By the time most boy bands try a comeback, they’ve either outgrown their fanbase or the fanbase has outgrown them. Big Time Rush somehow dodged both. With The Forever Tour, a string of infectious new singles, and a very online presence that includes a fake relationship hotline and a real MSG gig, the guys are back—not as nostalgia bait, but as an actual functioning pop machine with harmonies intact and jokes fully loaded.
“We’re just getting going,” they say, like four guys who know full well they’re already on Chapter Five but finally like where the plot is headed. “This time it really feels like the sky truly is the limit,” Kendall says, radiating the optimism of someone who’s lived through both teen idol chaos and the silence that followed.
Even their ballads have more bite now. “You make me want to make a demo track,” goes a line from “Call It Like I See It,” which sounds like mixtape-era romance with a side of emotional baggage. “That was our version of saying, ‘you make me want to make you a mixtape,’” James explains. “But a demo’s riskier. It’s raw. It’s vulnerable. It’s not done yet.”
They’re not done yet either. Sure, they’ve re-recorded acoustic versions of older hits—because, as Logan puts it, “content is king and it takes a long time to write a song.” But those songs now arrive with upgraded vocals and actual lived experience. “You’ve been around long enough, one or two or ten of your songs are going to be considered classics,” Carlos adds. “So re-envisioning them is always the goal.”
Their new music, meanwhile, leans into breezy pop with subtle throwback winks. “Fall” has a French lounge vibe with a hook that shamelessly flirts with Big’s floor piano. “Downtown baby,” they sing, prompting me to ask if they now owe Tom Hanks royalties. “Not for three words,” they laugh. “Let’s not break that up.”
Then there’s the track “Not Giving You Up,” described as “ABBA to Daft Punk,” which is basically code for ‘we want to dance and cry and also flex some harmonies.’ “The bassline on that one just hit,” says Kendall. “It showcases the full band vocally and it’s fun.” They’re aware the title is one word away from Rickrolling themselves, and yes, they’ve thought about it.
Speaking of Rick Astley, they all agree: the man still kills live. “We got to see him on tour with New Kids on the Block, and that song still hits. Hard,” says James. “Twice, actually. They played it twice.” Big Time Rush aren’t above a little reverence, especially when it comes wrapped in a keytar solo and a neon blazer.
But the biggest shift is in the songwriting itself. Once obsessed with flirty PG pop, they’re now writing about real adult love—messy, supportive, long-term stuff. “You’ve got a better support system now,” says Carlos. “And a few breakups make the well a little deeper.” He pauses. “We didn’t get soft. We got focused.”
And while each member’s acting career may be on hold for the tour, they’re still producing content (the word gets eye-rolls mid-sentence). “Even though it’s overplayed,” Logan says, “we’re all together, funny stuff happens, we’re filming it. We might just make another TV show.”
There’s also a mysterious new platform in the works—“something really cool,” they tease, “that’ll give fans a complete bird’s eye view of what we’re doing.” A camera crew following them around might be a natural extension of their original Nickelodeon DNA, but now they’re controlling the narrative. “We’re developing ways fans can have a more in-depth, exclusive look at what we’re doing,” says James. “You’re basically on tour with us.”
And yes, the original Big Time Rush show’s resurgence on Netflix has helped—but only as a launchpad. “It’s just additive,” Logan says. “We’ve got our old fans, and now there’s new ones who are just finding the show. My younger cousins like me a little more now.”
That, they agree, is the true measure of success.
Watch the interview above and then check out the videos below.
