If there’s ever been a true mold of what a boy band should be, UPTOWN BOYBAND is here to dismantle it and create something totally new! Justin Trash, Joe Rascal, and Roc Lee all grew up listening to a wide variety of musical genres, and wanted to show off their love for their influences and Korean roots together. Through UPTOWN BOYBAND, these three get to do it all – and they get to do it exclusively their way.
The trio’s latest single “Mona Lisa” is an ode to women everywhere, written with the intention of simply wanting to spread positivity. As Justin Trash mentioned in our conversation, “The goal with the song (and a lot of our songs now) was to dedicate it to women. ‘Mona Lisa’ in general, it’s an artwork. We wanted to make a song to describe women as art, and uplift women through our music. I think ‘Mona Lisa’ is a very fun song to not only go crazy to, but also vibe to and really listen to.”
Roc Lee noted, “I think it’s a big contract to our previous release, ‘Rich Girl’ …. the meaning behind it was more like, a person has more depth to how someone can see them. For Mona Lisa, we really wanted to gas that person up, you know what I mean? Like you’re the best, you’re beautiful, no one can touch you, you have everything you need. I think there was definitely a big contrast in terms of the meaning of the song. The whole theme behind it is just empowering women and just really appreciating and adoring the individuals we love.”
Since their debut in 2020, UBB have been embracing the changes and growth they’ve experienced along the way. Justin went on to say, “There’s a lot of trials and tribulations, but you learn through experiences. Covid hit out of nowhere, and we were kinda forced into adjusting into doing Zoom sessions with a lot of talented producers and artists. I think doing the Zoom sessions, we were more open with working with other writers and producers, because in the beginning we used to do everything ourselves. I think we’re at a stage where we’re really growing as artists, and musically, sonically, and just aesthetically, we’ve kinda honed into what we’re supposed to be.”
In the beginning, UBB felt as though they had many of the same goals that any artist would. Making music they were proud of, touring the world, having a strong bond with their fans, and so much more. But as time went on, they also realized just how crucial it was to represent their heritage as Asian Canadians.
“When we first started, we didn’t really know what the role was, so we didn’t really feel the pressure,” says Justin. “Now that we’ve kinda recognized it and are fully embracing it, I don’t think it’s pressure. I think it’s more… we’re excited. We know that there’s something coming forth in terms of the Asian American community.”
Roc adds, “Artists like us are the ones that are at the forefront, really trying to represent the culture that did not really get a lot of light shed on before. Us growing up, we didn’t really have a lot of role models to look up to. Now definitely, we were given this opportunity, and we definitely want to be the role models we didn’t have growing up as Asian Canadians.”
When the three members were growing up, they turned to a wide array of artists to help them find a sense of identity. Joe Rascal pointed out that because of this, UBB’s versatility in sounds is quite natural, and really helps define who they are as a band today.
“I think us growing up, we were trying to find identity, coming of age, trying to find who we are,” Joe mentions. “A lot of times we’d listen to not just one genre of music, we’d listen to a lot of genres of music, and kinda that became a part of us because we were trying to find ourselves through different kinds of sounds and genres coming up. For example, there’s BIGBANG… BIGBANG isn’t really one genre. We have A$AP, we have Tyler, The Creator, all these guys we look up to and we kind of implemented that into our music. We didn’t want to also be defined as one sound, but we want to be defined as who we are… which isn’t just one thing, but multiple things that make us who we are now.”
As UBB continue to roll out more music and find their way back onto the stage, they’ll be celebrating the steps they’ve taken to get to their current position. “I think we’re a perfect example of people that can grow up and grow into this mentality of wanting to empower women and people in general,” Justin says. “We’re a very open group. Like even our fan club, Club UBB… shout out to them! Because of them, it showed us that we can definitely have a non-toxic community that’s linked to K-Pop, K-Hip Hop, and I think we really strive for positive vibes and a good message through our music and our brand.”
Wherever UBB go, you can rest assured that great vibes will follow. If you could use some right now, check out “Mona Lisa” below! And of course, be sure to say hi to the guys @uptownboyband_
