part of the appeal, the group’s enduring friendship and willingness to evolve suggest there’s still plenty of life left in the story.
We caught up with Jacob Underwood to discuss the inspiration behind “Certified Delulu,” the realities of being a boy band more than two decades later, the group’s creative independence and the friendship that continues to hold it all together.
“Certified Delulu” feels like a pretty perfect song for where OTOWN is right now. What was the moment when you realized, “Yes, we need to make a song about being delulu”?
We have been talking about recording again for a while, but it always depends on finding the song we all agree on… I sat down and wrote a few songs that didn’t resonate with the whole group that all shared a very typical love topic, but as I sat to write another one, I thought it was getting old to write about the same thing over and over, so I thought it would be fun to write a song that poked fun at ourselves. As a group, we never take ourselves too seriously. We laugh all the time about how ridiculous it is to be boy banding in our mid 40’s, so that became the perfect angle for our next single, and everyone loved it at first listen.
The song is obviously playful, but there’s also a real message about confidence and believing in yourself. What does being “delulu” mean to you?
To me, it was just a playful way to point out how we’re in on the joke of how delulu it is to be putting out new music after 25 years of being together. Taking a phrase from the “kids” to play on how we all try to remain relevant as we get older (I know you are thinking of someone right now that fits the bill) and we’re out here hip thrusting to screaming ladies at 45 years old…but if the New Kids can do it, why can’t we?
You sing about being “the main event in my own head.” After 25 years together, do you think there’s something to be said for having that kind of unapologetic confidence?
The Townies give us confidence, and maybe too much sometimes lol. That line specifically is about everyone on social media, including ourselves at times.
Was there a particular member who immediately embraced the idea of “Certified Delulu,” or were all four of you equally on board?
The first verse I wrote more for myself, especially the line “Woke up iconic, hairline kinda tragic” because we’re in a world where you constantly have to be putting up pictures and doing photo shoots which I never cared for even as a 20 year old, but now I’m up here taking pictures with smile lines and grey hair, it just hits different. I had an image of myself looking in the mirror and never aging…just always seeing yourself at your peak. I’m pretty sure I can throw a football over that mountain.
The song pokes fun at the fact that four guys who came together in their twenties are still doing this decades later. At what point did you realize that the longevity itself was something you could joke about?
We were only a band for 4 years the first time, and now we’ve been back touring for 13 years together. We’re quite literally watching each other getting old doing this together and it’s pretty special if I’m being honest. We never expected to be able to do this for decades. It’s a true testament to our fans, the Townies.
You could have leaned heavily into nostalgia with a new single, but instead you made something that feels very current. Was it important to you not to simply recreate the OTOWN sound of the early 2000s?
We never felt the need to live in the same space as the first OTOWN. This new version has always been the version of OTOWN that was strictly coming from the band they formed. We had our training, we had our experience, and now it was about showing what we learned from it. We agreed that the new sound of OTOWN was going to be anything us 4 could agree on. Coming from such different backgrounds, with such different skill sets when it comes to singing and performing, we thought that if us 4 could agree on something, then it must be good.
The phrase “Certified Delulu” feels tailor-made for social media. Are you hoping fans will turn the song into their own memes, videos and moments?
I think any artist that has lasted since the days before social media has had the challenge of learning a new way of operating in this business that feels very foreign. Fortunately for us, we grew up on camera so it wasn’t as foreign, but we definitely had a learning curve and are always trying to stay up with the newest technology. The term “Certified Delulu” represents the delusional idea that we as adults still have to stay relevant with the “kids”, which is funny in itself.
There’s a very different kind of freedom that comes with being an established group rather than a brand-new act. What are you able to do creatively now that you couldn’t have done in 2000?
We’re a very lean operation where every decision is made by us. We know very well that we’re in our “nostalgia” era, but that doesn’t stop us from putting out music we love that keeps our fans happy and gives them new songs to sing together at the concerts. So much of what we do is catered to our core townies who we know by name and have shared an incredible journey with that will continue as long as they keep coming to the shows.
Why do you think the four of you work so well together?
We genuinely love each other, that’s it. There’s no disagreement bigger than our collective goal of being in a group together as long as we can.
How has your friendship changed over the years?
We first met as competitors on a TV show, and it was a very high stress environment. Having survived it all together and remaining friends over the years, the last 13 years of touring and building our brand back together has created a bond stronger than ever before. We’re creating our legacy together, as friends, and artists and as family. We are SO grateful to have this opportunity together and our gratitude for each other and for the people that support us is a feeling almost indescribable. It’s pure love.
Listen to “Certified Delulu” here. Follow OTOWN on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and their website.
