5WEST Question and Answer Session

Rising US 4-piece group 5WEST, comprising of members Caleb Duke, Owen Pastore, Jon Paul Nesheiwat and Peet Montzingo, took the world by storm last year when they performed at Gran Canaria Pride, The President’s Ball in Cape Town and supported Boyzone on their UK tour. Their 2019 debut single Stars About You hit top 30 of Billboard charts and 10 on Music Week charts upon its release; now signed to world’s leading live agency Martial Arts (P!NK, Sir Paul McCartney and Elton John among others) they released brand new single One Shot; captivating R&B-tinged pop music that won’t let go until it played again.

With the release of their beautiful song, they released its accompanying music video directed by Samuel Womer and posted it below! I also had the privilege of interviewing them further so you can read on below for our conversation!

Hi Bryan Todd! First and foremost, I want to say how much I’ve enjoyed your new single One Shot with its beautiful melodies and infectious chorus. Could you tell us a bit about its recording process and working together on such an important piece?
Jon Paul: Working with Bryan Todd is always a blast for us. The amount of good vibes, energy and creativity he brings into every recording session we do with him is truly remarkable – raising the bar with every record made together.

Will this be a taster for an upcoming studio album? Quite possibly yes; for now however, our focus lies in getting out some solid singles.

What musical acts or artists serve as your source of musical inspiration and how do they influence how you create music yourself? Caleb – My musical influences would include 1975, John Mayer, Tom Misch and Jon Bellion who all possess exceptional songwriter/creators abilities that inspire me.

How would you describe your sound?
Peet – Our sound can best be described as pop, with an urban and mature flair. Additionally, we strongly support harmonies and catchy melodies.

Can you explain how 5West was formed and where its name derives from?
Jon Paul- The name 5west comes from where our auditions took place: Los Angeles on the West Coast of the US. Originally we aimed for 5 members but decided on 4. It still works and serves as a conversation starter when people ask, “Why do you call yourself 5West when there are only four of you?” We sometimes make jokes out of it!

How would a typical working day look for you guys, and do you often get together when not working?
Owen – Since quarantine we’ve only been able to work together a handful of days, but we are constantly on zoom calls together collaborating and coming up with content ideas.

Have had an exciting and fulfilling 2019 performing all over the world and supporting Boyzone on their UK tour. What have been some of your favourite places to perform?
Peet: Each venue had its own special kind of magic that we could sense walking around backstage. So many legends roamed those halls that the magic was palpable.