The Full Circle Boys Are Still Dancing
The Full Circle Boys are proudly continuing the boy band legacy set in stone by groups like the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and One Direction, to name a few. The Full Circle Boys are composed of Jagger Moon, James Herron, Sean Garrity, Dossan Bell, and Oliver Hincy, a tight-knit group of performers with a heartwarming sense of camaraderie.
The boys reached out to Strike Orlando Magazine through social media. When I found out they are based in California, I was curious how the connection was made. When asked how they knew about Strike Orlando, they shared familiarity with it due to Garrity, Herron, and Moon having grown up in Kissimmee. Due to these roots, the band wanted to reach out to their fanbase in Orlando and connect with them.
Image Credit: Kasitz Jay
Pop is definitely where the band belongs. The band’s influences stretch impressively across the pop genre, with Moon claiming inspiration from Michael Jackson and Herron from Adele and Hincy Labyrinth. Alongside singer inspiration lies producing and dancing idols in the form of PHINEAS and N’SYNC, provided by Bell and Garrity.
United by Dance
Dancing, the band agrees, is their primary focus and the unifying joy of the process. “We are dancers first; that’s where we feel comfortable,” Garrity says, delivering his words with a certain thoughtful sureness. He describes their dedication to dance, with all of them growing up performing and dancing from ages 8, 9, and 10.
The boys all seem comfortable with each other and in their own space. They believe it's due to their familiarity with each other prior to forming the band. “It's much harder when they put boys [together] that don’t know each other,” Moon says. Moon and Bell are high-energy, constantly cracking jokes. It turns out, they’ve known each other for over 10 years, and danced together when they were young. The rest of the group is just as involved, sharing several inside jokes and even teasing Herron into recounting a story of breaking his tooth when singing “Hello” by Adele in the shower.
Image Credit: Kasitz Jay
“FREE99,” Fans, and Collaborative Songwriting
Their new single, “FREE99,” was released on Oct. 24, and the song marks something new for the band as the first time all five boys have had writing credits on the same song. They credit songwriter Jack Newsome for their ability to work together without frustration and miscommunication getting in the way of the work. “We all really trust Jack…trust him to be a leader,” Garrity says, as the others nod in agreement.
They also accept criticism better from Jack than their fellow bandmates: “When Jack says [something] I’m like “You’re so right,” but when Sean says it I’m like what…” Bell says, and the impact Newsome has had on their ability to work as a team is clear. They seem unified in their love for the song and for their creative process. “We’ve been really listening to our fans and ourselves,” Hincy says of “FREE99.”
“One of our fans is actually in the FREE99 video,” Moon says. “It’s all good vibes.”
When asked about their relationship to their fans, the boys seem excited, if a little nervous. “It’s an interesting one,” Herron says, to general agreement. “There’s a specific group of them that come to everything,” Moon adds. “They’ve been with us for a while…we’re friends with them.” They smile as they think of their fans and their dedication. “They can make it seem like there are 20,000 people in the crowd,” Garrity says.
Image Courtesy: Keone Madrid
On the business side of things, the band believes they’ve gotten the best of the best. They are an independent label, but set themselves apart as the only band under the label. This gives them creative and business freedom that they wouldn’t get with a large label. “I don’t think there’s anything else like [it]...” Garrity says. “[It’s] very malleable.”
What the Future Holds
The boys have big dreams, and they aren’t afraid to share them. Moon’s dream place to perform is Madison Square Garden, joking that he’ll “never be the youngest to perform there” —Justin Bieber took that crown at age 16— but it is still his ultimate goal. Hincy wants to play the Sphere in Las Vegas, and Garrity dreams of performing at the Roch festival in Rio, saying it would be “unreal.”
Image Courtesy: Keone Madrid
Bell’s focus is a little different. “We want to be on the Tonight Show,” he says. When asked about his ideal performance, the subject of SNL comes up, to much excitement. When I ask if they would want to be both the musical guest and the host, they all answer with an enthusiastic yes.
“Jagger keeps a list of good ideas for skits,” Herron says, amid laughter. “The writers wouldn’t even have to come up with material,” Moon agrees. Sold-out stadiums, late-night show appearances, and performing worldwide: they aren’t holding back.
All jokes aside, the boys are serious about their music, and it shows. “We all really…everything we do goes back to the art,” Bell says. “We believe in high art, high joy.” I couldn't have put it better myself.
Check out the Full Circle Boys on Instagram, and stream their latest EP PLIÉ, released Nov. 14, now on Spotify and Apple Music!
Strike Out,
Orlando
Written by Hadley Balser
Edited by Delaney Gunnell & Sarah Franquelo
Hadley Balser is a journalist for Strike Magazine Orlando. A senior at University of Central Florida pursuing a career in music journalism, they love writing about music almost as much as they like listening to it. In their free time, they love watching horror movies and attempting watercolor still-lifes. For any professional communication (or just to chat) reach out at hms.hadley@gmail.com, and follow on Instagram @hadleybalsersonpitch!
