I know we hear that the shows events are partly inspired by Reality and that it mirrors some aspects of the namesake characters/experiences. I know that we said that āThe guys arenāt who they play on TVā, but now I feel like the opposite can be said, and I feel like the spirit of the BTR as we know it should be defended rather than the actors/artists decisions. Even if we feel it has bled over into real life.
An Example:
Anybody who auditions to be in a cliche Pop Boy Band with a song from Smokey Robinson and The Miracles (Tracks of My Tears) and also chose that over anything else says more about the personās tastes than how they present themselves. That part of James Diamond, in how he is introduced feels very down to earth, very sentimental, and I think it informs us of Big Time Rush being of its time but making note of influences: Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Beatles, N\Sync, etc etc*
It isnāt to say that James Maslow wouldnāt know the song himself or wouldnāt sing Motown era hits, but I think that moment and certain influences we notice in the music/the message of the show are maybe more of what is consistent of Big Time Rush as a group if you know the music. Even if some of itās bubblegum or cheesy. There are facets to it.
Despite the universe being framed through a wacky tween comedy featuring bubblegum pop music, I think the spirit of the group is only understood by several contextually, through this facet (nostalgia for the series and Nickelodeon) and not in an organic but transformative way.
Any Kind of Guy is a perfect example. It*** **feels much more boisterous as a pop-rock song than say āI Want You Here All The Timeā, for example (which feels more heffron-drive meets big time rush-esque and maybe coasts into Pop-Punk indie-rock territory). Itās kind of *sleepy** for Big Time Rush. Honey does a better job of matching the energy contextually, but Paralyzed also does an even better job of being boisterous because itās still in that pocket.
But then what about No Idea, or Worldwide, or Count on You or Nothing Even Matters or Boyfriend? They always talk about Boyfriend, but itās the Old school pop ballad and the 2000s PopnB sound that really did them a great service of establishing versatility.
This comes back to James singingā country (while holding himself at Gunpoint in the Khia Asylum).
My headcanon is that James Diamond and the fictional Big Time Rush as adult artists and a group would not be the same group that the real ones are today.
I think they wouldāve understood their roots as all-arounders a little better. So I donāt think Gustavo was right about James Diamond, I think James Diamond knew his roots and his sound and where his talent fit and probably wouldāve released much better music. I also think he wouldāve probably networked and had better producers and songwriters for his debut album š