Abz Love and Jason ‘J’ Brown have announced their shock return to ’90s boy band Five ahead of huge comeback news.
The ‘When the Lights Go Out’ hitmakers – which also included Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson, Sean Conlon – first split in September 2001, after the release of their third album, ‘Kingsize’, due to the pressures of fame.
They briefly reunited in 2006 before going their separate ways again.
In 2012, they reunited without J and continued as a four piece.
However, in 2014, Abz announced he had quit the group.
In January 2022, Five released the album ‘Time’.
They also embarked on an ‘Australian Greatest Hits Tour’ last year, while they performed a handful of shows in the UK.
This month, the official Five X account shared a clip of a promo showing on the ad screens on the escalators of the London Underground, with a big announcement expected at 8am GMT on Thursday (27.02.25).
Abz was the first to announce on X that he has rejoined the band, writing on Monday (24.02.25): “As of today I am once again a member of @itsfiveofficial.
“Thank you to all the fans who support us, I love you all..”
A day later (25.02.25), J wrote on his own profile: “Mic check…is this thing on? @itsfiveofficial @abzlove @SeanConlonMusic
@RitchieNeville @Scottlarock5
“Five bad boys with the power to rock you.”
Fans will be surprised that J is returning after he accused his bandmates of bullying during their appearance on the ITV2 series ‘The Big Reunion’ in 2013.
He said: “Stuff’s been said that’s actually not true and it has had a deep impact on me.
“I thought, I actually can’t believe what I’m hearing and who I’m hearing it from.
“I was loud and a bit aggressive at times, and I was physically bigger than them so I can see how that could have been taken a certain way. But never in my mind was I so-called bullying people.”
He also detailed his struggles with his mental health and admitted he couldn’t see himself being in Five again.
J said: “Being in that band just wouldn’t work for me. I actually couldn’t do that now. I’d be lying to myself and lying to other people if I tried to put myself on stage.”
The reunion also comes after Ritchie appeared in the BBC series ‘Boybands Forever’ and opened up about the tough reality of life in the boy band.
Five were formed by the same team behind the Spice Girls in 1997 and were subsequently signed by Simon Cowell and BMG/RCA.
They have sold more than 20 million records worldwide, with their greatest hits also including ‘Keep on Movin”, If Ya Gettin’ Down’ and ‘Slam Dunk (Da Funk)’.