Catching Up with Collabro (The 2017 Edition)

By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com

It is a pleasure to welcome Collabro back to Jake’s Take.

Three years ago, the world was introduced to Michael Auger, Matt Pagan, Jamie Lambert, and Thomas Redgrave when they auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent (BGT)’s eighth season.  After receiving four “Yeses” from David Walliams, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden, and series creator Simon Cowell, Collabro advanced to the Judges’ Round and thanks to their loyal fan base, the Collaborators, they won their series and were awarded a spot in the 2014 Royal Variety Performance.

The quartet also recorded two studio albums including their 2014 self-titled studio album and the 2015 sophomore studio album: Act Two. Next month, Collabro will release their third album, Home, which features songs that the Collaborators picked out via social media and will also debut their first original tune: “Lighthouse.” In addition, the quartet will return to the United States for a tour, which includes stops in New York City, Thomasville, Georgia, and Clinton Township, Michigan.

As Michael, Matt, Jamie, and Thomas geared up for Home’s release and prepare for their upcoming tour, the guys returned to the blog to tease the new album, opened up about their successful Canadian tour, and shared a few pointers to hopeful music groups who wanted to audition for both America’s Got Talent (AGT) and BGT.

Jacob Elyachar: It has been nearly two years since the group visited Jake’s Take. How has Collabro grown as artists since the last time we spoke?

Michael Auger: We feel like we have grown exponentially as artists because we have really found our voices and our sound. Home is so much more a representation of us than anything before – it is all about the voices!

JE: Speaking of Home, your third studio album will drop on March 3 in the United Kingdom and March 24 in the United States. What are some of the similarities and differences between Home and your previous albums?

Matt Pagan:  Home is our best album yet – it really respects the songs and we have tried to tell beautiful stories with each. The creative process was much less stressful and we worked together to create the sound – and loved every minute!

JE: What were some of the challenges that the group faced when you picked the songs for your latest album?

Jamie Lambert: We surprisingly all loved this part of the process. We got together and wrote down about 40 songs, then reduced this to 20. We gave the fans three of those options to choose between and then we narrowed the rest down by singing basic arrangements of them until we decided what worked and what did not! It was an enjoyable time and we made it fun by doing it in our homes and having a few drinks!!

JE: This past fall, Collabro had a successful tour in Canada. What were some of the group’s personal highlights from your tour?

Thomas Redgrave: We enjoyed performing for our Canadian fans. The group decided to not take a big team out there, so we decided that we would do it ourselves.

MA: We hired a big SUV and we drove all around Ontario. Some of our families came out too and we did a lot of sightseeing and we also got to do the EdgeWalk at the CN Tower in Toronto which was amazing and terrifying in equal parts.

JE: Next month, American Collaborators will get to see the four of you perform in the United States for the second time in your career. What can fans expect from your second American tour and will the group release more tour dates?

MP: What is exciting is that this, purely by coincidence, will be the first time we tour our new album, which is super exciting!

JL: This time round, we are probably going to keep the tour dates this size, but we have upgraded one of the venues as it sold out so quickly! We love the USA and we absolutely cannot wait to see all our American fans and show them how much we have grown since last time!

JE: This year marks the third anniversary of your Britain’s Got Talent audition. As BGT enters Season 11 and AGT prepares to start filming its twelfth season, what advice would you share with potential musical groups who want to audition for their countries’ respective talent shows?

TR: Be yourselves. Competitions in front of national and international audiences immediately put you onto a world stage and it’s very easy to bow to the pressure and change, but if you stay true to your act and yourself, you will be absolutely fine!

JE: If you had the chance to talk to the Collaborators, what would you like to say to them?

MA: We would say thank you, first and foremost.

MP: We are so proud to know all of you, and to be able to sing for you all.

JL: It’s the great pleasure of all our lives to have been able to give you what we do.

TR: We are grateful to see how our music positively effects so many of you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support.

For more information about Collabro, visit their website.

You can follow Collabro’s adventures on social media. Visit their Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter channels.