Biography
Vi3, a male vocal trio based in Chicago, ranked among the sharper and rawer teen pop outfits to surface at the start of the 2000s. Though points of overlap exist with teen pop figures such as *NSYNC, O-Town, and the Backstreet Boys, Vi3 refuses to function as any sort of replica. The act supplies more edge along with greater distinctiveness than most acts sharing its era. Their mixture of dance-pop, hip-hop, and urban contemporary takes cues from New Kids on the Block, whose sway extended to many teen pop performers arriving in the 1990s, while also revealing the touch—direct or otherwise—of Michael Jackson, the Jacksons, New Edition, and Bobby Brown. Vi3 further identifies Bell Biv DeVoe, the New Edition offshoot that dominated the early 1990s, as a key reference point, confirming a broader set of influences than those shaping most teen pop acts of the twenty-first century. The members prefer to label their output “hip-pop,” underscoring its simultaneous allegiance to pop and hip-hop sensibilities. Justin Roman has repeatedly emphasized his wish to keep the group separate from the wave of image-centric “boy bands” that proliferated during the 1990s or early 2000s.
The three assembled in summer 2001 after Roman linked up with fellow Chicago residents Jackie Salvucci, originally from Boston, and Lucas Bowers, whom Roman had known since high school. Before Vi3 existed, Roman had intended to head to Los Angeles in pursuit of solo work. His stay proved short-lived; roughly a week after reaching L.A., Bowers phoned from Chicago to report that local manager Erik Bradley sought to handle a male vocal group and wanted both singers involved. Their decision to form the trio under Bradley’s direction therefore launched Vi3. Less than three months after uniting, the group signed with MCA, which put out the funky debut single Go-Get-Her in 2001. The track registered as a local success in Chicago thanks to repeated airplay on urban contemporary station B-96, after which Vi3 opened for numerous headliners passing through the Windy City—among them teen pop acts Britney Spears and O-Town as well as rapper Nelly, neo-soul artist Alicia Keys, and Latin pop/rock en Español performer Shakira. In November 2002 MCA issued the debut album So Tight, executive-produced by manager Bradley, and followed it with the single “Eyes Closed So Tight.”
The three assembled in summer 2001 after Roman linked up with fellow Chicago residents Jackie Salvucci, originally from Boston, and Lucas Bowers, whom Roman had known since high school. Before Vi3 existed, Roman had intended to head to Los Angeles in pursuit of solo work. His stay proved short-lived; roughly a week after reaching L.A., Bowers phoned from Chicago to report that local manager Erik Bradley sought to handle a male vocal group and wanted both singers involved. Their decision to form the trio under Bradley’s direction therefore launched Vi3. Less than three months after uniting, the group signed with MCA, which put out the funky debut single Go-Get-Her in 2001. The track registered as a local success in Chicago thanks to repeated airplay on urban contemporary station B-96, after which Vi3 opened for numerous headliners passing through the Windy City—among them teen pop acts Britney Spears and O-Town as well as rapper Nelly, neo-soul artist Alicia Keys, and Latin pop/rock en Español performer Shakira. In November 2002 MCA issued the debut album So Tight, executive-produced by manager Bradley, and followed it with the single “Eyes Closed So Tight.”
Albums
Singles
