Another Level (group) explained

Another Level
Origin:London, England
Years Active:1997–2000
Label:Northwestside

Another Level were an English soul and R&B-influenced boy band that formed in 1997 and broke up in 2000, consisting of Mark Baron, Dane Bowers, Bobak Kianoush and Wayne Williams. They achieved seven top ten singles, including the 1998 number-one "Freak Me".

In 2013, the band were about to reunite for the ITV2 documentary, The Big Reunion; however, Williams and Baron chose not to take part in the show.[1] [2] Bowers was the only member to take part in the show and joined the supergroup 5th Story along with Kenzie from Blazin' Squad and former soloists Adam Rickitt, Kavana and Gareth Gates.

On 30 November 2014, it was reported that Another Level could make a comeback, but nothing happened.[3]

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Another Level has been certified for sales of 400,000 albums and 1 million singles in the UK.[4]

Career

Formation and early career (1994–2000)

Dane Bowers and Wayne Williams were both students of the BRIT School of Performing Arts & Technology in the London Borough of Croydon when they were discovered. Williams enrolled at the school in 1995, while Bowers was in the year below, but started in 1994.

Another Level were originally conceived by Nick Raphael and Christian Tattersfield for their new record label project Northwestside Records, a BMG sub-label in the United Kingdom that had also signed Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records unit in 1998. Due to Northwestside's position as an urban marketed record label, a number of R&B and hip hop stars guested on Another Level's songs. These included Jay-Z, Ghostface Killah and TQ, amongst others.

Another Level had seven top 40 singles in two years, including 1998's UK singles chart number one "Freak Me" (a cover of the 1993 hit by US group Silk), and a platinum-selling, eponymous debut album.

1999's gold-selling Nexus followed, along with Brit Awards nominations, and the opening slot on Janet Jackson's European tour. In early 2000, the group split after Kianoush and Williams left the group in 1999.[5]

The Big Reunion (2013)

On 27 August 2013, Another Level were on the verge of signing up for the ITV2 documentary, The Big Reunion, but Williams announced that he would not take part. In an interview with MTV UK, he said: "I decided not to participate in The Big Reunion because it wouldn't feel right to me...I'm in a totally different space in my life and I don't feel any need to look back."[1] Also, Baron, who now works for Alan Sugar's company Amsprop, had been forced to pull out due to Sugar not allowing him time off work. Bowers told the Daily Star, "Another Level were supposed to do it but then Mark said he couldn't because of work. He's married to Alan Sugar's daughter and works for him. You don't say no to Alan Sugar. I was a bit annoyed because he pulled out right at the end. Surely he would have known earlier. But his loss is my gain."[2] Bowers was the only member to take part in the show as he joined supergroup 5th Story along with Kenzie from Blazin' Squad and former soloists Adam Rickitt, Kavana and Gareth Gates.

Discography

Albums

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"
Album detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
[6]
AUS
[7]
BEL
[8]
NED
[9]
SCO
[10]
Another Level 13144202656
Another Level Remixed
  • Released: 10 April 1999
  • Label: Northwestside
76
Nexus
  • Released: 13 September 1999
  • Label: Northwestside
732
  • UK: Gold
From the Heart
  • Released: 1 June 2002
  • Label: Northwestside
Love Songs
  • Released: 2002
  • Label: Northwestside
Freak Me – The Collection
  • Released: 2016
  • Label: Music Club Deluxe
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
UK
AUS
[12] [13]
BEL
FRA
[14]
GER
[15]
IRE
[16]
NED
NZ
[17]
SCO
[18]
SWE
[19]
1998"Be Alone No More" (featuring Jay-Z)616531
  • UK: Silver
Another Level
"Freak Me"143159175102121311
"Guess I was a Fool"52019391731
1999"I Want You for Myself"
(featuring Ghostface Killah)
2851944950
"Be Alone No More" (remix) / "Holding Back the Years"112728Another Level Remixed / From the Heart
"From the Heart"614328291432391625
  • UK: Silver
Nexus
"Summertime" (featuring TQ)72424
"Bomb Diggy"68026
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Notes and References

  1. News: Another Level's Wayne Turns Down 'The Big Reunion'. https://web.archive.org/web/20130913034524/http://www.mtv.co.uk/news/the-big-reunion/390128-the-big-reunion-another-level-wayne-williams-not-taking-part. dead. 13 September 2013. 4 September 2013. MTV UK. 6 September 2013.
  2. News: Lord Alan Sugar an obstruction to The Big Reunion. Ingham. James. 26 January 2014. Daily Star. 1 February 2014.
  3. Web site: Another Level 'making a comeback for NYE'. Metro. 30 November 2014.
  4. Web site: Certified Awards . bpi.co.uk . 7 August 2024.
  5. Web site: Another Level 'Set for the Big Reunion'. MTV. UK.
  6. Web site: UK chart peaks . . 24 October 2016.
  7. Web site: Another Level ARIA chart history, received from ARIA in May 2024. ARIA. Imgur.com. 12 July 2024. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  8. Web site: Belgian (Flanders) chart peaks . ultratop.be . 24 October 2016.
  9. Web site: Dutch chart peaks . dutchcharts.nl . 24 October 2016.
  10. Scottish albums:
  11. Web site: Certified Awards Search. British Phonographic Industry. To access, enter the keywords "Another Level". 1 October 2021.
  12. Web site: Australian charts peaks . australian-charts.com . 24 October 2016.
  13. Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia. pdf. 16.
  14. Web site: French chart peaks . lescharts.com . 24 October 2016.
  15. German singles:
  16. Web site: Irish chart peaks . irishcharts.ie . 24 October 2016.
  17. Web site: New Zealand chart peaks . charts.nz . 24 October 2016.
  18. Scottish singles:
  19. Web site: Swedish chart peaks . swedishcharts.com . 24 October 2016.
  20. Web site: New Zealand Certification – Freak Me . Recorded Music NZ. 24 October 2016.