The Janoskians

In Melbourne, Australia, siblings Beau, Jai, and Luke Brooks joined forces with Daniel Sahyounie and James Yammouni to establish the Janoskians in 2011. The acronym expanded to “Just Another Name of Silly Kids In Another Nation,” and the newly named collective immediately began uploading clips to YouTube. Their gross-out comedy, prank, and stunt videos, styled after Jackass and the programs Punk’d and Candid Camera, quickly spread online and secured a sizable teenage audience throughout Australia. A 2012 recording contract with Sony Music prompted the release of the debut single “Set This World on Fire,” which climbed to number 19 on the Australian charts. Before the year ended, the group also produced an eight-part web series for MTV Australia. Rising demand carried the troupe to the United States in 2013, where they issued the follow-up single “Best Friends.” Scheduled meet-and-greets drew far larger crowds than anticipated, resulting in multiple cancellations by local police over overcrowding concerns; early the next year, an estimated 20,000 fans gathered in Times Square, prompting authorities to close part of 7th Avenue. Midway through 2014 the ensemble unveiled plans for the Got Cake world tour, fronted by the third single “Real Girls Eat Cake,” while Lionsgate simultaneously announced development of a Janoskians feature film.