Banding Together

If N*SYNC tore up your heart or you actually belived that the Backstreet Boys were larger than life, then you’re in luck: Harvard will soon have a popstar coterie of its very own.

Peter C. Shields Jr. ’09 and Silas P. Howland ’08 are recruiting for a group of five pop performers to satisfy the “guilty pleasure” that Shields says Harvard students take in listening to pop music.

“I know all these people that will hate on pop, and then as soon as one of the songs comes on, I see them grooving away to it,” Howland says.

Howland and Shields found the first addition to their group in Nicholas A. Noyer ’09, whom they met in rehearsals for Harvard’s recent production of the musical “Chicago.”

The three students are now holding auditions to find their final two members. All auditions will be taped and posted to Shield’s website, www.kingstoneentertainment.com. In early May, Harvard students will be able to cast their votes to determine which two performers will receive tickets to stardom.

Once the members have been finalized, they will work together to compose songs and choreograph dance moves for a for an end of the year debut performance, says Shields.

Shields and Howland anticipate great success for their group, grounding their assumption in the positive feedback they received after performing a dance to N*SYNC’s “Bye, Bye, Bye” after the last performance of “Chicago.”

“Everyone was out of their seats and just ready to cheer, which makes me think that people are always ready for this entertainment,” Howland says.

Shields and Howland are still searching for a name. Already considered: “4-Play” (scrapped because they’ll have five members), “5Haft” (the 5 is an S and the capital H is for Harvard! Crafty!), and, most recently, the mysterious acronym “JBF.”

Even down one name and two members, the dancing duo feels confident that the band will make it big.

“Have you heard of Madonna?” Shields asks. “That’s the kind of lifespan we’re going for.”