Jetfire

Jetfire is a British rock/pop band that formed and originated in London in 2010, however they achieved minimal success performing gigs until 2012 when they finally came to the media's attention. The band consists of four members: Sean Cotes, Aaron Dixon, Joey Nicholson and Mikey Thompson. The band, who went to school together, formed in 2009, after finishing sixth form and deciding they wanted to persue a career in music.

After almost three years trying to get a record label, in late 2011 the boys auditioned for the first season of popular reality talent show The Uraps Factor. The band were heavily praised and progressed through to the live shows in the final 16. They eventually ended up as the last group left in the competition, and finished the show in 5th place, also making them the last males on the show.

In April 2012, the group were signed to Next Generation Records, Their debut single "Tears In Your Eyes" was released on July 23, 2012 and was taken from their self-titled debut album "Jetfire", which peaked at #2 in the UK. The group's second single "Turn Back Time" became the first single released by an act from The Uraps Factor to chart at #1. They have since earned another number one with their single "Dim The Lights". The band have also been nominated for two URAPS Award, winning "Best Group" at the 23rd awards show and have to date, sold over 1.5 million records in the UK.

2009-2011: Formation and early career
The band consists of four members who collectively went to the same high school. Three of the members: Joey, Aaron and Mikey were in the same year at school, and formed a band whilst at school. They ended up adding a fourth member; Sean who was in the year below them. After the boys left sixth form, Sean left sixth form after Year 12 and joined the boys as they attempted to get signed. The boys performed gigs nightly in order to build themselves up a fan base. Although unsuccesful at getting signed, several labels did show slight interest, however they felt there was no space on the market for boybands at that time.

Towards the end of 2011, with the rise of groups like Dante and Difused, boybands were coming back into fashion, and Jetfire saw an opportunity when they heard about auditions for The Uraps Factor.

2012: The Uraps Factor
The boys first auditioned for the mentor of the groups, James Moss in Texas. They performed "When You Were Young", to strong praise from James. After he had to choose which three of his six acts should be brought through to the live shows, Jetfire were chosen.

Once into the live finals, they competed as one of James four groups, and sixteen finalists. The first live show saw the first group leave the show in a double elimination. Jetfire, who performed "Warzone" were safe however. In week 2 they performed "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". Week 3 was "Rock week", a week where Jetfire really stood out due to being familiar with this genre. They performed "Somebody Told Me". Another group, Kimono, were eliminated this week bringing the total of groups in the final 12 down to just 2. Jetfire also revealed after their mentor had voted out one of his own acts they felt very concerned.

Week 4 saw a performance of "Live And Let Die" and week 5 they sung "For The First Time" bringing them into the final 10. Week 6 the boys performed a cover of their mentor James Moss's song "Going Under". Week 7 was duets week where they performed "Glad You Came" with Justin Thorne and "Princess of China" with Pixie Starr, the latter recieving overwhelming compliments from the judges. It was also in this week that the only group other than Jetfire remaining, Kicks, were in the bottom 2, making Jetfire the only group to have never been in the bottom 2. Week 8 feature the final seven singing deadly sings. Jetfire's performance of "Hollywood" brought them through to the final 6, however Kicks were voted out, making Jetfire the only group left in the whole competition.

Week 9 was a week where the contestants had to sing songs personal to them. Jetfire's first performance "Break Your Heart" recieved mixed comments from the judges, however their second performance "Thnks Fr The Mmrs" was met with a better response. Despite this they were in the bottom three along with Justin Thorne and Aimee Stevens. It was revealed that it was a double elimination, meaning only one of the bottom three was safe. Aimee Stevens went through to the final 4 as Justin and Jetfire were eliminated in 5th place.

2012 - present: Jetfire
Not long after their elimination from The Uraps Factor, Jetfire (along with fellow boyband Kicks) were signed up to Next Generation Records by owner Coral Harris. They immedietly began working on their debut era, however weren't allowed to release any material until the current season of "The Uraps Factor" was over. In mid June, Jetfire revealed they were going to be releasing their debut soon. They also revealed the band's new logo, which featured a rocket in their name. The debut single, titled "Tears In Your Eyes" had a release date of 23 July 2012, with the self-titled album "Jetfire" following the week after on 30 July. Upon their release "Tears In Your Eyes" debuted at #5. "Jetfire" debuted at #4 but rose to #2 the week after. In August 2012, the boys supported their old mentor James Moss on his "Kingdom Hearts Tour". For the 22nd URAPS Awards the group were nominated for "Critic's Choice Award". The band's second single, "Turn Back Time" is a duet with fellow boyband Difused. Released in November, the song is the official Children In Need 2012 single. The band have also announced their first tour The Gods of Rock Tour, which will take place across the UK and Ireland in February/March 2013. On 18 November, "Turn Back Time" charted at #1, giving the band their first chart topper and also making it the first single released by an act from The Uraps Factor to top the charts. The band released their third single, "Midnight Trail" on 18 February 2013. After a dissapointing debut at #7, it rose to #2 in it's second week. The boys are also the support act for the UK leg of Syd Wolfe's "The Scientist World Tour" during May 2013. The group were nominated for "Best Group" at the Urapopstar Awards 23, which they went on to win, giving them their first Uraps Award. A fourth single will be released from the album in the summer, ending the era. The final single to be released from the album will be released on 25 November, 2013. To decide the fourth single, a poll was put on the band's website, asking fans to vote for their favourite track between "Save Our Relationship", "Toast To The Girl", "The Best Memories" and "Dim The Lights". The track that recieved the most votes would be chosen as the fourth single. On 29 October, 2013 it was revealed that "Dim The Lights" (featuring Coral Harris) had received the most votes out of the four tracks (55.56%) and would be the albums fourth single. The boys are also due to release a download-only Christmas release on 09 December, titled "Rocking (Around The Christmas Tree)". Upon it's release, "Dim The Lights" debuted at #01, giving Jetfire their second chart topper.

Image and popularity
The boys are considered part of the 2011/2012 popular rise of the boyband. They are often regarded as a more "cool" option, compared to other boybands. The boys are all very popular amongst females for their apperance. In June 2012, band member Sean Cotes hit headlines when he began a relationship with Ruby and the Gems, despite the fact she was in a relationship with Jackson Bradshaw at the time. Mikey Thompson has also been in a relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Rachel Aberts since August 2009. Aaron Dixon has been dating Syd Wolfe since January 2013. Joey Nicholson is known to be single.

Band members

 * Sean Cotes, 23 (born in London on July 22, 1990)
 * Aaron Dixon, 24 (born in London on December 28, 1988)
 * Joey Nicholson, 25 (born in London on October 16, 1988)
 * Mikey Thompson, 24 (born in London on March 2, 1989)

Discography
Main article: Jetfire discography

Albums
2012: Jetfire (#2)